Summative Assessment
After Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean and found the New World the Europeans got to meet the Native Americans. The Europeans who began to come to the New World after Columbus were people like Francis Daniel Pastorius, from Pennsylvania, Francis Louis Michel, from Virginia, and Christoph Von Graffenried, from North Carolina. These people met Native Americans from the New World like Shickellamy, from New York, and Minavavana, from French Canada. All these people had no idea there was another side of the world so it makes sense that there was some disagreement between the two different sides.
To begin with, I feel that either sides (European/Native American) did not hate each other based on the evidence that I gathered. The first reason why I feel this way is because a European named Francis Daniel Pastorius’s perspective on Native Americans was that he didn’t view them like savages. He thought that they aimed to be the best people they could be. His use of words set a tone
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which seemed like it sounded curious about their life and understanding that they live differently than his ethnicity. The text supports this when it says “They strive after a sincere honesty, hold strictly to their promises, cheat and injure no one. They willingly give shelter to others and are both useful and loyal to their guests…” Another European named Francis Louis Michel thinks that Native Americans are capable of learning new things and are intelligent. His tone seemed like he was astonished and surprised that the Natives were this way but, come on anyone would if they were introduced to new people for the first time. To support that Francis was feeling as I described the text states “It is certain that good talents are found among them”. The last European that I’d like to talk about would be Christoph Von Graffenried. His perspective on Native Americans was that they would only be cruel and mean if they were picked on and threatened like any other normal person would be. His tone wasn’t surprised because like I said before any normal human being (like himself) would feel and do the same thing. The text supports this when it says “they seldom injure a Christian except if given cause for it.” Now let’s get to the Native American’s side of the story. A man named Shickellamy perspective on Europeans is that they are people just like himself but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be turned into one. He likes who he is and that’s not going to change. He doesn’t specifically state that he likes or dislikes them he just says he just wants to be himself. I think he’s saying this because they’re culture is different than there’s, so since it seems like they’re going to be the big dogs in their world he going to stand his ground. His tone didn’t sound angered or mad, he sounded confident and positive in what he believes in. In the text it states “We are Indians, and don’t wish to be transformed into white men.” The last Native American I’d like to mention would be Minavavana.
His perspective on Europeans is that he thinks they don’t own him and his people. Once again, this person did not express his exact feelings on if he like or dislikes them but he feels that he’s not going to be any one’s slave. His tone sounded empowered and confident in what he was saying. In the text it says “We are not your slaves.” All of these people perspectives aren’t hateful to each other, they just met each other for the first time so it’s going to take some time to get used to each other. When it comes down to it the Natives never hated the Europeans until they wanted to make them their slaves. I’m talking about before that happened. Before that time they were just trying to figure out who they were and why the Europeans were there. Same thing goes for the Europeans, they just found new land with new people so they’re trying to figure out how to feel about new people in this new
land. I can conclude that both of these ethnic groups were shocked that there was another side of the world were other people totally different from them lived. The evidence that the text gave me about these people’s perspectives have many similarities and differences. The first similarity that I uncovered was that all of the Europeans I talked about were expressing many good thoughts about the Natives. This shows that they considered the good things about these people and not only payed attention to the fact that they had a different religion than them. A difference with all the Europeans I discussed is that all three talked about different aspects of the Native’s lives that were suitable. This shows that they were open to the new people and their way of life and that not everyone disliked them because they were different. A similarity that I found with both of the Native Americans that I talked about were that they sensed something may be different after these people came along, so they tried to stay true to themselves and their culture. This proves that they were just human too. It also proves that they didn’t hate the Europeans but they were just being cautious, but still open to the new people and ideas. A difference I found between both Natives was that the second one I talked about (Minavavana) seemed like he knew that they were going to try to take over his people even before the Europeans had that idea. This shows that this man was wise and thinking about possible future events. I would be that sort of person too if new people who didn’t look like me, talk like me, and didn’t live like me showed up all of the sudden. Lastly, I just want to say that after these two different worlds met there was a lot of confusion and shock during this time but not all Europeans disliked these people right off the bat. Some people actually liked them (like the Europeans I talked about). Not all of the Native Americans hated the Europeans either (like the Natives I talked about) but, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be cautious with their relationship. Based off of the evidence that I found and the people I talked about I think that after the New & Old Worlds met the Native Americans and the Europeans just viewed each other as people from different sides of the world trying to figure out where they belong and who they are.
