Conquest of the Americas

by Marshall C. Eakin

Why was Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas in 1492 arguably the most important event in the history of the world? Professor Marshall C. Eakin of Vanderbilt University argues that it gave birth to the distinct identity of the Americas today by creating a collision between three distinct peoples and cultures: European, African, and Native American.

(24 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, The Americas, American History, Historical

12 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Sean DeLauder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one by Marshall Eakin. These Great Courses series are wonderful narratives told in an uninterrupted lecture format.

An overview of Columbus' venture and arrival, the conquest of Mexico and South America, the Caribbean, African slaves in South and North America, what made the conquest of Native American empires possible but not the more disparate nations of the North, the colonization and trade interests in the Americas by Spain and Portugal, and later Great Britain, France, and Denmark.

A great series and a great compliment to Edwin Barnhart's Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worlds in collision

"(Audio download...augmented with Google Earth)
In these 24 -30 minute lectures, Dr. Eakin does a great job reviewing the discovery, exploration, conquest and exploitation of the America from the voyage of Columbus in the 15th century up to the establishment of our unique American society that is set apart from the established. old world countries from which they started. These lectures explore the interaction of the three major players in the conquest of the Americas, The European powers (mostly Spain and Portugal...with England, Holland and France coming later), the African nations (who promoted the African slave trade), and the existing American natives, some of which had had a well-established and advanced cultures...notably the Aztec and Mayan nations in present-day Mexico and the Incas of South America. Dr Eakin's approach is to weave personal accounts into the historic narrative, giving more depth and understanding to the events that shape our present world.
My favorite set of lectures deal with the conquest of the large Aztec nation (with an army of many thousands of experienced warriors) with only a few hundred Spanish conquistadors. No nice guys here....
These lectures filled a gap in my knowledge of the Americas...why we are like we are...why South America is different from North America...why the Americas are different from the Old World.
I recommend these lectures...especially if you can augment the lessons on line to get a few more details on the places and characters discussed. Makes me want to learn more...

[Laurence · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overly simplistic and misses many interesting events, characters and themes, from both a micro and macro level.

The search for a good overview on the age of exploration continues.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most interesting Teaching Company courses I've done. The story is probably familiar to Americans, but as an Aussie my only background knowledge was the City of Gold cartoon series I watched as a kid. That has probably been lurking in memory every since and finally prompted me to learn more about it, and what a fabulous introduction this course was. A balanced perspective, showing both the heroism and cruelty of the Conquistadors, as well as the magnificence and barbarity of the civilisations destroyed. I still have no doubt that the conquest ultimately left the Americas a better place than what they would have been, but that hardly dulls the horrors of what happened.

[Gregg Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this lecture series. I appreciated that the professor offered extra resources for continued study. Overall I appreciated the general themes and techniques used to complete this survey of the Americas. I particularly like the lecture on the blending of cultures and long lasting implications of the clash of cultures. Good for people generally interested in Latin America and a good review for those more familiar.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid but kind of short overview. Good lectures on the conquistadors and civilizations they conquered. Every time I read about Cortez et al I shake my head in near disbelief. North America is only a small portion of this course.

[Mike Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this course was awesome. I never really understood the significance of the discovery of the new world. It changed everything about the world as they new it. I highly recommend this course!

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a 'book' but a great overview of the subject.

[Meso Wakongo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good detailed lectures

[marisa franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great lectures

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Conquest of the. Americas” is a 24 lecture course released by The Teaching Company in 2002. The course lectures are presented by Vanderbilt University history Professor Marshall Eakin. The lectures feature the collision of Native American, European, and Africans in the conquests of the Caribbean, South American , and North American territories. These collisions also profile the process of discovery and conquests over a period of 400 years from the Christopher Columbus’ discovery of a “new world” to the beginning of the 20th century . The course has six sections that begin with the “ … European overseas expansion; the conquests of the Caribbean, Mexico, and Peru; and ithe frontiers of the Spanish empire in the Americas. The next 4 lectures examine colonial societies, transatlantic African slave trade, and the creation of plantation estates and silver mines. The third and fourth course lecture sections focus on the European imperial powers of the 16th and 17th centuries. The course ends with 2 sections of lectures about creation of “…new peoples and new American societies.” The 112 page course guide has a timeline of key dates, annotated bibliography, a glossary of terminology, and major expedition maps that feature the Aztec, Mayas and Inca empires. The guide also has an exceptional map of major expeditions of famous explorers from 1602 to 1660. (P)

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eakin views Columbus' voyages which opened up the Americas to sustained contact with Europe as the most important event of the last thousand years. And despite its title, he views the most important result of Columbus' "discovery" as the coming together of three broad groups of people—Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans—as the most important part of that opening. It's a very interesting argument and Eakin does not ignore the fact that each of his "peoples" were composed of a large number of culturally and linguistically distinct groups with often contradictory goals. And yet, over five centuries they have mixed in such a way that some pretty amazing countries have resulted. This is an interesting book.

[Fiona Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible rating 4.7
Goodreads rating 3.99 (underrated)

If you are a fan of Dan Carlin’s #HardcoreHistory but always get a bit lost as to where you are up to…🤣…I highly recommend this particular series FREE in the #PlusCatalogue in the #GreatCourses.

The history of the America’s was never taught to me in any course until this past week. I feel like my mind has been expanded 24-fold based on these half hour chronological lectures.

Professor Marshall Eakin certainly knows his stuff, his delivery is engaging and able to inject 21st Century historiography into the accounts. It’s like a semester of University without the essays and exams. 🤣

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this course in the blending of the cultures of Europe and Native Americans. It was essentially without bias by the professor.

[Rachel McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful overview of the New World, the forces that shaped it, and how those influences inform our lives experience today.

[Ian Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good course concerning European-Native interactions in the Americas. Very heavy on Latin America, but that's to be expected as the professor is a Latin-Americanist.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally informative, if a little dry, and with some editorializing that seemed unneeded and otherwise wrong. For example: "it doesn't matter if the English were worse than the Spanish (or vice versa) in their treatment of slaves, because both treatments were awful." That's a sentiment that may make everyone feel a bit better, but it's still worthwhile to examine which group was harsher.

The last lecture in the series can be skipped without much lost.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio Book. A college lecture sereis on CD. It was ok but not great. The material did not go much more in depth than 8th grade history and it was definitely told in lecture style not story style. I could try to learn something from more of these type

[Dermo · Rating 3 out of 5]

averagely interesting, few new facts or ideas, and at times can feel a bit dated.

[Joe Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid overview course from an instructor who knew and loved the subject. A bit dry but worth the effort.