To what extent can the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492 be considered the start of the Golden Age of Spain?

As with most Humanities, there is no concrete answer; rather candidates are expected to present a line of argument which is cohesive, eloquent, and layered with a wide and deep knowledge. "To what extent..." questions give the candidate a scale on how much they agree/disagree with the given question, but they must make sure in the opening paragraphs to give a clear indication of where they lie on that scale. For this essay plan, we will say that one can go to a great extent in agreeing that the discovery of the Americas began the Golden Age of Spain. +Intro : -Give a brief background on the Golden Age of Spain, Define "Golden Age", give a little background to Spain and its place in historical inquiry-Clearly state what you mean to argue+Section 1: The Case For -Briefly describe Columbus' discovery -Give several consequences of the discovery for Spain and explain HOW these consequences were key indicators that a "Golden Age" began. (Brought incredible wealth, gave Spain status and prestige, etc etc) -Mini conclude the paragraph/section saying how all these positive consequences came about as a direct result of the discovery +Section 2: The Case Against-Now indulge the other side of the argument with potential critiques of Columbus' discovery and how it may not have been that significant OR how it had negative consequences for Spain -Not only opened up trade for Spain but for the other European powers as well, Spain had to waste a lot of manpower/resources in further explorations, etc etc -Give these arguments credit but then counter them with more knowledge and logical argument +Section 3: Other potential starting points? -Explain that there are other events that could be considered a better starting point for the Golden Age of Spain than Columbus' discovery. Use no more than two. (This example will use the Conquest of Granada, and the Marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand) -Give reasons as to why this/these event/s could be considered good start points. -But then break them down and give reasons as to why they wouldn't be good alternative starting points. End this section with your critique of this argument ^ +Conclusion: -Re-state the opinion you gave at the start of the essay. -Briefly talk about how the positive consequences outweighed the negative consequences and how the positives are a clear indication that a Golden Age had started. -Give credence to other potential starting points as discussed previously but then explain why Columbus' discovery is the best. -Round off with conclusive statement.