Late in the fifteenth century, changes began to arise in Europe. The public began to demand more after numerous brief brushes with the exotics lands of the Orient. Society had begun to unite, prompting nation states ruled by a solitary monarch to appear. This demand for goods as well as the control needed to carry out the necessary operations led to an age of exploration, conquest, and discovery.Trade was the catalyst by which this new age blossomed. While the merchant class lusted for new markets and more convenient means of distribution, the demand for foreign goods radically grew. With this demand came a rise in prices that drove adventurous entrepreneurs in search of efficient sea rou ...view middle of the document...
Recent discoveries revealed a spherical shape, in a complete contradiction to the former beliefs. Columbus, in stubbornness, obtained a grant from King Ferdinand II of Spain. Professing that with a trip of only four thousand miles to the west would bring him to the East Indies, Columbus set sail. Although he did not find any sailable passage to his destination, he did claim the Americas when he mistakenly landed there. Despite its abundant resources, America was not the fabled Orient, merely and obstacle to be surmounted. Europeans continued to probe the continent's rivers in search of a route to the Pacific.The resources and labor force available in the New World attracted attention from the nations of Spain and Portugal. Finally, Columbus's biggest blunder was being put to use. The rulers issued forth troops to exert their authority over the new holdings. Few in number, the forces began to dictate the natives into recovering what their kings desired. Millions died in this vicious quest for opule...
