Monumental Grandeur Of The Mississippi Valley By Megan C. Kassabaum

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Recommended: Conquest and colonization of the Americas

In the article “Monumental Grandeur of the Mississippi Valley,” author Megan C. Kassabaum introduces the various earthen mounds built by Native Americans in the Mississippi Valley 5000 years ago. For over 12,000 years, the Mississippi River had been the trade capital and center of travel and communication for Native Americans. They began to build archeological mounds in the Middle Archaic period (6000-2000) BCE when they became aware of the Mississippi River’s great significance. The built the mounds to use for their social gatherings, religious rituals and burial ceremonies. In the Middle Archaic period (6000-2000 BCE), thousands of mounds were constructed in the Mississippi Valley. One of the earliest mound sites in the 3500 BCE is Watson Brake in northeast Louisiana. Watson Brake was built around a central open space and is comprised of 11 mound sites. Another fifteen mound sites …show more content…

I am astonished by these marvelous architectural landmarks built by a great civilization who were once treated as savages. Their work is a clear evidence that they were, skilled and hardworking individuals. Evidently, the European conquistadors who colonized them did not understand the Native American culture and way of living, and decided to “civilize” them. I’m also saddened of the continuous destruction of these sophisticated earthen mounds that the Native Americans labored for. In the article, Kassabaum expresses her appreciation for the excavation of Cahokia because it led them to the discovery of the lives of its inhabitants. I believe her statement is a poor excuse to destroy these magnificent creations and in my opinion, I think they should stop destroying these historic man made mounds and start preserving them since their history is no longer a mystery to

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