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Negative Effects Of European Expansion During The 16th And 17th Century

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European expansion during the 16th and 17th century was considered an “assault” on the non-European world because of the number of negative effects that European presence caused. The first major effect was the African slave trade, which had a negative impact on the indigenous people. The need for laborers increase and since the Native Americans fell susceptible to disease; the Europeans went to Africa for their workers. According to the first presentation, Europe’s Assault on the World, “The most tragic and reprehensible impact of European expansion was the revival of slavery, which had all but disappeared from Europe by the year 1000.” (Slide 17). Another negative effect that European expansion caused was the spread of only one culture. According to the third presentation, Europe’s Assault on the World, “From the earliest stages of prehistory the cultural trends had always been toward differentiation.” (Slide 2). However, Europeans felt they were superior to everyone else and would disturb other cultures they encountered. Religion was one area where they felt they knew everything and possessed the correct one. Christianity, the Europeans thought was the one true religion. According to the reading, “Their religion was always present as a cultural fact and this gave Europeans the assurance that they were superior to the peoples they came in contact with for the first time.” This would often result in violent exchanges between the two groups. The arrogance of the Europeans and their religion was one …show more content…

Greed was a major factor in a lot of the violence that was taking place during this time. Europeans were usually able to defeat other adventurers who tried reaching the coast by pure exaggeration in their numbers. They had the advantage of sailing large ships, mounted with guns giving them a clear edge on other

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