tour 2 of 23
Enlightenment: Trade and Discovery
The Americas
By the beginning of the eighteenth century,
South America and the Caribbean had been exploited by the Spanish
for centuries, and more recently also by the British. In Central
America, Maya and Aztec ruins presented tantalising glimpses of
ancient civilisations. The eastern part of North America included a
series of well-established British colonies fighting the French for
control of Canada, and later for their own independence from
Britain. Native populations were devastated by epidemics and
warfare, and their culture was suppressed by
Europeans.
The
Enlightenment period saw an increase in the race for trade, wealth
and knowledge. Two of the most energetic explorers of the late
eighteenth century were Captain James Cook and the naturalist Sir
Joseph Banks. Their First Voyage of 1768 was limited to the south,
but further voyages established important new contacts in the
north.