HERNANDO CORTES 1485-1547 Hernando Cortes was one of the bravest military leaders of all time. Born in Medellin, Spain, he was a Spanish Conquistador who conquered most of Central America. He also gave Spain three-hundred years of control over Mexico. Cortes started exploring in the early 1500’s. He explored to find riches and conquered by being observant of the natives.
The Aztec’s Fall From Greatness The Aztec people created a mighty empire in Mexico. The ingenious Aztec society possessed a powerful military. According to u.s.history.com, “They had to conquer powerful rivals to control the region and establish Tenochtitlan as their capital city.” (Aztecs) It was the beginning of the end for the Aztec people when Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, intruded on the east coast of Mexico. How did Cortes and his soldiers defeat the mighty Aztecs? Many factors influenced the conquering of the Aztec people by the Spaniards including the Aztec’s religion, Spain’s superior weapons, alliances, and disease.
The Mexican War was the direct result of “Manifest Destiny,” or the belief that the United States was ordained by God to control North America from coast to coast, which was introduced by the article used in Document 1. This article by John L. O’Sullivan was written to encourage the “reception of Texas...for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” Notice, in this excerpt, the use of the word “free.” At that point in time, the southern economy relied on the free labor of the slaves working on huge plantations. Therefore, Document A implies that Texas would be admitted as a slave state, which caused a great deal of tension because it would destroy the Slave/Free state balance. Document B, a declaration of war on Mexico by James K. Polk, provides a different view on the war, declaring it a defense of the “honor, rights and dignity of this country.” On the other hand, the abolitionists were preaching in defence of these
(p. 2 European Exploration) Although Spain's new claims created the Spanish Empire, the extent of its lands was still unknown. The empire depended on the success of the conquistadores, who were commissioned to explore and conquer the newly claimed land in the Americas. (p. 6 European Exploration) Simón Bolívar a Latin American revolutionary grandiose in his schemes, headstrong and difficult, Conquered enormous obstacles in gaining South America’s independence from Spain. (p. 1 Latin American Sources) Bolivar journeyed to Europe in 1804 and visited Italy and France, where Napoleon I’s grandeur impressed him. (p. 1 Simón Bolívar) From a tutor he learned Enlightenment ideas and was especially attracted to philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
| Emiliano Zapata was the leader of a peasant rebellion in Mexico shortly after the turn of the twentieth century. Marxists want to claim Zapata as their own but the historical evidence is that in no way can he be construed as being a Marxist. He was a farmer and an entrepreneur who was driven to rebellion in defense of propery rights and in defense against central government oppression. As head of a guerilla movement and in the course of war his ideology may have changed or become ambiguous but his initial stance was unambiguous. Family History Emiliano Zapata was born in Morelos, a state to the south of Mexico City.
The time las Casas is referring to in the document was between 1518-1542. To put this into context, around this time a great deal was happening, of the most noteworthy in regards to the document in question, was the beginning of the Spanish colonization of the Americas starting with Christopher Columbus in 1492. It is generally accepted that the main reasoning of the Spanish monarch for this colonization was spread of the catholic faith through Indigenous conversions to "save their souls" from damnation. 3 Perhaps propaganda so they were able to take the fertile land and divide it up amongst themselves. This greed probably would not appeal to the moral or self conscious Christians of the people or even of the nobles.
Indeed, the empire reached his apogee during the reign of Huayna Cápac (1493-1525), who died without designating his successor. This lack of precaution engaged two of his sons –Atahualpa and Manco- in a tug war in order to decide who’ll succeed for the throne. Atahualpa emerged victorious from this event, but it divided the nation, decreased its supremacy and contributed to
Their greed for more land, Polk as their president and the Americans interest in the expansion of slavery, were all factors on this ongoing controversial disagreement still rampant today. (Background Essay) In the late 1840s, James K. Polk was elected president. He was a strong supporter of Manifest Destiny believing it was God’s plan to extend American territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Polk wanted to annex Texas and California; therefore he sent General Taylor and John Slidell into the disputed area, to try to buy California. The boundary between Mexico and Texas was undecided, however Mexico said it was the Nueces River and the U.S said it was Rio Grande.
Hernando de Soto Expedition I am Hernando de Soto. Searching for a passage between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean to enable trade with the Orient, which happens to be the richest market in the world, I led an expedition up the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. I left my estates in Nicaragua after failing this expedition and without mean to explore further. I then brought my own men on ships that I hired, joining Francisco Pizzarro at his first base of Tumbez shortly before departure for the interior of Peru. I was quickly made one of Pizarro’s captains.
The Spanish forcefully took control of the empire and brutally murdered the emperor (Inca Empire - Google Sites). The Spanish arrived in 1532 on the conquest of Peru led by Francisco Pizarro in the city of Cajamarca and they were probably interested in the Inca empire due to it astonishing high economy (Inca Empire - Google Sites). The Spanish only came with 110 men and 67 horsemen and met with the Sapa Inca Atahualpa who thought that the meeting was peaceful and that the Spanish were showing their respect to him (The Fall of the Inca Empire). However, his belief was proven incorrect very quickly when he got captured for not swearing loyalty to the King of Spain and Pope and throwing the bible on the floor. The Spanish then went on to kill and capture Incan soldiers and Atahualpa probably realised then that the Spanish were after gold and silver and were not there for peace.