Native Americans In The World Upside Down

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Throughout history, Europeans have been given credit for the discovery of the New World. The novel, The World Upside Down, describes the introduction of the Indians to the Europeans. Many years ago, thousands of Indians were settled in North America, long before the European voyages sailed across the Atlantic. When the Europeans ventured over in search of religious freedom, Indian societies and traditions were soon to be changed by the newcomers. The Europeans considered the Indians to be uneducated savages. There were different tensions between the Indians and Europeans, but the natives quickly learned that they could benefit by the interactions of each other. Many young native children were taken away to learn and practice European culture. While the Indians defended their heritage during this time, Native Americans also tried to learn to adopt and accept new western ways. Many Indians thought converting to Christianity and …show more content…

In response, Native Americans used their newly learned skills to write letters and communicate to the other Indians to warn them what was occurring. The English used the Indian’s newfound skills in order to acquire funding for their schools. The most promising natives were sent to was Dartmouth College. In the World Turned Upside Down, Daniel Simon, son of Sarah Simon, writes that he does not want to keep attending this school if he does not get the full education that he was promised. Daniel and other natives were forced to write about topics that would only appeal to the general audience, which happened to be the colonists. Part of his speech reads, “ ..As I understood the doctor when I talked with him, that we must work as much as to pay our way; if we should, what good will the charity money do the Indians.” The colonists only cared about spreading the “progress” of the Indian’s education in order to receive more funding for their

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