The Impact of Colonization of the Americas on European Culture - Term Paper Example

Conquer, Colonize, Christianize" - Anonymous The Impact of Colonization of the Americas on European Culture Introduction Colonization of the Americas on a grand scale began shortly after Christopher Columbus sailed to its shores in 1492. The colonization of this continent was a two-way process, yielding cultural, agricultural and economic effects that are still studied to this day due to their significant impact on global society (Armitage, 2000). This process has become known as the "Columbian Exchange" to describe the biological and cultural reciprocal nature of cultural influences. As well as the exchange of communicable diseases brought by Europeans and Africans, North and South Americans contributed a wealth of knowledge and resources to Europe, that in turn shaped the colonizers culture as much as their own was impacted upon by colonization (Oberg, 2004). Importantly, European moral and philosophical thought was dramatically changed through the process of colonization, and part of this change continues today in the form of social justice, welfare and protection, ethics, human rights and dignity. This paper will focus on the impact on European culture of colonization of the Americas. Firstly, a brief review of colonization and the process of dispossession within the Americas will be presented. Secondly, the rise of humanism in Europe due to colonization, and the influence this had on the colonization process itself will be highlighted. Next, agricultural influences of the Americas on European farming and dietary habits will be outlined. Finally, a conclusion will synthesize the main points of this paper and demonstrate the significant impact that colonization of the Americas had on European culture. Review of the Literature Colonization and Dispossession European exploration and colonization of the Americas was initiated during 1492-1513 with the Atlantic Ocean crossings of Christopher Columbus sponsored by the royalty of Spain (Mignolo, 1992) . He made his way to the Americas by way of sourcing a new route to India and China, or "the Indies". Other explorers across Europe followed suit, with John Cabot sponsored from England, Pedro Alvares Cabral sponsored by Portugal, and Amerigo Vespucci sponsored by both Spain and Portugal. The process of colonization caused significant disruption and upheaval to the indigenous social groups of the Americas, by way of direct aggressive force, and indirectly through cultural disruption and the introduction of novel communicable European diseases. Despite the tendency for the indigenous nations to have established a warrior class within their cultures, and often having a history of going to war with each other, they were not able to compete with European firearms, horses and organized military strategy. The effect of disease and warfare severely reduced indigenous populations (Armitage, 2000). As well, incoming colonizers displaced many of the indigenous people to take up their lands for building ports, cities and roads, establishing agricultural grounds, and to search for gold and other precious metals and stones. Many of the indigenous Indians of the Americas simply vanished, others were incorporated into the colonial system, and a few managed to maintain their cultural heritage living "in the bush" due to the isolation of their traditional homes. European Cultural Change Humanism The Renaissance period spanning the 14th to 16th centuries saw the rise of perspective in art and advances in science, drawing on the conceptual discoveries that came with colonization of first nations such as those of the Americas (Oberg, 2004). Some have noted that the Renaissance period saw a fracturing of the classical tradition of science due to the influx of cultural products from the Americas, that were totally differently to the hegemonic norm of European values, especially when these were resisted by the indigenous peoples, or combined with their cultural traditions to form new ways of understanding and making meaning from life events (Barnes, 1998). It has also been contended that much of Europeans growing awareness of a difference between "self" and "other" was stimulated by the Renaissance, and carried over to the later Enlightenment period. Thanks to the initiated use of the printing press from the mid 1400s, the Renaissance promoted a sense of arrogance toward those designated as "the other", in this case the indigenous populations. For example, Spanish intellectuals promoted the European alphabetic literacy as superior to other methods of communication, and so initiated a perception of discontinuity between European and indigenous Americans methods (pictographs and woven "texts") (Skinner, 1998). It has been suggested that Spanish colonials drew on the power of indigenous bureaucracies and assimilated their knowledge into their belief systems, whilst ignoring their direct contribution and deligitimizing their contribution. However, another school of thought advocated that focused on moral philosophy as part of its humanism curriculum; saw the ultimate goal of humankind as being to value reasoning and the evidence of the senses in order to establish absolute truth (Fitzmaurice, 2003). The humanists shifted scientific inquiry from the classical debates of previous years, which drew on the constants of Plato and Socrates. With their exposure to the processes of colonization, and the resources and knowledge accumulated from sequestered lands and peoples, humanists came to talk about the creation of man as a "greatness" that came directly from the Lord God. As such, just as there was a variety of ways that humans could exist in the world, as exemplified by first nation people, so too could the average person realize that they were like a chameleon, able to achieve whatever they wished to become. In this way, humanism advocated the value of the self, human wroth and individual dignity, and this included the people of first nations whose lands were being colonized. The Renaissance fed into the humanist approach and the development of the concept of the Nobel Savage within European philosophy (Mignolo, 1992). The colonization of the Americas led to the European notion of Nobel Savage as attributed to Rousseau in the late 18th century (however it was first conceptualized by Dryden in 1672). He blended together a stereotype of the "perfect eco-person" who lived in perfect balance and harmony with their natural environment and was "at-one" with the wilderness. Rousseau spoke of a basic divide between society and fundamental human nature. He advocated that man, by nature, was good, this was in direct contrast to the Christian concept of humans being born "bad". He stated that within the natural environment the human condition was good, as in the time of creation and Eden. However, that with the development of civilization and society, the nature of humans became corrupted, as exemplified by the trials and tribulations of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, as they succumbed to poor hygiene, an excess of sugar and alcohol, and the negative influences of capitalism and industrialization. He