Spain DBQ
...the natives. It took less than thirty years for the Spanish to be the first to colonize America when Hernan de Soto was finally able to land in Florida and march his way into present day Mississippi and Arkansas. It is from this great march that tales of endless farmlands and bountiful riches are described by de Sotos men. After De Sotos death in 1542, it was noted that one of the most important and significant things that was part of his journey was the earliest introductions to foreign disease and sickness. The trail of destruction which he and his men brought with them traveled more quickly than anyone could have imagined and remains one of the most important reasons for the Indians immense population loss. When the European people first came to America ships were generally filled with men either ready to work or men ready to fill their pockets with gold, the majority being the latter. Upon there arrival there were many things in which these colonists failed to keep in mind. With the arrival of a new people to the homeland of the Indians things that could have been overlooked in Europe were major issues in the New World. The largest issue which came to be was that of European sicknesses and diseases against the un-immune Indians. Because the Indians had absolutely no immunity to the diseases which plagued Europe more than three thousand miles away, outbreaks of virus and bacteria which caused such illnesses as malaria, smallpox, scarlet fever, typhus, and measles were only a few of the many deadly illnesses which crossed the Atlantic with the arriving colonists, were surely widespread and rampant. Once any of the numerous infections were passed onto a native the disease spread like wildfire. Starting in the islands of the Caribbean, these infections would travel through America in no time at all. While there were most definitely other reasons for the Native decline in America there is no doubt that the largest of factors belonged to the epidemic diseases which plagued the Natives for nearly two centuries. Although it is know that the Europeans brought generally bad news to the New World there were also positives to there way of life in America as well. When colonists first came over the majority were in search of large plots of riches to take back with them to Europe and become rich from. These riches could be found in many places and by far the most exchanged item for the Europeans were these riches of silver and gold. In between the years of 1500 and 1600 the amount of silver and gold coin in Europe grew by nearly ten times. While many in fact did find these sorts of riches, there were many other extremely influential items which came about and made there way into Europe. Crops which had never before been seen on the European continent were major sellers and money makers for export sailors. Maize, the staple America food, became an important livestock feed in Europe and an essential provision on traveling ships. There were other foods as well; tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, chocolate, and assorted beans were all new food which had in the past n...