Conquest of the Americas

Why was Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas in 1492 arguably the most important event in the history of the world? Professor Marshall C. Eakin asserts, convincingly and eloquently, that it created a collision between three distinct peoples and cultures-European, African, and Native-American-and gave birth to the distinct identity of the Americas today. Through Professor Eakin's thoughtful and detailed explication, you'll understand how these three peoples formed completely new societies and cultures. The lectures begin with Columbus and Cortes in the Caribbean and move through Pizarro and the Spanish conquest of the Incas to the creation of the slave plantations of Brazil. The arrival of the English and French in the 17th century allows for a discussion of how the common experience of conquest led to different colonial systems in the New World.