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Colonial Rule under European Countries Essay

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One of the main focus points in European colonization was to further their economic order by using abundant recourses that were found far from the home land. They looked to gain power and produce wealth. In order to reach these goals, Europeans directed cultural change among the indigenous people and justified their actions by claiming it was “God’s work”. However, with all of these changes came diverse reactions from the native people. In the beginning they were eager to build relationships, however after time passed many considered them as sons from the devil. The Europeans used their power of law and order to subdue and control the indigenous. They wanted to instill their beliefs, culture, and values onto the natives and used …show more content…

Europeans used education to reorient the indigenous culture. Children were forced to attend boarding schools where they were taught that their customs were immoral. This resulted in children losing touch with their culture and them becoming ashamed of their parents. Most often children even forgot their native language. Teachers taught “the values of hard work and obedience to authority” (Bonvillain 2013). This was just another way to gain control over the indigenous people. Government officials also imposed European way onto the natives. They used their laws and social controls to change traditional systems, which ultimately changed the behavior and attitudes of the indigenous people. By having European courts and judicial systems, the indigenous people “were reinterpreted in a language of law that distorted the indigenous experience” (Bonvillain 2013). Most of the European concepts were never practiced, nor traditional to the natives. By having colonial law, the Europeans benefited finically. They used taxation to collect revenue and change the economic state of the native communities. This caused the indigenous people to have to find extra work where they could accumulate cash to be able to pay the colonial authorities. It forced men and women to work outside of their community and changed their whole economic state. The Europeans imposed many horrible and unfair rules onto the indigenous people.

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