Persuasive Essay about The Europeans’ first encounter with Natives In 1492, Columbus arrived in a continent called “America”, then initiated the colonization of European to America. The first encounter between European and Natives was inevitable and cruel, and that provoked the conflict that result in devastating consequence. The contradicted opinions about religions (or beliefs) and Europeans’ invasive and ambitious purpose resulted in the unavoidable conflict. Additionally, direct and indirect factors contributed the horrible consequences. The discrepancies of beliefs between Natives’ and Europeans’ and ambitious evil purpose both contributed the conflict. For Europeans in 15th century, the Catholicism was a major belief, and for Natives …show more content…
First about direct aspect, Europeans wanted the Natives work as slaves for them to discover gold, but they never treat them as human beings. Europeans enslaved Natives brutally, “They ordered all persons fourteen years or older to collect a certain quantity of gold every three months. When they brought it, they were given copper tokens to hang around their necks. Indians found without a copper token had their hand cut off and bled to death.” (Howard Zinn, 4). Indirect factor related to the first encounter and led to devastating result. The most noticeable indirect factor is the “Epidemics”, which is caused by First Encounter, because “during the mid-sixteenth century, Spanish invaders introduced epidemics into American southwest” (Alan Taylor, American Colonies,1). Th “Epidemics” do result in a huge disaster for Natives: “In any given local, the first wave of epidemics afflicted almost every Indian. Within a decade of contact, about half the natives died from the new diseases. After about fifty years of contact, successive epidemics reduced a native group to about a tenth of its precontract numbers. Some especially ravaged peoples lost their autonomous identity, as the few survivors joined a neighboring group” (Alan Taylor, American Colonies, 2). These two direct and indirect factors clearly show the devastating result
Some consequences of the exchange are the spread of disease to the Native people and settlers, the destruction of the Native population, and the disappearance of the Natives custom’s, beliefs, and way of life. Columbus’s arrival to the Americas, land that had already been established by the Natives, resulted in a spread of fatal diseases. Disagreement between the Europeans and the Natives and the enslavement of Native people helped to wipe out the population. Document 5 illustrates the fighting that occurred between the Natives and Europeans.
Beginning in the fifteenth century with the arrival of Columbus, natives of the Americas were infected with European diseases that proved to be deadly to the Indians. The population in northern Mexico suffered an immense decimation of 2,500,000 peoples to less than 320,000 by the end of the sixteenth century (Vargas, 30). The Spaniards’ cruel treatment of the natives aided this vast reduction in the Aztec and Mexican population, enabling the Spaniards to conquer the lands of the Aztecs and other native tribes. By the end of the sixteenth century, the Spaniards had expanded their conquests into the southwest region of what is now known as the United States of America.
The essay starts with the “Columbian Encounter between the cultures of two old worlds “ (98). These two old worlds were America and Europe. This discovery states that Native Americans contributed to the development and evolution of America’s history and culture. It gives the fact that indians only acted against europeans to defend their food, territory, and themselves.
Without intention, in 1492 Christopher Columbus initiated an event that is perhaps the most important historical turning point in modern times to the American Continents. . “For thousands of years before 1492, human societies in America had developed in isolation from the rest of the world. ”(P. 4) Christopher Columbus and other European voyagers ended all this beginning in 1492 as they searched for treasure and attempted to spread Christianity. For the first time, people from Europe, Africa, and the Americas were in regular contact. Columbus was searching for one thing and discovered something entirely different.
The European influences to the Native Americans were Europeans carried the new diseases to the Indians. “Europeans were used to these diseases, but Indian people had no resistance to them. Sometimes the illnesses spread through direct contact with colonists. Other times, they were transmitted as Indians traded with one another. The result of this contact with European germs was horrible. Sometimes whole villages perished in a short time” (Kincheloe). Slave trade was another influence to American Indians. Europeans soon realized that they could provide commercial goods such as tools and weapons to some American Indian tribes that would bring them other Indians captured in tribal wars, and these captured Indians were bought and sold as slaves. Therefore, “slavery led to warfare among tribes and too much hardship. Many tribes had to move to escape the slave trade, which destroyed some tribes completely. In time, the practice of enslaving Native peoples ended. However, it had greatly affected American Indians of the South and the Southwest” (Kinchloe). Lastly, Europeans change Native America and African’ roots. Native Americans
It is hard to believe that even the Spaniards imagined that one journey in 1492 will change theirs and world’s history so dramatically. The moment that Spanish foot stepped on American soil started years of prosperity and glory for the Spanish empire but at the cost of the destruction of American societies. The encounter with the new world was controversial historical moment that created one united history instead of two world histories. The discovery led many Spaniards to the new world with the intention of settling the lands but eventually this was the start of devastating of cultures, human populations and traditions. Using power and coercion they spread fear and destruction in the aim of gaining wealth, social precedence and Christian conversion. The justification for the massacres of the indigenous people in the name of religion was no more than greed to gold, fame and status. The actions of those who claimed to be “the most humane and excellent nation” was no more than cruel actions made by savages that had no moral sense.
