James Axtell Beyond 1492 Summary

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In the fourth chapter titled “Native Reactions to the invasion of America” in the book, “Beyond 1492: Encounters in Colonial North America, the author James Axtell shares with us an essay he wrote and shared at a conference at Vanderbilt University. Historical accounts are followed beginning at the arrival of explorers and settlers until the 1700’s with various Native tribes in North America. Axtell’s goal is to educate us on the multitude of ways Native Americas reacted during various periods of colonization, and the various methods that the Native Americans perished. Axtell also educates us in his essay on the ways that Native Americans tried to ultimately prevent their extinction at any cost. Overall, the authors intent is to educate us …show more content…

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 …show more content…

Despite the general ideas that Europeans and Indians lived and shared harmoniously and the Indians simply had a drastic drop in numbers, (this is the history regarding the matter I learned in grade school.), or the idea that the Europeans came over and exterminated all of the Indians, (This idea was more popularly taught in high schools or by extreme activist in the 60’s.), it shows that the devastation to the Native American culture was much more complicated than most of us realize. I think that Axtell did a great job on portraying the real struggle, challenges and temptation of the Native Americans. It gives me the idea that even if disease not been an obstacle that the Native Americans had to face and their population had still remained strong and large, I am now under the impression that Native Americans would have still have lost their culture. There was the immediate attraction to guns and horses which did help them but it also came at a price. Once natives discovered the convenience of these goods and how simpler hunting and traveling became, it was hard to go back. In addition, these goods cost money. It ultimately caused a dependence which many of us do not think about when you inquire about the relations between the European and the Native American. The rapid rate of settlers relocating to America from all of Europe also would have eventually caused tribes to either fight or to join the masses and adapt to

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