Some of the problems when studying history are the texts and documents that have been discovered are only from perspective. Furthermore, on occasion that one perspective is all there may be for historians to study. A good example of this textual imbalance can be found from the texts about the discovery of the New World; more specifically, the letters of Christopher Columbus and Pêro Vaz de Caminha during their voyages to the New World. Plenty of the text from this time is written from the perspective of the Europeans, as the Indigenous population did not have any written text. What this means is that it provided only one perspective, which can drastically hinder how history is interpreted. Columbus’s letter of his first voyage to the Caribbean
The Europeans invaded America with every intention of occupying the land, the bountiful natural resources as well as the complete domination of the native people. The Europeans desire for the land created an explosive situation for the native peoples as they witnessed their land and right to freedom being stripped from them. They often found themselves having to choose sides of which to pledge their allegiance to. The Europeans depended upon Indian allies to secure the land and their dominance as well as trade relations with the Indians. The Indians were in competition with one another for European trade causing conflict among the different tribes altering the relationships where friends became enemies and vice versa (Calloway, 2012, p. 163). These relationships often became embittered and broke into bloody brawls where it involved, "Indian warriors fighting on both sides, alongside the European forces as well as against European forces invad...
The Native Americans also believed they were one with nature, and that the gods of land and water controlled what they got if they didn’t sacrifice and worship them. The Europeans however, viewed the natives to be a region inhabited by salvages, who did not how to live. They believed the natives had no laws, no religion, no property (for they all shared it), no kingdom or king because they have no system of government. All these two explorers saw was new land, with plants, and animals to be discovered. As well as, new people with fascinating lifeways that Europeans have never seen before, that would soon be conquered and governor to help personal ambitions, like the Spanish monarchs who also wanted to strengthen their legal claim on the New World, in case the Portugal’s decided to send ships across the Atlantic and eventually become a
Each European country treated the Native Americans distinctively and likewise the diverse Native Americans tribes reacted differently. The vast majority of the tribes didn’t wish to overtake the Europeans, but to rather just maintain their status quo. Moreover, Axtell mentions that during the inaugural stages of the encounter, the relationship between the two parties was rather peaceful since the Europeans were outnumbered by the natives. Axtell depicts that unlike the Europeans, the Native Americans treated the strangers equally or superior to themselves. The Indians would welcome the Europeans into their towns and shower them with gifts and blessings. The relationship between the two factions was going serene until the cultural differences became a burden on both
Christopher Columbus is a mythical hero or in other words, not a true hero. The story of Christopher Columbus is part of the many myths of Western civilization. Also the story of Christopher Columbus represents the power of those that are privileged and in most cases white European men that have written this mythical history. Zinn (2009 exposes the truth about Columbus through eyes of the people who were there when he had arrived which were the Native Indians (p.481). Columbus had kept a personal journal for his voyage to describe the people and the journey. What was evident throughout his journal was the Native Americans were very nice, gentle and kind hearted people (Zinn, 2009, 481). As Zinn suggests Columbus spoke of the Native Americans as” they are the best people in the world and
The clash between the Native Americans and the colonists did not start off tumultuous. In the early days of the exploration and settlement of the New World they lived in peace. The Indians taught them how to farm and live off the land. In a strange land the colonists made an ally. However, the subsequent turn of events was inevitable. Perhaps the chaos that ensued could have been postponed but there was never going to be a peaceful cohabitation between the colonists and the indigenous people. There were so many vast differences between the religious views and ultimate goals of the two groups. The Native Americans had established trade relationships with various tribes, they had their own religions, and their way of life was a stark contrast to that of the colonists. The worldview of the respective peoples was foreign to the other and the idea of a holistic and unbiased approach to the life of others was foreign.
