William Cronon Changes In The Land Summary

In his book Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England, William Cronon presents a unique and useful perspective on American history around the time of European settlement of New England. His portrayal of the tremendous ecological change that occurred during this time period is something that is often lost amidst all the stories of the origins of our nation. What is often left out of the story is the sacrifices that were made in order to have what we have today. These sacrifices occurred in the areas of both environment and Native American culture. These things must not be ignored by one who seeks to understand this period of history, since the effects are still very prevalent today. I believe that they Native American way of life presented in the book is very honorable and desirable, whereas the behavior of the Europeans is less so. The European way of life completely changed New England from what it had been, a wooded and lush wilderness, to a more open, populated, less fertile environment. Furthermore, the European’s treatment of the Native Americans was deplorable, and is a shame to behold. However, as a child of the modern era, I do not believe that the nation we have today could exist without all this having happened. While many of the

practices of the Europeans were shameful in comparison to the life of the Indians and brought great ecological change, the European way of life created an environment and attitude without which our nation could not exist today.
The Indians certainly put the colonists to shame in their societal and environmental behaviors.

They were very selfless in their conduct towards one another and towards the land which they inhabited. Cronon speaks about how they subsisted only on what they needed from the land, never using it to excess. The Native Americans never viewed the land around them as their property. They only owned the necessities that the land produced for them. The women grew the crops, and the men hunted. Each person owned what they made or obtained for themselves, and even willingly shared what they owned with others. Animals were only owned after they had been killed, since there were no domesticated farm

animals.
Their relationship with the land was in large part very gentle, as we can observe from the book that their impact on the environment was not nearly so extreme as the Europeans’. Cronon speaks about how the Indians used controlled burnings to clear out underbrush and aide hunting. On first thought, this idea of burning the land might appear to be inherently evil. However, it actually served to replenish the environment and increase fertility. Although they may not have had the magical and spiritual oneness with the land that is imagined by many, the Indians certainly had a special understanding of the area in which they lived. This is evident from their subsistence patterns that are discussed in the book. They moved about with the seasons, knowing where to be and when in order to survive. Today, perhaps this sort of living is possible and beneficial for some at the personal level, but is not possible for the American population to practice as a whole.
This sort of relationship was never learned by the new arrivals, the Europeans. They never learned to be led by the environment as the Indians did. Rather, they tried to force the environment to bend to their will. When their territory was no longer providing what they wanted, the colonists would simply go get more territory. This way of living lead to a mystery in the minds of the newcomers as to why the Indians lived poorly in a land of such abundant opportunity for wealth. But, their wonderment did not spur them to imitation. Instead, the colonists treated the Indians poorly, not thinking anything out of cheating them out of what was rightfully theirs. Seeing the profit potential that filled this new land, the Europeans’ eyes were on stalks. Commodities of fur, wood, and crops could be obtained in copious amounts, and would be very lucrative. Thus motivated, their society began to wreak havoc on the environment of New England. Trees were cut down by the thousands, until species like the white pine, white oak, and cedar were almost nowhere to be found. Furbearing animals, like the beaver, were hunted almost to extinction. Looking back from a modern perspective, it is easy to say that they should have handled things in a more prudent manner. But, perhaps the Europeans lacked the necessary knowledge to realize the negative connotations of their actions.
Upon observance of the Indian way of life, one may conclude that although they surely had some flaws, their behaviors were more virtuous than those of the Europeans. They possessed a higher level of respect for other men and for nature than did the greedy and exploitive colonists. However, their way of life simply could not have continued amidst the onslaught of newcomers to the land. With the respect to the sheer size of the population of America today, Indian subsistence cycles of moving around with the seasons would be absolutely impossible. What the Europeans brought that was not a major characterization of Native American culture were the ideas of capitalism and property ownership. Without those things, our nation could not exist as it does today. The widespread elimination of woods and thousands of animals cleared a path for the coming Industrial and eventually Modern Age. Although it would be foolish to argue that the colonists were intentionally preparing the way for millions of people to follow them, looking back on the history one can observe the eventual positive consequences of their actions. Today, our largely capitalistic economy thrives in comparison to other more socialistic governments. Furthermore, time has brought about a greater understanding about how to use resources wisely, causing the wasteful ideas of the colonists to fade away. In our culture, the Indian ideas of hunting, farming, and sharing everything would never survive. A new environment and attitude had to come in order to pave the way for future generations.
It can be said in truth that although many of the practices of the Indians were more honorable than those of the colonists, the attitude and environment that the Europeans created was a key point in the history of our nation without which America as we know it could not be possible. The Indians were much more environmentally conscious. They were more respectful of the land, and avoided wastefulness to the point of living in relative poverty. Even those things that they claimed to own they freely shared with others of their community. But, eventually, their way of life was swallowed up by the profit seeking and imprudent practices of the Europeans, who substantially impacted the animals, plants, and Natives of New England. The way in which these things happened was often regrettable, and perhaps could have been handled in a more responsible manner. However, it is entirely evident that the change that was brought has influenced and made possible the world we live in today.