Colonization Of The United States

Between 1492-1776, although many people moved to the “New World”, North America lost population due to the amount of Indians dying from war and diseases and the inability of colonists to replace them. John Murrin states, “losers far outnumbered winners” in “ a tragedy of such huge proportions that no one’s imagination can easily encompass it all.” This thought of a decreasing population broadens one’s perspective of history from that of an excluded American tale full of positivity to that of a more unbiased, all-encompassing analysis. The Indians and slaves have recently been noted as a more crucial part of history than previously accredited with.

There were initially two to ten million natives in the United States prior to European contact. Those numbers dwindled down drastically in the years that Europeans came and started colonizing. The Europeans came to explore the New World in search of land, spices, gold, God and glory. Among these colonists were the Spanish and they colonized most of the southwest of the United States. Evidence of their settlements can still be seen today in the missions scattered across the land. These missions were started with the purpose of converting the Native Americans to Christianity. Now, imagine living your entire life with a particular set of beliefs, based on your ancestors and culture, and a group of foreigners come and proclaim that your views are all wrong and that you must follow their beliefs for the salvation of your soul. This is exactly what the Spanish did to the Natives. The relationship between the two parties were strained and rife with tension due to the conversion of the natives and the constant abuse doled out by the Spanish. This subsequently led to the disintegration of native life and culture.

After Columbus returned to Spain, the Europeans began to come to America by the thousands and brought with them permanent colonies, new ideas, technologies, plants, and animals. Columbus' critics do accredit him with bringing oppression to the Americas.

When Christopher Columbus entered the Americas in 1942, one of his first tasks were to deal with the Indigenous people, who, compared to the Europeans, were much less advanced. Europe began waging wars of conquest to get resources for trade, and missionaries were brought in to teach the Indigenous people Christianity. Although some Europeans viewed the civilizing of the Native Americans and the new World necessary and just, many others believed that taking dominance over their culture was wrong.

In the 16th and 17th century, the Americas was being explored by Spain, Britain, and other countries. Many of these countries set up colonies in the Americas where Native Americans were living. Europeans moved into colonization of the Americas and brought changes to the land and its people. Europeans traded, hunted to warfare and personal property. As Europeans established their colonies, their societies also became segmented and divided along religious and racial lines. Most people in the societies were not free. They labored long hours as servants or slaves to produce wealth for others. As more Europeans came to settle the land in the Americas, their presence had a tremendous effect on the native peoples who were living in the Americas. The Native peoples’ life in the Americas provided lots for the Europeans to use. They traded cattle, chickens, horses, pigs, sheep, sugarcane, and wheat, for chocolate, pineapple, potatoes, pumpkins/squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and tobacco. The diets of the Natives and Europeans widened as different food types was being traded. The Natives were very open to the Europeans as they came into their land and communicated with the Natives. Over time, the landscape changed as more European communities increased. The Europeans held on to their idea of land ownership while the Natives idea of the land was for the person that need it. Also, the Europeans hoped to change the Natives to Christianity but also trick them into being slaves for the

In the early years of the United States’ formation, the country had its roots in the original thirteen colonies. Through years of expansion, the United States grew into the country we know today. Without the migration movements like the pilgrims’ voyage to America, the colonization founding of the original thirteen colonies, and the westward migration in the 1800s for gold and prosperity, the country could not be the way it is today. The colonization of the 1600s and the migration in the 1800s impacted the course of American history and its development.

North America was colonized by the English, but it was not easy. Many obstacles, such as religion, economy, and political issues sometimes halted or made the colonization of North America more difficult. Over time, the obstacles started to be easier to overcome. When colonies were established, there were a few different types. Each type of colony also had their differences. There were many struggles that came along with the attempts of colonizing North America, but some of the things that happened helped shape this country into what it is today.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, initiated the colonization of the New World by Europe when he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. Spain and England soon established colonies in the New World which grew to become very different from one another with frequent similarities. The Spanish colonies and New England greatly differed in terms of control by a European government, were both vastly similar and extremely different in terms of religion, and were largely similar in terms of treatment of indigenous people.

It all started in the 17th century, Europeans crossed the Atlantic to find the New World where they could start their new lives and spread religion along with improving their status in life. It began with Jamestown; now know as Virginia, when it became the first settlement that soon was established as the first colony. Not too far long, pilgrims traveled to the New World and discovered Plymouth in the colony of Massachusetts. As time went by, many disagreements over the boundaries of the colonies rose and The French and Indian War broke out. After the war, England took control over the colonies and was broken into 4 major regions The major regions were called New England, Middle, Chesapeake Bay, and the Southern Colonies. Despite the location and area the colonies settled, each colony had their own similarities and differences; thus, based on political, religious, self-governing, and land owning. These individual colonies declared independence from Britain and without a hesitation, they broke out and each went their ways.

Native Americans were the first inhabitants of what we today would call the United States, were they not? As hard as it may be to believe since they're called "Native Americans," it has actually been agreed upon that they were not. The first people to arrive in North America are believed to be sojourners from Asia. These bands crossed a land bridge in search of big game. Slowly, these people began to learn different techniques to survive in North America. They eventually gave up nomadism and instead began to set up habitations or stay within a certain area. These humans learned to farm and how to maintain cities. The Aztecs were a great example of this as they built the amazing city of Tenochtitlan in Central America.

North America during the Colonial period had resources the Europeans dreamed about. For example, the mighty Mississippi River for trading and transportation, the pine trees for lumber, and the rich soil in the south for growing crops. The Europeans saw the potential of economic opportunity in North America. The Native Americans viewed North America as sacred and took care of their land as much as possible. When the Europeans arrived, the deer population plummeted due to the need of meat from the Europeans. The New England colonists realized that the soil in New England was unreliable because of the unfertile soil and the weather.

Ever since Europeans began to colonize land in the New World, Native Americans have suffered immensely. Europeans colonized the entirety of both North and South America fairly easily. Most people attribute this to the fact that Native Americans were inferior to Europeans in the aspect that they were not as advanced militarily or diplomatically. For example, most Americans see Native Americans as inferior due to the fact that Europeans were able to take over all of the Native Americans land, which is a completely wrong way of thinking. European colonization and domination in North America is centered around diseases and the fact that Native Americans had never been exposed to certain diseases that Europeans brought over from the Old World. The

The discovery of North America sparked a new era of exploration, expansion, and colonization. Many European countries took the opportunity to develop a new territory where they could prosper financially and benefit their home country as much as possible. The trip overseas was strenuous, as was maintaining positive relationships with Native Americans and running a successful colony. Although all European countries who showed interest in establishing territories in the Americas had their own reasons for doing so, some countries did a better job executing their colonizing than others. Britain, France, and Spain were the three most successful countries in terms of colonizing a new land for their country.

Many people may not be 100% sure of the America's early colonial days from Columbus landing in 1492 to the Pilgrims landing on plymouth in 1620. During the 16th Century many european countries were trying to colonize North America even though many colonies never survived. Historian Sam White explains in his book Cold Welcome that early attempts were doomed to fail very early because the many incorrect assumptions the european countries had about the geography, climate, poor planning, and very bad timing.

In the hopes to escape oppression in their motherlands, thousands of European families packed their bags and voyaged to the New World. Bringing with them tradition, culture, and religion these “victims” soon turned this utopia into another version of their homeland. A world that promised liberty, liberation, and wealth , all too soon was tainted with oppression and hatred. Early explorations and colonization of the New World, allowed the cycle of history to repeat itself like it had many times before. Power and ambition soon turned into greed and with greed the lives of Native Americans, African Americans, and poor Europeans were filled with resentment and inequality, creating divided societies for years to come.