Native American Imperialism

I think there were multiple reasons for the Native Americans were vulnerable to conquest. Economic, social structure, militarily, and medicinally. They were also already in a period of population decline prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Cahokia’s, Aztec’s, Inca’s and Mayans’ population where no were near the size they had been or almost completely nonexistent.

Before the Spanish ship that changed it all, which arrived in the “New World” in 1492, there was a vast population of native people who had lived on this land for centuries prior. That ship, skippered by Christopher Columbus, raised arguably one of the most influential turning points in Native American and European history. It sparked the fire of cultural diffusion in the New World which profoundly impacted the Native American peoples and the European settlers.

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

Native Americans lived on the North American continent centuries before the arrival of Europeans. These native groups developed and preserved cultural traditions. Many European explorers traveled to the New World around the 1500s in search for God, gold, and glory. This brought them into contact with the Native Americans, and led to a complete change in their lifestyle. Europeans brought the Natives diseases, forced them to relocate, and altered their cultures. All in all, the Europeans left a devastating impact on the Native Americans.

Although both Bradford and Columbus address the New World and the native people, their views differentiate immensely. In Of Plymouth Plantation, Bradford depicts the environment of the New World as “a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men” (Bradford 168). Bradford also describes the native people as “savage barbarians” (Bradford 168). Bradford suggests the New World as a stark wilderness that did not possess the proper essentials in order for him and his fellow Pilgrims to thrive. In addition, he suggests that the savage natives would have little to no respect of any “outward object” (Bradford 168). Therefore, he qualifies how the New World would provide no means of prosperity for his people. As for Columbus, he

Imperialism is when a larger, more powerful nation takes control of smaller, weaker nations. The American idea is for freedom. As a nation the United States promotes the freedom of itself and other countries. America once fought for the freedom from a larger, more powerful nation, so why would the government want to go back on what this country was started on, which was freedom.

During the early exploring of the American continent in the 1500s and 1600s, the New World seemed to be untouched land only inhabited by native, primitive people. It was believed to be the literal Garden Eden, a world without human sins, and the perfect balance between humans and nature. However, when the English first started to settle along the East coast, the reality of this New World appeared to not be as perfect and utopic as they thought: Attacks and conflicts between the natives and settlers, the lack of civilization, and dangerous winter conditions surfaced. Nevertheless, for many settlers, the new land was promising and gave those a chance who were unable to live a happy life in Europe.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed west and found himself on the shores of a new world. His mission was to secure new land for Spain. Other European countries heard of his findings, they too crossed the ocean in hopes of securing new opportunities in this newly discovered land such as fur trading and gold mining. Little did they know that a community of indigenous people had already settled in this land thousands of years before. The Europeans decided to negotiate with the natives in order to set up their own communities in the land but the Native Americans held beliefs about society and religion that were far different from their European peers. Europeans thought the Indians to be “Noble Savages, gentle and friendly, but uncivilized, brutal, and barbaric” (citation). They could not see past their own

Throughout early history, beginning with 1492, exploration was well on its way. European nations began heading west towards the New World in search of new trade routes to the East Indies. With support from kings through financial aid and moral guidance, a new peak was reached upon the arrival of Columbus in the Caribbean islands off the mainland of the Americas. Such an extraordinary event, future voyages were sent off to explore the rest of the New World by Spanish, French, and English ships and explorers. During these times of exploration, traveling nations encountered the Natives among the lands where they would then determine their future through alliances and conflicts. The settlement patterns, along with the attitudes of the American Indians that were encountered with by the Spanish, French and English exploration, can be compared and contrasted through the goals of these nations culturally and socially, and even through the opportunity for economic growth .

Distorted perspectives of european settlers led them to view Native Americans as “uncivilized savages.”As the Renaissance reached its ending term Europeans saw their religion (Christianity) as an advanced culture. When Europeans arrived to the “New World” in 1493 settlers discovered the native inhabitants were bizarre to the new settlers. Further in time Settlers observed their culture and viewed their religion as evil and thought of the Natives God as the “Devil in disguise.” As a consequence of their perspective of their religion Settlers thought of them as animals, non-human and branded the term savages to Native Americans. Since Europeans viewed their religion as advanced setters thought of the idea of emerging Native Americans into the white man culture and wanted to “civilize” the Native Americans. Native Americans didn’t like the idea of being rooted to the culture of the Europeans, so Europeans thought of the solution of moving the Native Americans west so the native could preserve their culture. Furthermore igniting the reaction of removal of Natives Americans, conversion of culture and the war between the Europeans and Native

In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the new world; the Native Americans lives were altered through the introduction of the Columbian Exchange, Cultural changes and loss of their homeland. Columbus's discovery of the new world sparked colonization of the Americas. There was an ample amount of vast, arable land thus creating economic opportunity for the wealthy and the common-man. The people longing for this opportunity intruded on the Native American's land and completely changed their way of life.

The Spanish war gave the United States an empire. At the end of the Spanish war the United States took Spanish colonies such as Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and many other islands. The creation of the American Empire leads to the end of the Spanish Empire. The United States wanted to build up the countries so that markets would open up and purchase American goods and to improve the American economy.

What we call America today was once a land whose name was only known its natives. A land that was in essence untouched and pure. A land where people thrived and did not go without, where life was valued and preserved but would be forgotten. European explorers were the first civilized culture to discover the New World and name it America. This would forever change the lives of Native Americans and their generations to come. The Europeans valued conquest with no regard for the native tribes, they sought to colonize and establish themselves and their form of government. As more Europeans arrived, the Native Americans were forced to leave or adapt to the ways of the Europeans. Many old lineages of native people were erased from existence, families

The “new world” that Columbus boasted of to the Spanish monarchs in 1500 was neither an expanse of empty space nor a replica of European culture, tools, textiles, and religion, but a combination of Native, European, and African people living in complex relation to one another. »full text

Rudyard Kipling stated, “East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” (Velgen 240). One of the main questions posed by this novel, as asked by Mahmoud Ali and Hamidullah, is “whether or not it is possible to be friendly with the Englishmen.” The book serves as an example as to how difficult it might seem to achieve unity when there’s diversity already present. This question is answered through discovering the personal relationships among the main characters in the novel and analyzing the effects of imperialism on the exploitation of those personal relationships. Set in British colonial India, the novel explores cultural, religious, and political barriers and the hostility between the subjects and the ruling class. India, a country already known to be diverse within itself and containing innumerable groups formed by social hierarchy and distinct traditions, was unaware of a society in which people of different backgrounds live in unity. This book created much controversy because many critics believe that E.M. Forster, the author, was being impartial to the Ango-Indians and advocating more for the native Hindus.