initiated thought of indigenous peoples, and so of all humans, as innately good by virtue of their self-sufficiency when in nature, and not being subject to the negatives of a political society, such as "wickedness" brought on by "pride and vanity". The idea of society being a construct of the human mind and not as a sign of mental superiority was to become part of the Enlightenment period of 1656-1799, when Europeans began to accept the universality of human nature, and there was a movement away from subjective interpretation of events for the embracing of empiricism, standardization, and objectivity. Society became seen as an artificial development and that its creation and the growth of social interdependence were due to its benefits to the ego, life-styles and subsequent well being of humans (Mignolo, 1992). It is recognized today that the conception of a Noble Savage was inaccurate, given that some agricultural and cultural practices of Indians in the Americas did not reflect a perfect balance, and that their social groups experienced similar motivations and ethnocentricities as European cultures. The Columbian Exchange The Columbian exchange, or Grand exchange, is touted to be one of the most dramatic events in the history of the globe in terms of ecology, economy, agriculture and culture (Skinner, 1998). By way of the exchange of resources and knowledge between the Americas and Europe, widespread ideas, goods, and artifacts were distributed and influenced each others cultures. The new world of the Americas shaped the old world of Europe, as much as the latter influenced the former. As well as trading communicable diseases there was a wide circulation of new crops and live stocks that impacted on ways of farming, storing foods, preparing and consuming foods. As well fashion was affected, as imported wools from llamas were sold on par with furs, and precious metals and stones came to grace the physical appearances of the European elite. And as crops such as maize and potatoes became important due to their large yields, larger populations could be supported within European nations at more cost-efficient prices, and cities flourished. Potatoes became the staple plant of Ireland, and their latter crop disease brought devastation with the Potato Famine of the 1800s (Oberg, 2004). The potato originated in the Andes of South America along with other tubers. It was an essential high altitude crop of about 7 cultivated species in a variety of colors, sizes, tastes and shapes that delighted the European imagination in terms of culinary experimentation. The potato also became an economic food for sailors and allowed for trade expansion as long journeys no longer had to be nutritionally hazardous as they had in previous years. In Europe, the potatoes ability to flourish in poor soils and to resist the cold and being of low agricultural maintenance, providing an abundance of advantages to European markets and dietary habits. The humble potato of the Americas became the food base of capitalism for millions of overworked and underpaid workers who contributed to the progress of industrialization in the British Isles, Holland, France, Belgium, Germany, Poland, and Russia. To this day, the potato continues to be a major food crop around the world, providing the major sources of food calories for people of all nations. New world tomatoes contributed to the Italian trademark item of tomato sauce and led to a range of cuisine dependant on the fruit (e.g., bolognaise sauce and pizza base sauce) (Oberg, 2004). Chili and paprika were taken up by Portuguese and Hungarian cooking to create beautiful and distinctly their own cuisine. Chocolate was taken up by France and Switzerland to become staples of the diet of the upper classes that defined their status as the elite of society. European medicine was dramatically impacted upon with the introduction of the dandelion from the Americas, used as a medicinal herb. And sugar became an important staple across Europe, epitomizing later periods of industrialization, as Europeans took to using sugar in their tea, hot chocolate, coffee, confectionaries, cooking, and alcoholic beverages. Like cacao and vanilla, also from the Americas, produced a sweet taste sensation and was reputed to have aphrodisiac properties that impacted on its importance and value within European culture, especially as an expression of wealth and decadence. The inextricable economic relationship established between Europe and the Americas greatly influenced the access to opportunities and resources for those in Europe who were benefiting from trade (Mignolo, 1992). The Americas provided opportunities for exploring capitalistic endeavors that reaped profits in the old world and provided the elite with the ability to invest in property, the arts, literature and new technologies. With the rise of humanism, empiricism and the Enlightenment period, came the concept of experimenting with business organizations in the new world, driven by concepts of liberty, investment and ultimately in modern times, profit sharing and corporate structures at a global level. From Europe arose a host of mighty nations due to colonization, these were Portugal, France, Spain and England, their governments sponsoring companies developing the colonization of the Americas (Skinner, 1998). As such, these four nations came to have a powerful impact culturally and economically on other less independent nations of Europe that were attempting to benefit from colonization. Conclusion In summary, it is clear that the colonization of the Americas greatly influenced the cultures of Europe, in the form of language, literature, arts, moral philosophy, agriculture, technology and economics. Due to the exchange of resources and ideas and skills, European culture had the economic and academic resources to develop into the industrial power the continent is in the post modern age. However, it is evident that such "progress" has come at a huge expense to the indigenous peoples of the first nation of the Americas. With their displacement, death through sickness and aggressive force, and dismissal and destruction of their indigenous knowledge, language and stories, cultures of Europe have missed out on extending their understanding of themselves and human nature. Although, it is clear that such devastations as experienced by indigenous people of the Americas has stimulated European thought about the true nature of humans, their adaptability, and of the human right to dignity, justice, welfare and protection. References Armitage, A. (2000) The Ideological Origins of the British Empire. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Barnes, A. E. (1998) The Darker Side of the Renaissance: Literacy, Territoriality and Colonization. Journal of Social History (Spring). Fitzmaurice, A. (2003) Humanism and America. Sydney, Syndney University. Mignalo, W.D. (1992) The Darker Side of the Renaissance: Colonization and the discontinuity of the classical tradition. Renaissance Quarterly, 45(4): 808-828 Oberg, J. (2004) Colonization and Culture. Sagebush, Thompson Publishing. Skinner, Q. (1998) Language and Social Change. Princeton, Princeton University Press. Read More