For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The famous motto of the European expansion defined centuries of conquests and explorations of uncharted lands. However, the phrase itself seems to be rather vague, especially for modern audiences. In eh specified context, “God” may refer to the erroneous idea that the European race was destined for great accomplishments by the divine power and, therefore, was entitled to other lands for the same reason. The specified misjudgment affected multiple ethnic minorities that were conquered and forced to follow the rules established by European colonists.

In turn, “gold” as an important impetus for colonists to follow through with their undertaking implied the supposed financial reward that the specified actions were expected to entail. The feeling of entitlement that fuelled the colonists’ actions defined their intentions to a significant degree. Finally, the concept of glory as the title of conquerors was also seen as an important factor in pursuing the colonist ideas (Lewis 12). Thus, without the reformation that redefined European values and their vision of themselves, the conquest would have been impossible.

The Meaning of Being Discovered

The idea of discovery as applied to geographic exploration, and especially the study of the areas that have already been inhabited, seems to be a deeply flawed concept. Specifically, the concept of discovery tends to describe solely the experience of colonists and, thus, defines a particular area or country in relation to them as opposed to the people that live in it. As a result, the feelings and needs of indigenous populations tend to be disregarded, as a brief overview of key historical events shows. Namely, indigenous people inhabiting a particular area are unlikely to view the process of colonists invading their land as a discovery; nor they are willing to define themselves and their land based on the idea of geographic expansion by colonists, which must be how the inhabitants of Hispaniola felt when Columbus arrived (Lewis 17). Furthermore, the effects of the specified perspective can be found in present-day phenomena, such as gentrification, which can be seen as an attempt at expanding at the expense of the lower class.

Work Cited

​Lewis, Gavin. ​WCIV Volume II. ​Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, February 19). For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto. https://ivypanda.com/essays/for-god-gold-and-glory-the-famous-motto/

Work Cited

"For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto." IvyPanda, 19 Feb. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/for-god-gold-and-glory-the-famous-motto/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto'. 19 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/for-god-gold-and-glory-the-famous-motto/.

1. IvyPanda. "For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/for-god-gold-and-glory-the-famous-motto/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "For God, Gold, and Glory: the Famous Motto." February 19, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/for-god-gold-and-glory-the-famous-motto/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
1 / 1