That this voyage will be a great bridle to the Indies of the King of Spain and a means that we may arrest at our pleasure for the space of ten weeks or three months every year one or two C. [hundred] sail of his subjects’ ships at the fishing in Newfoundland
Entering a new never seen before country must've been very exciting!
The twentieth of June we harbored ourselves again in a very good harborage, called by Magellan Port St. Julian, where we found a gibbet standing upon the main which we supposed to be the place where Magellan did execution upon some of his disobedient and rebellious company.
I think the use of words in this sentence provides a look into the harsh realities of the sea voyages. However, I did find this primary source a little more confusing so I could be wrong.
Now had we obtained between 4 and 500 Negroes, wherewith we thought it somewhat reasonable to seek the coast of the West Indies and there, for our Negroes and other our merchandize, we hoped to obtain whereof to countervail our charges with some gains.
This sentence just expresses to me the sad reality of what slavery entailed. It was all about a profit, no one cared about the feelings or emotions of others.
“In order to win the friendship and affection of that people and because I was convinced that their conversion to our Holy Faith would be better promoted through love than through force; I presented some of them with red caps and some strings of glass beads which they placed around their necks, and with other trifles of insignificant worth that delighted them and by which we have got a wonderful hold on their affections.
I've wondered what both the Native Americans and the Europeans reactions would be towards each other. Both cultures are very different, and I would imagine it would be very scary meeting someone from a totally different background than you for the first time.
These bonitos be of bigness like a carp and in color like a mackerel, but it is the swiftest fish in swimming that is, and follows her prey very fiercely.
This sentence is amusing the Europeans are using comparisons to describe unfamiliar species to other European listeners. They definitely used interesting wording.
As soon as he was dead, Luis de Moscoso commanded to put him secretly in an house, where he remained three days.
I wonder why he ordered that odd request?
For it is not a very rough country but is made up of hillocks and plains and very fine appearing rivers and streams, which certainly satisfied me and made me sure that it will be very fruitful in all sorts of products.
I think that visiting an area you've never seen before for the first time must be a very exzotic experience. It would be so cool to see all the natural resources there.
Old Mr. William Hawkins of Plimmouth, a man for his wisdom, valor, experience, and skill in sea
In my previous History classes we had to learn how to read primary sources and determine reliability for them. This sentence clearly indicates that the whole excerpt is going to be biased. Theis author clearly admires Hawkins , and this positive language makes him sound heroic.
And they eat also one another. The man eats his wife [and] his children as we also have seen and they hang also the bodies or persons flesh in the smoke as men do with us, swine’s flesh. And that land is right full of folk for they live commonly 300 years and more as with sickness they die not.
I wonder where they got the idea that cannibalism was an intricate part of Native American life? How did this get so misinterpreted?
and they disembarked there with a crucifix and raised banners with the arms of the Holy Father and those of the King of England
I again see Europeans claiming land through religion and politics. This shows that religions seems to be a tool for exploration and control.
The discoverer of these things has planted a large cross in the ground with a banner of England.
This sentence to me feels like Europeans believed planting a flag in the ground meant they owned the land. They seem to ignore all the evidence of the people who may live there.
When he was but a short distance from the ship, the horse which Erik was riding stumbled, and he was thrown from his back and wounded his foot, whereupon he exclaimed, “It is not designed for me to discover more lands than the one in which we are now living, nor can we now continue longer together.” Erik returned home to Brattahlid, and Leif pursued his way to the ship with his companions, thirty-five men.
I think it's interesting that Erik gave up this amazing voyage just because he was injured slightly. He just turned around and left the whole plan when one thing didn't go his way. I wonder if he was really injured, or it was an excuse not to partake in the adventure.
Social and economic devastation arrived in 1340s, however, when merchants returning from the Black Sea unwittingly brought with them a highly contagious disease known as the bubonic plague. Within a decade the Black Death had killed nearly a hundred million people, about a third of Europe’s population. The loss of so many workers made labor much more valuable and may have awakened some workers to the fact that the ruling class badly needed the food and goods they produced.
In my past history classes I remember learning extensively about the Bubonic plague. We read many primary sources about it. Symptoms of it included swollen lymph nodes, bloody mucus, severe cough, or chills. It was a terrible disease because once you caught it it was a fast and painful road to death.
They counseled the chief and passed on the traditions of the tribe. This matriarchy changed dramatically with the coming of the Europeans, who introduced, sometimes forcibly, their own customs and traditions to the natives. Trade with Europeans also decreased the importance of women’s agricultural contributions to the tribes’ subsistence, which lessened their status in Indian society and influence on decision-making.
It's very sad to see the force of culture Europeans put on the Native Americans. I knew the way Europeans treated the Native Americans were cruel and selfish, but I didn't know that even matriarchy changed because of European influence.
The Inca had no system of writing, however. They communicated and kept records using oral traditions and a system of colored strings and knots called Quipu.
I think it's very impressive that the Inca's came up with a system of record taking and communications through something orally. You don't see that very often, and I find it very impressive that they came up with it. It blows my mind that they didn't use numbers, letters, symbols or pictures they used string! I wonder how they came up with the idea?
The sacrificial ceremony included cutting open the chest of a victim (usually but now always a criminal or captured warrior) with an obsidian knife and removing the still-beating heart. The Aztecs taught their children that the best fate a boy could hope for was to die in battle or as a sacrifice to the gods. Women and children were also sometimes sacrificed in elaborate seasonal ceremonies to insure fertility and good harvests.
It will always amaze me that human sacrifice was apart of religious rituals. Where did people ever get this idea from? What made them think that sacrificing women and children would provide them a good harvest? It's not like they had the bible, a prophet, to listen to, so where did theses ideas originate?