Dueling Cultures in 18th Century America

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Colonial America in the 18th century leading up to the Revolutionary war possessed a wide variety of perspectives; and the many cultures of 18th century America represented the diverse background of people who populated the land. The empires of England, France and Spain competed with for land, prestige and trade. The needs of the colonists comped with the needs of imperial England. Those varied perspectives driven by differing needs were representative of the many cultures that were present. Those cultures were forced to interact; and those interactions created the embers that lead to the uniting of the colonies to form a new nation, the United States of America.

The need for resources, principally land, created turmoil amongst the English colonists and the French. The indigenous people of America were pressured by both sides to give up their land. The cultures of the Europeans did not afford them the ability to recognize people of color as equals. This inability would be echoed throughout early America. I find it difficult to imagine a world in which all people, including women, are not treated equitably. I could not live with the hypocrisy of the French and English policies. Those policies were insulting to the ideas of liberty and fair treatment for all. It was this unequal and unfair (from the perspective of the indigenous people) treatment resulted in the Seven-Years-War.

The colonists expanded west as more immigrants arrived in the colonies. The colonists that encroached on the land of the indigenous people wanted the create a better future for themselves and their families. The indigenous people wanted to continue their long traditional lives on the land they inherited from their ancestors. The two cultures could not coex...

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... day demonstrations like Occupy Wall-Street and the Arab Spring. There are also the cultural differences of the two militaries that would soon be at war. The men of the militias were fighting for their personal freedoms and the freedoms of their families. The british regulars were fighting for their country. Both types of men were fighting for respectable reasons. They are not much different than the men of todays military. Thinking about the fighters in the Arab Spring and the pre-Revolution America made me especially thankful that I currently live in country with a culture that protects individual rights. Living in the cultures of the that era of America and Europe is something I would not want to do. It would be difficult for me to fight for my rights and in the same moment completely ignore or suppress the rights of the men and women standing next to me.

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