Author Archives: Anna Mokry

Many have heard the phrase “in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue” in reference to the discovery of North America and subsequent colonization. It seems like an innocent child’s rhyme, recited to foster memorization of our country’s history. Sadly however, the process of colonization of the Americas by European countries is anything but innocent. Not only did European countries colonize America, they also had a heavy hand in the colonization of Africa. Two beautiful countries with amazing potential, savagely ruled because of greed and a thirst for power. Slavery also was a huge factor with founders exploiting both Native Americans and Africans and the negative effects are still being dealt with in today’s society with inequality being a continuous fight.

The three g’s that governed the exploration and later colonization of the Americas I believe also had an affect on what was happening in Africa though with slight variance. They are: God, Glory and Gold. Religion played a huge role in that the European countries believed (wanted to believe) that what they were doing in these parts of the world was governed and blessed by God. God would have wanted them to bring life and love and Jesus to these poor heathens who probably have never even heard of the bible. Countless actions were excused on behalf of bringing the Christian faith to these “naïve” people of the world. Now I am a Christian myself and this greatly saddens me because at its core, these explorers and conquerors of the land were committing acts that fostered inequality in the name of religion.

During the time of colonization in the Americas the second g “Glory” was quite important to those countries investing in the exploration. To obtain pieces of land, establish a new sector of trading, and be known to other parts of the world that you have lived and conquered, all fall into the category of glory. Countries such a France, Brittan and Spain saw Africa and the Americas as parcels of land waiting to be divided and thrived in. Wars were fought, treaties were signed and lives were lost often times with little respect for the native inhabitants. Why should their needs, desires and customs matter? These countries believed that no matter what African’s and Native Americans original methods of living were, theirs would be better, stronger, and more civilized.

The third g “Gold” was also a huge factor in colonization. In this world and throughout history, there is one thing to be counted on: people’s love of wealth. The pilgrims traded the Native Americans beads and other worthless trinkets for knowledge of the land and other life-saving information/tools that they had no way of providing for themselves. As discussed in class, Africa was sought after for jewels, gold and other goods. When a country is discovered to have goods worth trading, suddenly the value and desire for parts of that land skyrocket. Countries began to carve away at the rich country of Africa, all seeking personal gains for their own economies with little heed to what would become of the societies they were pillaging.

As a person who is of both Native and African American decent I cannot help but feel overwhelming remorse for the suffering of my ancestors. While colonization of the Americas and Africa did bring about definition of the nations that we know and love today, it went hand-in-hand with the crushing of economies and the spirits of those natives who were expected to follow willingly into a life of despair and pain. Those hurtful actions are still being seen in our society today in fights for equality and reparation for past grievances. The toil of those who went before us is not to be soon forgotten as it can still be seen all around us.