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The most powerful weapon of the Spanish conqueror was not a conventional military weapon at all. Justify the above statement by giving two reasons.
Answer:
Answer by Student
The most powerful weapon of the Spanish conqueror was not a conventional military weapon at all.
-
It was the
germs like smallpox
that they carried on their person and spread deep into the continent before any European could reach there.
- America’s original inhabitants had no immunity against these diseases that came from Europe. These diseases wiped out whole communities, leading to their conquest. This biological warfare in the mid-sixteenth century made it easy for the Spanish to overpower the Americans.
Detailed Explanation by Teachoo
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Let’s justify the above statement by giving two reasons.
The
Spanish
conquerors
invaded America
in the
sixteenth century.
They were looking for gold and silver and also wanted to spread Christianity among the native people. They had superior weapons such as guns, cannons, and horses, which gave them an advantage over the local warriors.
-
The
most powerful weapon
of the Spanish conqueror was not a conventional military weapon at all. It was the germs such as those of
smallpox t
hat they carried on their person. These germs spread among the
native people
who had
no immunity against them.
As a result,
millions of natives died
due to diseases within a few years of the Spanish conquest.
- The deaths of the native people due to diseases weakened their resistance and morale . It also created a shortage of labor for the Spanish colonizers, who then turned to importing slaves from Africa. Thus, the germs that the Spanish conquerors brought with them changed the demographic and social landscape of America forever.
