PO5006 Worksheet 1: 1492 - Colonial Power, Revolts, and Discovery

This assignment, PO5006 Worksheet 1, delves into the complexities of colonialism, focusing on the power dynamics of Spanish and Portuguese colonies. The student explores the main sources of power, including military strength and naval development, which enabled them to conquer and establish rule in different parts of the world. The assignment also examines the mercantile system and how it functioned to maintain power. Furthermore, the work addresses the causes of popular revolts in the late 18th century, including the role of women in these uprisings. Finally, the assignment discusses the contentious issue of whether 1492 should be considered a "day of discovery" or a "day of disgrace", considering various perspectives and arguments related to the historical context and impact of colonialism.

PO5006 Worksheet 1: 1492 Name:
DUE TW2 Lecture
Instructions:
1. Make sure you understand the assessment brief for the Reading Portfolio, which can be foundin the
Module Guide and on Canvas under Assessments & Feedback
2. Read through the handout on Active Reading, Critical Reading, available under General Resources.
3. Read through the key questions and keywords below. Then read and view the required sources below,
with those questions and keywords in mind. (Note: you don’t have to incorporate every keyword in
your response, but make sure you have an idea what each one refers to.)
4. Answer the questions below. Be brief and to the point, aiming for 300-400 words in total. You should
also keep track of your reactions to the reading (including things you were inspired by or like, disagreed
with or found highly irritating – all welcome!) and things you find unclear – bring those reactions and
questions to class next week!
5. Type up for your answers, print them and bring them to next week’s class. You’re welcome to keep the
worksheet to refer to during group activities in the second hour. But make sure to leave the worksheet
in the box at the end of the hour for grading.
Remember: Worksheets will not be graded if they are hand-written, submitted by email, or submitted
for a class you did not attend.
Required Readings
Active Reading, Critical Reading handout (on Canvas under General Resources)
Teresa Meade “Latin America in 1790”,(ch.2) in A History of Modern Latin America.
Democracy Now! “On Columbus Day, Indigenous Urge Celebration of Native Culture & Teaching of
the Americas’ Genocide” (10:36, 8 October 2012)
There is supplemental source material for this topic in the TW1 & 2 units of the Module Guide and on
Canvas.
Keywords:the mercantile triangle, the encomienda system, chattel slavery
Spanish & Portuguese keywords: Conquistadores,hacienda (Spanish colonies), latifúndia (Brasil)
Questions
1. What were the main sources of power wielded by Spanish and Portuguese colonists in the colonial
period? What forms did that power take, in terms of land and labour?

The source of power by the Spain and Portugal has been one of the most striking issues of their colonial
history. Their main sources of power have been their “age of number of discoveries” which led them the
power to conquest and establish their rule in different parts of the world. It is also to be noted that their
source of power has been their strength of the military that led to the global hegemony during the
colonial period. It is also important to note that the excellent skill of naval development led to the
number of explorations of land around the world. Moreover their naval supremacy led to the
development o the transfer of labour form the distant land which sufficed their demand of cheap labours.
In terms of land discovery, it led to number of new discoveries around the world.
2. Describe the mercantile system. How did it function to maintain power in the hands of Spain and
Portugal?
According to the definition of “mercantile system,”, it is the process of controlling their import and
encouraging exports in the domestic country. It is included in the process of political economy of the
country which is aimed at regulating their foreign trade by controlling the import and expert of goods. In
case of Spain and Portugal, it has been initiated at the time of 16th century that focused on the movement
of labour and resources in order to boost their own development and growth. It helps Spain and Portugal
to maintain their power through the control over the natural resources.
3. Whatdrove the popular revolts in late 18th century, the largest ever in colonial history? What was the
role of women in these revolts?
The reasons that drove number of rebellion on the 18th century was the distinct event of their growth of
the middle class who worked under the exploitative culture and remained underpaid. It is the also the
knowledge was the booming factor for the number of rebellion of the 18th century which led to the
popular uprisings, based in cultural movement that there is a need to develop the attitude of replacing
reason over authority.
The role of women in these revolts have been revolutionary since it was observed that for the first time

it is the women have been coming out in raising their voices towards the changes of the society and the
polity.
4. Ultimately, should 1492 be considered a “day of discovery” or a “day of disgrace”? Why?
The significant year of 1492 is the “the day of discovery” or the” day of disgrace” is indeed a debatable
issue. It is to be noted that there are number of apprehensions of the discovery of the new land as it has been
mentioned that the man behind the discovery is not Columbus and it is not worth celebrating. Hence in order
to j derive at a conclusion of whether it is the day of discovery or the day of disgrace, it is to be mentioned
that it is disillusioned on whether he was the villain or the crusader.