Colonization of America

619 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Colonization of native american indians

Colonization of America Upon the European’s discovery and colonization of the Americas an irreversible transformation was triggered. The extreme differences in the cultures of the Europeans and Native Americans would prove to be fatal to the way of life that existed before European colonization. It appears that the majority of the actions of the Native Americans towards the new European colonists were in peace and acceptance. Unfortunately the colonists dreams conflicted with the views of the Native Americans. The ‘free living’ philosophy of the Native American’s left them open to an unexpected overtaking by the colonists. The Europeans believed in making a new world out of America while completely disregarding the fact that there was already an Old World. The English learned quite a bit about survival in the “New World” from the Native Americans. They were taught how to construct and use nets for catching fish. Also they were taught how to construct canoes, a great method of transportation and hunting. The Native Americans showed them their ways of agriculture which were far superior to the methods of the English. In the 1580’s the English settlers feared the Native Americans because the land was new and unknown to them. They did not understand the ways of the Native Americans and feared them. From the settler’s perspective they needed to claim and posses land in order to feel safe. Many English settlers had read articles about the Native Americans prior to there journey to the Americas. The French and Spanish had portrayed the Native Americans as “Indians”. Christopher Columbus wrote that the Native Arawak Indians he encountered as “loving people without covetousness”. Others early explorers also wrote... ... middle of paper ... ...rth and eliminate them when they were no longer of use or a nuisance. These actions were acceptable to the majority of the English and these beliefs would remain for centuries to come. The Native Americans who were tired and diseased were eventually removed from their homelands and herded in to small reservations. It seems there was nothing the Native Americans could have done to prevent the outcome of their future. The wants and needs the English had for there newly found land proved to be to great to share with the Native Americans. They would be killed off in genocidal killing sprees, by small pox and other overseas diseases and by depression caused by the loss of their freedom. A brilliant culture and beautiful way of life was lost forever, now only small glimpses of the past are what’s left to show for the way of life that existed before the colonization.

Show More
Related

  • James Axtell Beyond 1492 Summary

    1417 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is common knowledge that the Europeans came to the Americas and that Native Americans did not seek out exploration in Europe, making the term “encounter” inaccurate. (Axtell, 98). Native Americans did eventually travel overseas to Europe, but in the beginning, as slaves, followed by Native Americans going to learn the language and culture, (Axtell 103), and finally few went to plea with the courts when conditions grew dangerous in the 1700’s.(Axtell, Native Americans were merely a variable element in a changing world that would have to adapt to

    Read More

  • Changes in the Land by William Cronon

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Europeans changed the land of the home of the Indians, which they renamed New England. In Changes in the Land, Cronon explains all the different aspects in how the Europeans changed the land. Changing by the culture and organization of the Indians lives, the land itself, including the region’s plants and animals. Cronon states, “The shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes well known to historians in the ways these peoples organized their lives, but it also involved fundamental reorganizations less well known to historians in the region’s plant and animal communities,” (Cronon, xv). New England went through human development, environmental and ecological change from the Europeans.

    Read More

  • Beyond 1492-Native Reactions to Invasion

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    “ [They] spent most of the conquest and colonial periods reacting and responding to the European strangers and invaders” (99). Both sides were different in many ways; Their communication, transportation, culture, and the way they survived differentiate the Europeans from the Native Americans. They both acted as wisely as they could when this encounters began after the discovery. “[Tribes] worked mightily and often cleverly to maximize their political sovereignty, cultural autonomy, territorial integrity, power of self identification, and physical nobility” (100). The Europeans were stronger, had better technology, better weapons, and had plenty of experience fighting people like the Native Americans. They could have easily conquer them , but they had a problem of resources, reinforcements and survival. Native American were many but they lacked the knowledge and experience of war and evolution. Europeans were technologically evolved and were experienced at fighting wars, but they ...

    Read More

  • Race Conflict and Issues: Whites and Non-Whites Post- Revolution

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is evident that the Native Americans were unfairly removed from their homeland because the Europeans settlers saw them as savages not worthy to live among them. The Native Americans responded to their cruelty with pleads of desperation. These pleads of desperation were annoyed and instead excuses of doing what’s “best” for them both proceeded.

