Captain Cook Argumentative Essay

“Ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me but
as far as I think it’s possible for a man to go.” Captain Cook. Despite Cook’s efforts of
being a naval captain, Cook has had an impact on Hawaiian society in spite of his
violent death. Even if Captain Cook hasn’t made a significant impact on Hawaiian
culture, he did indeed have actions that changed Hawaiian culture forever. Captain
James Cook has affected Hawaiian culture by being a naval officer like no other,
affecting the native’s ability to reproduce, and affecting the balancing system of
economics in Hawaii.

Captain Cook also had a significant impact on diseases such as tuberculosis.

According to an Indian website, it states how Cook spread the disease. The article
states the people when Cook arrived gave them a warm welcome, believing he was a
deity known as Lono and struck a deal for essential items such as food and water.
However, what they didn’t know is Cook and his crew were spreading Tuberculosis out
of the blue. In the same article, it also mentions where Cook and his crew spread not
only tuberculosis but venereal diseases such as syphilis. The article says the alien
diseases passed on by Cook and furthermore has affected Hawaiians by having
unprotected intercourse and affecting the lives of future offspring to come. Based on
evidence from this article, we can infer that Cook has had an impact on Hawaiian
communities by spreading disease and halting the production of future generations
indirectly. Therefore, it is safe to say Cook has had an impact on Hawaiian communities
in one way or another.

In addition, Captain Cook also affected the balancing system of economics in

Hawaii. The people residing in Hawaii at the time were essentially in the stone age
using stone and shells. When iron was introduced, it was a whole new material to them,
so they decided to do illegal actions in today’s world for metal. The article states Cook
recorded the behaviors of these people when it comes to new resources such as metal.
Cook’s findings showed people would bribe or sell their families just for metals like iron.
Based on direct evidence from the article, we can infer how Cook affected the trading
system drastically by introducing something entirely new and rare to them. The onset
spread of tuberculosis and other venereal diseases was also linked with this
phenomenon. According to the same Indian website which mentions the rise of
tuberculosis in Hawaii; states the economic system relied on water and landscape and
was dramatically disrupted when Cook visited the islands. The article says the economy
has been severely altered after several visits similar to Cook. Assuming the economy
relied on livestock and landscape, the introduction of various new items not from Hawaii
like iron rendered the economy severely disrupted. Based on a direct quote from the
article, we can conclude Cook has had some significance to Hawaii despite being a
visitor and an “antihero” by introducing them to new materials and spreading diseases
without prior knowledge. All things considered, Cook has some relevance towards
modern Hawaiian history due to altering the economic system of Hawaii in a multitude
of actions.

Finally, Captain Cook had an impact on Hawaiian history that made it into the
history books because he had not lost a man to scurvy and being a voyager like no
other. According to a podcast from the WBUR Organization, it states how Cook has
found a cure to one of the most formidable diseases at the time, this disease is known
as scurvy and correlates to a nutrient deficiency resulting in critical and life-threatening
conditions. The article states medical officials back then did not know what the
preexisting cause was but they did know if you were out at sea for several weeks you
would start to develop the symptoms and therefore scurvy. The article also mentions
scurvy ended more people in the war rather than casualties from the war. Cook found a
remedy to this by feeding his fellow officers sauerkraut which made him stand out from
the other sailors who had cases of scurvy. Therefore, Cook had an impact on Hawaiian
society which led him into the history books because he cured one of humanity’s
formidable foes known as scurvy. Also, Cook had an impact on not only Hawaii but the
world as a whole by accomplishing much of his personal goals and the Royal Society’s
tasks. According to a fact-based website for children, it states what events happened
after Cook died and his destiny. The article states Cook has left a Legacy of events after
trotting 3 voyages and discovering several islands along the way, the most prominent
being the infamous “Sandwich Islands”. He also completed some of the Royal Society’s
commands and reworked the map of the Pacific; changing the way of exploring for
decades to come. This means Cook has indeed had an impact on not only Hawaii but
the world by first encounters with Hawaiian people and an entirely new rework of the
Pacific map for future generations to come. Taking everything into account, Cook had
an impact on Hawaii and the world by fighting scurvy and traversing the Pacific Ocean,
accomplishing many goals along the way.

Although Captain Cook has been a proclaimed “anti-hero”, he did have some
good in him despite his villainous efforts against the Hawaiian race. Captain Cook’s
actions such as battling scurvy and completing most of the Society’s orders. At the end
of his life, Cook left a legacy that still runs today. Despite Cook being a bad influence on
primordial Hawaiians, it is still worthwhile to learn how he changed the world as a whole.
Therefore, even though Captain Cook was an anti-hero, he has done actions that
changed Hawaii forever.
 Works Cited:

Hobson, Jeremy. 250 Years Ago, Captain Cook Embarked On First Of Three
Voyages. 8 July 2019,
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/07/08/captain-james-cook-legacy.

“James Cook.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 19 Aug. 2020,

www.biography.com/explorer/james-cook#:~:text=James%20Cook%20was%20a%
20naval,Australis%2C%20a%20fabled%20southern%20continent.

James Cook Facts for Kids.

kids.kiddle.co/James_Cook#:~:text=%20%20%20%20Captain%20James%20Coo
k%20,%20%20British%20%207%20more%20rows%20.

Landry, Alysa. Native History: Cook Explores Hawaiian Islands, Brings TB. 18 Jan.
2014,
indiancountrytoday.com/archive/native-history-cook-explores-hawaiian-islands-brin
gs-tb-j6eKUmJG_Em4l-JyWVRBTA.

Whipps, Heather. How Captain Cook Changed the World. 7 July 2008,
www.livescience.com/2656-captain-cook-changed-world.html.