pick one of these arguments about the significance of European expansion on the Americas. (1 point)

Question

European expansion into the Americas was a process
O that took the sustainability of the resources of the Americas into account throughout.
European expansion into the Americas was not done for economic gain. Instead, European expansion was done for exploratory purposes by people such as Christopher Columbus.
European expansion into the Americas came at the expense of the exploitation of the resources of the Americas and of other people, including those who were brought to the Americas by force.
European expansion into the Americas did not exploit land-based resources, only trade routes in the region.
This was done because Europeans wanted to control trade routes to make money off of them.

Answer 1

I choose the argument that "European expansion into the Americas came at the expense of the exploitation of the resources of the Americas and of other people, including those who were brought to the Americas by force."

This argument highlights the profound negative impacts of European colonization, which included the overexploitation of natural resources, the decline of indigenous populations through violence and disease, and the forced migration and enslavement of African peoples. This perspective underscores that European expansion was not merely a quest for knowledge or exploration, but was fundamentally tied to economic gain and the subjugation of other cultures and ecosystems.