Abstract This paper reviews an article by Cole Harris, in which he investigates the causes of depopulation in British Columbia. The article focuses on the time period just prior to the arrival of Captain Vancouver, Galiano and other white settlers, with particular reference to depopulation caused by smallpox from 1782 onwards. The paper discusses Harris' point that agreement on the details about depopulation of the Natives are hard to come to, due to the intensely political issues involved.
From the Paper "This research paper traces, discusses and analyzes the effects of the blight of the potato crops and the resulting famine in Ireland in 1845-1849 on Irish culture. The most direct and immediate effects of the famine and the inadequate response of the authorities to it were widespread suffering, privation, starvation and deaths, primarily among the most impoverished groups of small Irish farmers and laborers in the west and southwestern parts of Ireland who depended on the potato crops for subsistence. The famine also produced and accelerated massive emigration from, and depopulation of, much of rural Ireland.
Nearly three quarters of a century and many intervening events were to transpire before Catholic Ireland achieved independence and Ireland was partitioned so no direct cause and effect..."
This paper discusses the destruction of the Aztec Empire the advanced Mexican civilization, by the 16th Century Spanish invaders: Cortes, Spaniards' needs and aims, depopulation of Indians and Montezuma.
2,475 words (approx. 9.9 pages), 5 sources, 1985, $ 87.95
From the Paper "The period of exploration of the New World was also a period of exploitation as European adventurers and armies encountered the native population and took advantage of that population, robbing the civilizations found here and decimating the population. The Aztecs had a mighty civilization in the New World that was destroyed by the Conquistadors in the name of greed and Christianity. The Aztecs were regarded as uncivilized heathens, and their lands were taken from them, their goods were stolen, and their leaders murdered.
Aztec civilization--and it was indeed a civilization--created its most extraordinary achievements in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It received a sudden and painful defeat at the hands of the Spanish army in 1519-1521. Aztec civilization flourished in the Valley of Mexico, a tiny area in comparison with the total ... "
Examination of the slave trading era from the African perspective. Discusses how slave trade was the principle export of of sub-Saharan Africa. Also discussed are possible consequences such as depopulation and a depressed economy.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 2 sources, 1990, $ 39.95
From the Paper "PATTERNS OF DISLOCATION
The Slave Trade Within Africa
The slave trade of the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries is known, in popular imagination, primarily for those parts of it in which Europeans or people of European descent participated directly. We can draw on vivid images of slave ships making the Middle Passage, or of slaves being sold on the block or working in the fields in the New World. But, though the kidnapping of Kunte Kinte figured in Roots, the African end of the slave trade is far less familiar.
Yet the slave trade was the principal export trade of sub-Saharan Africa through much of the slave-trading era. By the same token, the trade goods which European slavers brought in.."
Impact of Spanish invaders on Aztecs & Incas. Examines their cultural background and leadership and looks at issues of plundering, Christianization, depopulation, social & political abuses and economics.
2,025 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 8 sources, 1993, $ 71.95
From the Paper " When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the New World, they found flourishing civilizations firmly in place in the form of the Incas in Peru and the Aztecs in Mexico. Within a short time, the Spanish had destroyed these civilizations and eradicated much of their culture. In addition to the desire for conquest, gold, and plunder of all sorts, the conquistadors also saw themselves as carrying on a Holy Crusade to stamp out idolatry and to bring Christianity to these heathen peoples. The meeting between the Spaniards and the indigenous peoples of the New World was a culture clash in which the European would ultimately prevail, but elements of the indigenous cultures would survive and be adapted to the developing Christian society the conquistadors left behind. To a great degree, this was acculturation at the point of a sword, and the conquistadors..'
Abstract This paper analyses the various effects of the introduction of new diseases to the Pacific. It contains accounts of various epidemics and their effects and consequences for both island populations and foreigners. History, politics, and science combine to provide an interesting and informative evaluation of early European involvement in the Pacific.
From the Paper "While the impact of yaws in Tahiti cannot be attributed to Europeans, the spread of this disease to certain other communities, as well as the introduction of syphilis and gonorrhoea to most island groups, is indisputably the fault of these voyagers. While venereal disease had little impact on mortality, it was responsible for lowered natality. The importance of syphilis was not generally high due to the presence of yaws. Gonorrhoea, on the other hand, often renders sterile those unfortunate women who contract it and thus played a significant role in the depopulation of certain communities, including those of Tahiti, Hawaii, and New Zealand Maori. "So long as venereal diseases were widespread [...] populations could not recover." "
