West Indian Peasantry Essay

For many tribes of Plains Indians whose bison-hunting culture flourished during the 18th and 19th centuries, the sun dance was the major communal religious ceremony . . . the rite celebrates renewal - the spiritual rebirth of participants and their relatives as well as the regeneration of the living earth with all its components . . . The ritual, involving sacrifice and supplication to insure harmony between all living beings, continues to be practiced by many contemporary native Americans. -Elizabeth Atwood LawrenceAs the most important ritual of the nomadic Plains Indians, the Sun Dance in itself presents many ideas, beliefs, and values of these cultures. Through its rich symbolism and complicated rituals we are able to catch a glimpse

Randy Sparks highlights a rare aspect of the history of slavery: the relentless effort of the enslaved to use their privilege to free themselves. Although it is not clear when the European and Africans first encountered each other in Old Calabar, it is evident that the constant trading between both parties built a concrete means of communication. As many individuals who have

Popular culture has shaped our understanding and perception of Native American culture. From Disney to literature has given the picture of the “blood thirsty savage” of the beginning colonialism in the new world to the “Noble Savage,” a trait painted by non-native the West (Landsman and Lewis 184) and this has influenced many non native perceptions. What many outsiders do not see is the struggle Native American have on day to day bases. Each generation of Native American is on a struggle to keep their traditions alive, but to function in school and ultimately graduate.

The Apaches, like most Native Americans, have no written history other than that written by white men. But the story of the Apaches did not begin in the American Southwest but in the northwestern corner of North America, the western Subarctic region of Alaska and Canada. The Apache Indians belong to the southern branch of the Athabascan group, whose languages constitute a large family, with speakers in Alaska, western Canada, and American Southwest. The fact that the Apaches originated in the western mountainous Subarctic region makes their nomadic behavior after the arrival in the American Southwest more comprehensible; the tribes of the Southwest were highly mobile and moved from place to place depending on availability of food. They

On September 9, 1739, the Stono Rebellion took place in the colony of South Carolina. The slaves, lead by an Angolan named Jemmy, stunned the plantation owners in their revolt against their oppressive lifestyle. Their goal was to march all the way to Spanish Florida, but they were eventually stopped by the militia. In total, about 60 white civilians were killed and many more slaves experienced the same fate. This was such a significant uprising, not only because of the lack of information we have about rebellions in general, but because it showed that slaves had the ability to revolt against the harsh lifestyle that was forced upon them. While most historians can agree that this was one of the most influential revolts, the best way to interpret this event is still debated. Some historians, like William Stephen, hone in on the aspect of competition in his piece “Spanish Designs and Slave Resistance”. While other look at specific factors. For example, John K, Thornton sees that the best way to view the Stono Rebellion is to look at the African background of slaves in his essay, “African Dimension of the Stono Rebellion”. Edward A Pearson, for example, asserts gender is the way to comprehend this revolt in his essay “Rebelling As Men”. All of these historians address important factors of the Stono Rebellion, however in order to best understand the Stono Rebellion one must consider both gender and African background and how it increased competition between the English and

Slave resistance began for many enslaved Africans before they reach the Americas. Karenga explained the many arrangements in which Africans resisted to enslavement, while in Africa, during the middle passage, and in the Americas. Employing the Karenga text one can evaluate the different resistances that transpired in Antigua as Cultural, Resistance, Day-to-Day Resistance, Abolitionism, Armed Resistance, Revolts, Ship Mutinies, and Afro-Native Alliance. One can conclude that enslaved Africans had an unrelenting resistance to enslavement (Karenga).

During the course of the slave trade millions of Africans became involuntary immigrants to the New World. Some African captives resisted enslavement by fleeing from slave forts on the coast of West African. Others mutinied on board slave trading vessels, or cast themselves into the ocean, rather facing death than enslavement. In the New World there were those who ran away from their owners, ran away among the Indians, formed maroon societies, revolted, feigned sickness, or participated in work slow downs. Some sought and succeeded in gaining liberty through various legal means such as "good service" to their masters, self-purchase, or military service. Still others seemingly acquiesced and learned to survive in

Native Americans have felt distress from societal and governmental interactions for hundreds of years. American Indian protests against these pressures date back to the colonial period. Broken treaties, removal policies, acculturation, and assimilation have scarred the indigenous societies of the United States. These policies and the continued oppression of the native communities produced an atmosphere of heightened tension. Governmental pressure for assimilation and their apparent aim to destroy cultures, communities, and identities through policies gave the native people a reason to fight. The unanticipated consequence was the subsequent creation of a pan-American Indian identity

Proof of the great impact of Eric Williams' book, Capitalism & Slavery, lays in the fact that after his death in 1981, till this day, historians are still debating and analyzing his work. Williams inspired the next generation of writers on Caribbean history, within the Caribbean. Although his work is criticized in European and North American academic circles, it is still revered within West Indian academics

When we assess the evils of slavery, we typically think of the North American slaves plight. We think of the beatings, murders, hangings and mistreatment of the Southern slave. But what about the slaves of Latin America? Who hears their cries of woe because of their evil slave masters? Is their treatment the same of their brethren under slave rule in North America? In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to look into the lives of both North and Latin American slaves. For our purposes, we will utilize two slave narratives. One account will come from the North American slave, Frederick Douglass, and his

Superficially, The History of Mary Prince documents slavery in the West Indies, adding richly to historical memory of the time period through its firsthand account. At the time of its publication, the genre of the slave narrative was just appearing. The History of Mary Prince, along with other formative texts, shape an important bank of evidence and allow current historians to remember and study slavery in the West Indies with a shred of credibility. Without these texts, the unimaginable pain endured by those brought into the Atlantic slave

The narrative by Olaudah Equiano gives an interesting perspective of slavery both within and outside of Africa in the eighteenth century. From these writings we can gain insight into the religion and customs of an African culture. We can also see how developed the system of trade was within Africa, and worldwide by this time. Finally, we hear an insider's view on being enslaved, how slaves were treated in Africa, and what the treatment of African slaves was like at the hands of the Europeans.

When you think of the abolishment of slavery, what is the first place you think of? Was it the United States? Maybe even Africa? Although these two regions are well discussed in the history of slavery there are for more areas that were involved. For the purpose of this paper, the two regions that have been chosen are the United States and Haiti. The United States was colonized by a mix of different races. The most predominant were English settlers and Haiti was predominantly French settlers. These two regions bought, sold and traded slaves by the use of the Transatlantic Slave trade. However, both the United States and Haiti played a significant role in the abolishment of slavery.

For almost a century now, campaigns by British Parliament and antislavery societies have invoked a movement of civil awareness against slavery, to challenge the moral and legal basis for its purpose. And though a substantial moral victory was achieved when slavery in Britain was ruled illegal in 1772 and the bill abolishing slave trade was passed in 1807, British colonized Caribbean countries have yet to see the same sort of legislation. My family and I have supported the antislavery campaigns and all it stands for, we have lost friends, business and long standing relationships for our belief of freedom for all. Today I land on the shores of Trinidad in hopes that there are others like me. People who can see that freedom belongs

When historians discuss colonialism and slavery, the question frequently arises: Why didn't more slaves revolt? In fact, the Western hemisphere experienced many uprisings and revolutions by people who had been made slaves. One of the primary methods by which these revolutions took place was surprise. Categorically speaking, slave owners acted as though they expected their system of subjugation to continue within a thin band of the status quo. The methods used to keep slaves from overwhelming the slave owners were cruel, demoralizing, but they were not entirely debilitating. Slave owners did cause slaves to become more cunning, more cooperative, and more persistent in their efforts to gain freedom.