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.