Beyond 1492 Encounter In Colonial North America Summary

Beginning in the sixteenth century, Europeans made the voyage to a “new world” in order to achieve dreams of opportunity and riches. In this other world the Europeans came upon another people, which naturally led to a cultural exchange between different groups of people. Although we commonly refer to European and Indian relations as being between just two very different groups of people, it is important to recognize this is not entirely true. Although the settlers of the new world are singularly referred to as Europeans, each group of people came from a different nation and with different motives and expectations of the new world. Similarly, the Indians were neither a united group nor necessarily friendly with each other. Due to the

For many years, schools have taught us that the Indians were small, uncivilized groups that had little effect on the world before Columbus. Due to unexpected discoveries and evidence that say otherwise, many scholars now question and argue about their time in the Americas before Columbus. In 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Mann uses the latest research, along with his own results from his travels, to provide eye-opening information on the Indians and what they were really like before the Europeans. We learn that they were more culturally advanced and had more of an influence on our world that what is thought.

In “Times are Altered with Us Indians by Colin Calloway,” Indian peoples are shown to have created thriving communities before the Europeans arrived in their lands. They had developed long histories, effective fishing, farming, and hunting techniques, political systems and social structures, hundreds of languages, had advanced culturally in the form of artwork and architecture, as well as have far reaching networks of trade and communication, way before Europeans had “discovered America.” Once Europeans had arrived however, they had caused Native Americans prosperity to falter. The most devastating cause of change for the Indians were diseases like smallpox, plague, measles, yellow fever, and influenza brought by the Europeans, and caused several tribes to be completely wiped out and some tribes to only have a few survivors. The diseases, as well as alcohol, caused the social and political structure to be affected negatively because elders, providers, family members, healers, and counselors perished so all the resources and knowledge in these people perished with them and were not able to be passed on to the survivors. Eventually, Indian life began to be taken over by European ideals as a way to survive, by converting to Christianity, trading with the Europeans, having the Europeans interfere in their politics, and having war-caused by the Europeans- ruin their remaining communities. Indians role in colonial America are different than they are portrayed in traditional

Axtell explains that stating that the two groups encountered each other “is not a perfect fit” for the situation due to the fact that it was not mutual between the two and that the Natives were more so put on the defense. With the arrival of the explorers, the lifestyle of the Indians were challenged, which made them resort to protecting their freedom and culture. One of the first reactions to newcomers was that the natives were rather peaceful and offered the show their ways to the Europeans. Unknown to what consisted in the east hemisphere

During the 1400’s, a physical connection was made between Europe and the Native Americans by Christopher Columbus. Today, he is looked upon as a hero for discovering the land that the United States of America currently occupies. Beneath the glorified image of Columbus, there lies something much darker that people often overlook. Although Columbus began the migration of Europeans to America, he did not discover it first. In addition, the new formed connection between the Europeans and the Americas paved way for the genocide of many of the indigenous people.

Instead of the Europeans being the victims in the so called “savage” attacks of the American natives, European sailors slowly but surely changed the native’s way of life and society, which caused the extreme acts and violence of the many native groups. The Columbian Encounter began in 1492, when Columbus and crew discovered land after a long five week voyage at sea. Axtell explains that the word “encounter” was an agreement by both parties, Europeans and natives, but in actuality, the new discovery of both the Old and New worlds to each other was mostly initiated by the Europeans that was able to happen on the natives own land. Axtell also explains how this “forced the natives...into a defensive mode” (Axtell

Indian Relations was one factor that caused the death of so many colonists in the early Jamestown. In early 15th century, Francis West and his group cruised up the Chesapeake harbor to attempt the exchange for grains with the Indians. They were capable to fill his trifling vessel with corns. This achievement would aid, but then it was not sufficient to last the settlers the wintertime. They finally took the corns back to England. The “Affiliation” of the Natives and settlers was apprehensive, at times unfriendly. The two philosophies were so diverse. The semantic, civilizations, and way of life, were so conflicting that none of them distinguished what to anticipate of the other. Mostly, English colonists saw the Inhabitants as uninformed heathens,

Throughout the course of history there have been numerous accounts regarding Native American and European interaction. From first contact to Indian removal, the interaction was somewhat of a roller coaster ride, leading from times of peace to mini wars and rebellions staged by the Native American tribes. The first part of this essay will briefly discuss the pre-Columbian Indian civilizations in North America and provide simple awareness of their cultures, while the second part of this essay will explore all major Native American contact leading up to, and through, the American Revolution while emphasizing the impact of Spanish, French, and English explorers and colonies on Native American culture and vice versa. The third, and final, part of this essay will explore Native American interaction after the American Revolution with emphasis on westward expansion and the Jacksonian Era leading into Indian removal. Furthermore, this essay will attempt to provide insight into aspects of Native American/European interaction that are often ignored such as: gender relations between European men and Native American women, slavery and captivity of native peoples, trade between Native Americans and European colonists, and the effects of religion on Native American tribes.