    Read More

  • William Cronon Changes In The Land Summary

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his book Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England, William Cronon presents a unique and useful perspective on American history around the time of European settlement of New England. His portrayal of the tremendous ecological change that occurred during this time period is something that is often lost amidst all the stories of the origins of our nation. What is often left out of the story is the sacrifices that were made in order to have what we have today. These sacrifices occurred in the areas of both environment and Native American culture. These things must not be ignored by one who seeks to understand this period of history, since the effects are still very prevalent today. I believe that they Native American way of life presented in the book is very honorable and desirable, whereas the behavior of the Europeans is less so. The European way of life completely changed New England from what it had been, a wooded and lush wilderness, to a more open, populated, less fertile environment. Furthermore, the European’s treatment of the Native Americans was deplorable, and is a shame to behold. However, as a child of the modern era, I do not believe that the nation we have today could exist without all this having happened. While many of the

    Read More

  • Indians And Colonists Relations

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is obvious that without the aid of the local Indian tribes, many of the colonists in the New World would not have survived. Sharing their resources, befriending the newcomers and accepting them as permanent residences were literally the difference between life and death for the Europeans. Without question, the distinction between the European concept of owning land and the native idea of sharing the land was never understood by either group and the land controversy continues to this day. Ironically, by offering protection, cooperation and friendship to the European newcomers, Native Americans ensured the preservation of the English while assuring the destruction of their own peoples.

    Read More

  • Racism in Native American Mascots

    1807 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first settlers in the United States are Native Americans. Fighting for hierarchy and they once roamed nomadically, searching for peace and sanity. Seeking equality from the white m...

    Read More

  • Two Sides Of The Coin James Merrell Summary

    1079 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two articles by James Merrell and Neal Salisbury offer contrasting viewpoints on how the arrival of Europeans impacted Native Americans. The arguments presented by Merrell center around three distinct phases of change: disease, trade, and settlers. He proposed that occurrences forced natives to conform with European norms. This is an incomplete portrait of the encounter, as he described the natives as an entirely passive player, only reacting to the actions of Europeans. Neal Salisbury goes beyond this simplistic image. He examined the natives as active agents in the newly forming world. They were far more engaged in affairs than Merrell described. The article by Salisbury represents a better understanding of the

    Read More

  • Colonization Efforts in North America

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the early 17th century, British colonizers began arriving in the New World in hopes of expanding their territorial domain. By the 18th century, Spanish colonizers had established trading posts and missions in the New World, covering a vast expanse of land that extended beyond even England’s colonial holdings. When the British arrived, they spurred on Indian depopulation and African and European immigration. The arrival of the Spanish resulted in near Indian extinction and a burgeoning international trade. Though Spain had an advantage of a century over Britain, both nations used the New World’s resources to further their mercantile goals, in the process, ravaging the native populations; however, Spain’s missionary efforts were more successful and the location of their respective colonies resulted in a monopoly of different economic commodities.

    Read More

  • Dbq Indian Removal Act

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    These tribes even took action as to try to adapt to Anglo-American ways, and try to settle in permanent towns, build churches and schools, and even make investments in farm animals and equipment. The Cherokees did adapt and make such changes and were gradually changing their lifestyles to that of their white neighbors. Many thought that since the Indians had made so much progress toward civilization, how could the government advise the Indians to move west into a country that is unknown to them. This would make many wonder and question themselves if removal was good or not, “Removal would only throw them back into their original state of barbarism” (Banner

    Read More

  • Dbq Native Americans

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the English set their sights on the colonization of the New World, they expected to be arriving in a vast wilderness, untouched by any man. They were quite surprised to discover that there were, in fact, many tribes of people spread throughout the “new” land. At first, these Natives were not a problem. They were actually a blessing to the English settlers. However, within a few years the relationship between the British and the Native Americans started to sour, turning from friendliness and a certain degree of codependence to suspicion, until all-out warfare eventually broke out between the two peoples.

