Due Friday, October 19, 2012
Now that you have looked at the era from both sides, should the era be called the Age of Exploration and Discovery or the Age of Exploitation and Imperialism? In this week’s blog, you will join the argument that scholars have been debating over the past three or more decades. Some historians maintain that it was the “desire” to venture forth across the Atlantic Ocean and ascertain what laid beyond the horizon that brought about the Age of European dominance. Meanwhile, other historians maintain that is was the manipulation and extension of European control in the new lands that allowed Europeans to gain world-wide dominance.
In this week’s blog, you are required to present evidence of an event or person which demonstrates whether the era should be called the Age of Exploration & Discovery or Exploitation & Imperialism. No you can not claim it is both! You must make a choice for one or the other!
Do not repeat or use an event or person that has already been used by another student. Like in the previous weeks, you must offer new evidence to the discussion.
Important Exception: If someone uses Columbus as evidence of exploration, you can use Columbus as evidence of exploitation in your initial post (The same holds true for the other “explorers”)!
The following resources will be helpful in completing this assignment.
The Age of Discovery
http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture2c.html
Classic Imperialism
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0858768.html
Age of Discovery
http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/ageexploration.htm
Undiscovering the New World
http://www.larrydewitt.net/Coloquio/NewWorld.htm
Digital History: Exploration and Discovery
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/subtitles.cfm?titleID=96
