Christopher Columbus “discovered” America in 1492. His discovery occurred when Europe and its growing states were ready, both technologically and financially, to explore the world to establish trade relations and colonies. Mercantilism, which is an economic system that measures a country's wealth based on the amount of precious metals (e.g. gold) it possessed, guided the expansion policies of many European countries such as Portugal, Spain, England or France. For example, England began European colonization of America through a joint-stock company, the Virginia Company, in Chesapeake. However, the colonization of America by Europeans had serious side effects for the local populations. These populations historically came from Asia, and millions of people – estimates vary between 10 and 50 million people – formed them before the first contacts between Native Americans and Europeans. These local populations had lived in both North and South America for millennia, but the arrival of Europeans changed everything. Europeans brought many diseases from Europe and Africa such as smallpox, yellow fever, malaria or typhus which caused the death of many Native Americans, who were not immunized against these unknown diseases. Colonization also caused dramatic environmental changes for local populations, resulting in changing values, customs, and relationships between and within American Indian tribes. These brutal changes led many tribes to misunderstanding. They didn't understand why white people were destroying the environment they relied on to live. This situation generated numerous wars between Native Americans and European colonizers (in North America, but also...... middle of paper...... 2013. Boudinot, Elias. "An Address to the Whites Delivered in the Early Presbyterian Church on May 26, 1826. "GALILEO: Southeastern Native American Documents. The University of Georgia, nd Web. 10 November 2013."Marshall Trilogy (1823-1832)." Federal Indian Law. Np, nd Web. 10 November 2013. "Removal Indian." PBS, n.d. Web. November 10, 2013. Ross, John ""Our Hearts Are Sick": Letter from Chief John Ross of the Cherokee, Georgia, 1836 Web. November 10, 2013. Davis, J.B. "SLAVERY IN THE CHEROKEE NATION "." Common-place 10.4: No. p. Common Place. Web. 04 December 2013 November 5. 2013.