    Read More

  • Native Americans: Land Stewards and Survival Guides

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    This caused the Indian population to decrease further, not only from disease, but from the cruelty of the conquistadors, “the breath, blood, sweat, and lice of the colonizers conveyed especially deadly pathogens that consumed the Indians” (Taylor, Ch 2). The positive effects of exchange was the Europeans introduction of sugar, livestock, and most importantly the horse which revolutionized the Indian society. Indians exchanged corn and other agricultural techniques and soon became the principle labor source. As far as technological knowledge “when the Europeans invaded, the Native Americans realized their own technological disadvantages” (Taylor, Ch 1). The Native Americans lacked steel weapons and amor as well as wind and water mills to process wood and grain. Despite these disadvantages they used what they knew in order to help their enemies the Europeans by showing them how to fertilize their soil and make food grow, they also taught them how to use bow and arrows to catch food. From an agricultural standpoint the Natives knew that in order to survive “you must kill fish and animals and tear down trees” (Taylor, Ch 1), however they believed spirits lived within plants, animals, rocks, wind, clouds and bodies of water. Because of this they had to decide when they could manipulate the spirits and when they should appease them. Unlike the Natives, the Europeans believed “supernatural intervention came from without rather than within plants and animals” (Taylor, Ch 1) this made it safe for them to harvest resources because they knew they were not offending any

    Read More

  • Cultural Differences Between Native American Civilization And Native Americans

    595 Words  | 2 Pages

    The distinct differences between the two cultures proved to be a dividing wedge used to steal resources. As a nomadic people, Natives did not construct buildings for permeant use. The buildings the built can be broken down making their impact of the earth little as possible. What they valued was access to the rivers, forests and to retain traditional cultural ways including kinships and seasonal camps through the valley. As Native Americans worshiped their gods respective to earthly movements and offering during Fall harvest of spring planting Europeans found these traditions a conflict of interests between the Puritan need for Religious freedom. In this chapter it is clear the use of racial and religious discrimination played a critical role in the aielation and removal of the Natives from their traditional lands and customs. While some may consider the Native American to have not contributed to urban development in the European sense, this is not the case. The life style and respect for resources and balance was the core of Native traditions. Contemplation of their behavior and use of the land is a testament to their survival prior to the Europeans sailing to the new

    Read More

  • Chief Powhatan Research Paper

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall, the Natives just treated the European immigrants and settlers the way that the European immigrants and settlers treated them. The golden rule to do unto others as you would have them do unto you plays a huge role in their relationship between the three different European powers I went over in this essay, but without all this having happened, we would not be where we are today. Everything in history happens for a reason and we will continue learn from our mistakes and make sure we don’t do the same thing all over again.

    Read More

  • American Indians

    1645 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Native Americans or American Indians, once occupied all of the entire region of the United States. They were composed of many different groups, who speaked hundreds of languages and dialects. The Indians from the Southwest used to live in large built terraced communities and their way of sustain was from the agriculture where they planted squash, pumpkins, beans and corn crops. Trades between neighboring tribes were common, this brought in additional goods and also some raw materials such as gems, cooper. seashells and soapstone.To this day, movies and television continue the stereotype of Indians wearing feathered headdresses killing innocent white settlers. As they encountered the Europeans, automatically their material world was changed. The American Indians were amazed by the physical looks of the white settlers, their way of dressing and also by their language. The first Indian-White encounter was very peaceful and trade was their principal interaction. Tension and disputes were sometimes resolved by force but more often by negotiation or treaties. On the other hand, the Natives were described as strong and very innocent creatures awaiting for the first opportunity to be christianized. The Indians were called the “Noble Savages” by the settlers because they were cooperative people but sometimes, after having a few conflicts with them, they seem to behaved like animals. We should apprehend that the encounter with the settlers really amazed the natives, they were only used to interact with people from their own race and surroundings and all of this was like a new discovery for them as well as for the white immigrants. The relations between the English and the Virginian Indians was somewhat strong in a few ways. They were having marriages among them. For example, when Pocahontas married John Rolfe, many said it has a political implication to unite more settlers with the Indians to have a better relation between both groups. As for the Indians, their attitude was always friendly and full of curiosity when they saw the strange and light-skinned creatures from beyond the ocean. The colonists only survived with the help of the Indians when they first settler in Jamestown and Plymouth. In this areas, the Indians showed the colonists how to cultivate crops and gather seafood.The Indians changed their attitude from welcome to hostility when the strangers increased and encroached more and more on hunting and planting in the Natives’ grounds.

    Read More

More about Colonization of America

Open Document