The relationship between the English and the Native Americans in 1600 to 1700 is one of the most fluctuating and the most profound relationships in American history. On the one side of the picture, the harmony between Wampanoag and Puritans even inspires them to celebrate “first Thanksgiving”; while, by contrast, the conflicts between the Pequots and the English urge them to antagonize each other, and even wage a war. In addition, the mystery of why the European settlers, including English, become the dominant power in American world, instead of the indigenous people, or Indians, can be solved from the examination of the relationship. In a variety of ways, the relationship drastically alters how people think about and relate to the aborigines. Politically, the relationship changes to establish the supremacy of the English; the English intends to obtain the land and rules over it. Socially, the relationship changes to present the majority of the English settlers; the dominating population is mostly the English settlers. Economically, the relationship changes to obtain the benefit of the English settlers; they gain profit from the massive resource in America. Therefore, the relationship does, in fact, change to foreshadow the discordance of the two groups of people.

The natives had multiple strategies to counter the Europeans including incorporating, beating, joining, copying and avoiding them. The Indian's counteracted the Europeans unusual powers by incorporating as honorary Indians or true men. They treated them with the up most regard and did everything possible because they believed they were worthy of high respect. They gave them presents, greeted them in fashion, seated them on their nicest furs, and made long speeches welcoming them. They even granted the Europeans with Indian names, which is a sign of acceptance. The Indian's also offered helping hands for the Europeans to navigate and explore the New World. Come to find out, the Indian's were about to fighting the Europeans for the land they

For more than 300 years, since the days of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Government, an attempt of genocide of the Native American Indian has existed. From mass brutal murders and destruction by Spanish and American armies, to self-annihilation through suicide, homicide, and alcohol induced deaths brought about because of failed internal colonialism and white racial framing. Early Explores used Indigenous inhabitants upon first arriving to the America’s to survive the New World and once they adapted, internal colonialism began with attempts to convert the Indians to Christianity, repressing their values and way of life, forcing them into slavery, and nearly exterminating an entire culture from existence.

Indigenous are people who originated or occurring naturally in a particular place; native. The earliest accounts of the European-Indian encounter in North America of ill-fated 1527 expedition of Pánfilo de Narváez. After the big disembarking on Florida near Tampa, the Spanish forced the land and sea became disastrously separated. Knowing, they overstayed their welcome, with local Indians in pursuit. Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, second command, set out on rafts back to Cuba. Only eighty survived and came through a hurricane to land near Galveston, Texas. About 4 years ago in 1536, they were rescued in Northern America by Spanish slave trade, but only 4 remained behind. It was Cabeza de Vaca, two Spaniards and an African named Estevan. Cabeza

To better understand the conflict between the Europeans and the Native Americans, one must closely examine the state of Europe’s economy at the time. Europe struggled with difficult conditions. This included poverty, violence and diseases like typhus, smallpox, influenza and measles. There were widespread famines which caused the prices of products to vary and made life very difficult in Europe. Street crimes and violence were prevalent in cities: “Other eruption of bizarre torture, murder, and ritual cannibalism were not uncommon”.2 Europeans

The long history between Native American and Europeans are a strained and bloody one. For the time of Columbus’s subsequent visits to the new world, native culture has

No I have never heard of Cahokia before. However, the great, past city seems amazing and their civilization was astounding. It surprised me that they had a sort of constitutional system and laws. Some misconceptions the Europeans had about the Native Americans was that they were savages. They believed the inhabitants of the “New World” were cannibalistic, having no sense of culture or religion. This proved not to be true as the Native Americans were incredibly religious. They worshiped Mother Nature and animals. They also had a belief that the sun was a God. In the Cahokia tribe, the kind would wake up the earliest every morning, go to the tallest hill, and howl to the Sun God, telling him to come up.