The Native Americans were given some laws of protection, however, by this point many Spaniards looked at Native Americans as vile human beings and mistreated them as a social normalcy. Many native Americans died from overwork, and harsh living conditions given to them by the Spaniards. Native Americans introduced the Spaniards and settlers to different types of crops. It is the reason Spaniards had them harvest their farms, to make sure their crops flourished. Spaniards didn’t know how to care for the crops like the Native Americans so they forced them to under violence and deaths. The reason Spaniards were able to defeat native tribes, and force them to work for their own personal greed was due to their using more advanced techniques like the gun Native Americans had already been weakened by being exposed to smallpox so having the guns only made the Spaniards more powerful and dominate over them. Native Americans tried to attacked greatly, but they were outnumbered by Spaniards and settlers. Though there was a point where Native Americans allied with Britain or France during the times of their wars, though the British and French troops turned on them and killed the Native Americans when they wars were done. This led to a huge shortage of Native Americans, and so workers had to be looked for elsewhere. They found in the African culture their new
Bigger did not have a fair trial. On a Saturday, Bigger learned that he would have a job as a chauffeur for a millionaire family; he takes the job after rejecting the temptation to rob Blum's deli. Early Sunday morning, Bigger returns Mary Dalton to her home, accidentally suffocating her. Later Sunday, Bigger visits Bessie, forges a ransom note, discovers the "discovery" of Mary's earrings in the ash, returns to Bessie and rapes and kills her. Monday, Bigger is on the run and he is caught that very night. His inquest is on a Tuesday, his trial is on a Wednesday, and his execution is to be "on or before midnight," Friday. He was tortured his fingernails have been ripped out.
Throughout ancient history, many indigenous tribes and cultures have shown a common trait of being hunter/gatherer societies, relying solely on what nature had to offer. The geographical location influenced all aspects of tribal life including, spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices. Despite vast differences in the geographical location, reports show various similarities relating to the spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices of indigenous tribal cultures.
The Native American Movement in the United States originated from a sense of inferiority and inequality. They were only given citizenship in 1924 but even into the mid 1940s, they were still not treated as full class Americans. In the 1950s, a sense of Indian Nationalism spread among the natives and they began forming groups to promote change for their community. With groups such as AIM, the NCAI and the NIYC heading the movement, they were able to receive a bit of the independence they craved. In 1961, Red Power was coined by the National Indian Youth Council and demonstrations were rampant. The movement notably flourished right after the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, spawning due to a renewed sense of a struggle to let the U.S. follow up on their promises to the native people (Faville). In the summer of 1968, a frustrated group of Native Americans came together for a meeting on discrimination, discussing critical issues surrounding their circumstances. This group, AIM, helped begin the Native American Movement. Through their efforts, Native Americans helped bring an end to Eisenhower’s termination policy in 1958. They also managed to get President Johnson and President Nixon to grant them liberties to receive some of the independence they’s been striving for for decades. The progress made during this era changed the outlook of Native Americans on .
Native Americans lived on the land that is now called America, but when white settlers started to take over the land, many lives of Native Americans were lost. Today, many people believe that the things that have been done and are being done right now, is an honor or an insult to the Natives. The choices that were made and being made were an insult to the Native Americans that live and used to live on this land, by being insulted by land policies, boardings schools and modern issues, all in which contain mistreatment of the Natives. The power that the settlers and the people who governed them had, overcame the power of the Natives so the settlers took advantage and changed the Natives way of life to the
Conquistadors came over to get all the gold they possibly could. The Spanish were cruel and took advantage of the Native Americans who were living there. Not only did the Spanish want the gold but they also wanted the land. The Native Americans were enslaved by the Spaniards and were forced to mine for gold. The Spaniards gave the Natives extremely high gold quotas to meet. Most were unable to do so and because of that they were punished. Natives would have both of their hands cut off(Document 1). The other reason was so that the Spaniards wouldn’t have a problem with resistance from them. The Native Americans were majorly taken advantage of for gold.
Christopher Columbus “discovered” America in 1492. His discovery happened when Europe and its growing states were ready, both technologically and financially, to explore the world in order to settle trade relationships and colonies. Mercantilism, which is an economic system that measure the wealth of country by the amount of precious metal (ex: gold) which it possessed, drove the policies of expansion of many European countries such as Portugal, Spain, England or France. For instance, England began the European colonization of America through a joint stock company, the Virginia Company, in Chesapeake. However, the colonization of America by Europeans had serious side effects for local populations. These populations historically came from Asia, and millions of people - estimations vary between 10 million people and 50 million people - formed them before the first contacts between Native Americans and Europeans. These local populations had been living in North as well as in South America for millenniums, but the arrival of Europeans changed everything. Europeans brought many diseases from Europe and Africa such as the smallpox, the yellow fever, the malaria or the typhus that resulted in the death of many Native Americans, who were not immunized against these unknown diseases. Colonization also resulted in dramatic environmental changes for local populations that resulted in a shift of values, customs and relationships between and within American Indian tribes. These brutal changes led many tribes to incomprehension. They did not understand why the white people were destroying the environment on which they relied to live. This situation engendered many wars between Native Americans and European colonizers (in North America, but also...
In the beginning the settlers created the heavens and the earth. For, America was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the continent. Why is it that we look at the early settlers with such admiration? We view them like gods, where America didn’t exist until they came along; and, once they finally made it through that first thanksgiving turkey, then only good ever came about because of them. Now, you may be saying to yourself: “Thank goodness I’m more educated than that! I know that they were mortal, and even killed Native Americans sometimes.” But do you know what really happened? Do you actually care about the Native Americans more than just being sorry they’re on reserves?
It has been decided by the California State Legislature to approve the ban on use of Redskins as a mascot for Calaveras High School. By 2017, four high schools in California will have to phase out of their use of the Native American mascot. To some this is doing justice in defense to the Native Americans, but to others it is taking away a proud tradition of honoring them. For one to be reasonably offended one must understand both sides of the argument. As Calaveras High School, we are using the name in honor, pride, and respect but to others we are “politically incorrect.” Calaveras succeeds in showing the respectful and proud side of honoring the name Redskins, established relationships with the local Native Americans, and they have presented us with gifts such as the beautiful baskets that are still present in our front office. Everyone has their own way to define words and is entitled to their opinion including the group of people that have a negative definition of Redskin. Their belief is that the term is mocking, offensive, and racist. In 2005, a Native American Intellect named Ives Goddard of Smithsonian Institution studied and found