Episode 2: Discovery, Disease, Death, and Destruction

This episode tackles the colliding of the two hemispheres that had been separated for millennia. I start around 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue and end around the turn of the 17th century. There are a lot of people and a lot of dates covered, but I only scratch the surface of the amount of exploring and conquering that occurred in this time period. I discuss the various reasons for these missions and the success and failures for each of the countries present in the continent. Finally, I address whether the Europeans are to blame for the vast amounts of death that occurred during this century.

Like last episode, I branch outside of North America before reaching the traditional starting point in American history education. All of this is vital preliminary information, though, so I would be remiss to skip over any of it.

The history notes leave a lot to be desired, but that just gives me more to talk about as I fill in the missing pages.

Music

Intro: Fractured Timeline - Sémø

Outro: Blood on My Hands - Michael McQuaid

Sources

El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America - Carrie Gibson

American Colonies: The Settling of North America - Alan Taylor

Before the Revolution: America’s Ancient Pasts - Daniel K. Richter

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus - Charles C. Mann

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