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, is the rhyme embedded in children’s heads in the first lesson of US history. However, beyond the discovery of the New World, Christopher Columbus receives no other mentions. Especially no one acknowledges that he was the reason Native Americans were mistreated and kept as slaves. Although Christopher Columbus’ actions are not all honorable he should still be celebrated during Columbus Day as a brave explorer who risked his and his crew’s lives to find a new way of travel and land. His efforts bridged a gap between the New and Old World and helped feed Europe, which immensely impacts our society. Because of his dedication and bravery to be an explorer Christopher Columbus Day should be celebrated.
It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory voyage from King John II of Portugal, but he was refused. In 1485, Columbus took his son Diego and went to Spain to get some help.
Native Americans and Europeans were the begging of the new world. Their differences are more than similarities, whether by the religion, culture, race, and gender. Native Americans and European spoke two different languages, and lived in two different ways. The reason why Native Americans were called Indians, because when Columbus landed in America he thought that he was in India, so he called them Indians. Native American were nomadic people, some of them were hunter and some were farmers. Europeans were much more developed than Native Americans, and had more skills. Also, there were differences in holding positions between Native American women and European women. The cultural differences led to a bloody bottle
The Indians were unique and new to the Europeans. Initially they were plagued with curiosity about these newfound peoples. With exploration of these new lands and close study of these "new" people came disgust-for some were convinced that the Indians were inferior and incapable of reasonable thought. This view enhanced the idea that Indians were not even human-some tribes practiced human sacrifice. Thus a debate on the humanity of the Indians was waged. In 1537 Pope Paul III proclaimed that Native Americans were indeed human, though the extent of their humanity was still in conflict (62).
The Europeans believed that they were superior to the Native Americans, therefore their relationship was lopsided. In the short story "Of Plymouth Plantation", the Europeans make a peace treaty with the Indian Chief Massosoit and his people. One of the terms in the peace treaty states that the Chief and his people are to not hurt any of the Pilgrims. This term does not include the Pilgrims do the same with the Indians making it one sided. The second term also excludes the Pilgrims as it states, " If any of his did hurt to any of theirs, he should send the offender, that they might punish him." These two terms made
The new Euro-Americans and the Native Indian populations have always found it extremely difficult to coexist. Once they
When Christopher Columbus set sail to discover new lands to make a name for himself, as well as bring pride back to his home land of Spain, he was aided by the royal family to complete his quest. While traveling back home to Spain after his voyage, Columbus decided to pay tribute to his sponsors by writing a letter to Luis de Santangel (who was the secretary to the royal court), explaining his exploits to the family who made his success possible. While reading this letter, I cannot help but notice how Columbus is desperately trying (and succeeding) to brag to his financial suppliers. For example, he elaborates upon the island of Espanola (which he names after Spain), bragging about how marvelous and plentiful it is. He goes on to describe the abundant trees and the fruit that they bear, the wide-open pastures that are perfect for breeding cattle and building settlements, the endless amounts of gold, and he even describes the melodic birds who are always singing their tunes.
During the numerous years of colonization, the relationship between the English settlers and the Native Americans of the area was usually the same. Native Americans would initially consider the settlers to be allies, then as time passed, they would be engaged in wars with them in a struggle for control of the land. This process of friendship to enemies seemed to be the basic pattern in the majority of the colonies.
It is interesting what we find justifiable and what we see as “wrong”. There are many controversial ethical decisions that the U.S. have taken that leave to ponder the very idea of originality. Is something original because one has found it or because one has claimed it? It is interesting that the U.S. has established a holiday in commemoration of Christopher Columbus and his “discovery” of the Americas. In some way, it is interesting that people just seemingly forget about how America was truly discovered and the blood bath that took place to Native Americans from that land. (1) It was a huge genocide that led all the Native Americans to be pushed off their original land. Native American women were generally raped, used for labor, or in some