How Captain Cook Mapped the Pacific and Why His Death Sparked a Debate

CrashCourse

In this episode of Crash Course World History, John Green explores the voyages, impact, and controversial death of British explorer Captain James Cook. The video details Cook's three major voyages across the Pacific Ocean, highlighting his contributions to mapping Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii, while also critically examining the devastating effects of colonization on indigenous populations, including the introduction of disease and the disruption of local cultures. It connects these events to the broader context of the Enlightenment's scientific curiosity and the imperialist mindset of the 18th and 19th centuries. A significant portion of the video is dedicated to a fascinating historiographical debate regarding Cook's death in Hawaii. It presents two contrasting scholarly interpretations: Marshall Sahlins' theory that Hawaiians killed Cook because they mistook him for the fertility god Lono during a ritual cycle, and Gananath Obeyesekere's counter-argument that this interpretation projects European myths onto Hawaiians, arguing instead that the conflict was a rational political struggle. This segment serves as an excellent case study in how history is interpreted and written. For educators, this video is a powerful tool for teaching not just the facts of exploration, but the skills of historical thinking. It addresses complex themes like 'The White Man's Burden,' the reliability of historical sources, and the danger of cultural bias in recording history. It challenges students to think critically about who gets to tell historical stories and how indigenous agency is often erased or misinterpreted in Western narratives.