Major Questions in History - Essay Example

History 3rd October, History Questions EXAM1 Was Contact with Europeans catastrophic for Native Americans? Be Specific The first contact between Europeans and the Americans occurred when the first English explorer Columbus arrived in America in 1492. After five years when he first stepped on American soil, many other English explorers started to visit America as well. At this point, the Europeans did not settle on a permanent basis. Their reason for travelling to America was to find new routes for trade. One of the trade items between Europeans and Americans was fresh meat that Europeans took in exchange of their products in the quest to change their diet after long periods of sailing on the sea. Some of the trade items that the Americans were interested in from the Europeans included the superior versions of some basic objects while others were totally new inventions. For instance, Americans were interested in the metallic axe as it made their work easier. The trading products that interested the Europeans from the Native America were the high-quality furs. Contact with Europeans was very catastrophic for the the Native Americans in many ways. The Europeans brought about diseases that initially never occurred in the Native Americans communities. An example of such was smallpox associated with a Spanish called Herman Cortes and his army when they came to America in 1521. Europeans were also responsible for bringing about other diseases such as influenza and measles to healthy Americans. The said diseases are associated with livestock, which the Europeans used to keep whereas some Americans never practiced livestock keeping (Zinn 98). The Europeans also interfered with the land through introducing land farming which shifted the Americans focus from the traditional methods of fishing and hunting. The end effect of this was a disruption of food supply. The livestock that the Europeans brought about used to roam in the open land. In the long run, the environment was damaged, wildlife became rare and the Americans traditional food supply was interrupted. Contact with Europeans increased warfare with the Native Americans. This was because of increased populations and the competition for the resources. The natives resulted to war since they felt robbed of their land. The warfare came with many deaths as the Europeans wanted to take over and dominate the entire land. To conclude, the contact between the Europeans and the Americans did not have significant benefits to the Native Americans when compared with the negative impact. It is because the native population was reduced sharply due to the warfare, diseases and even displacement of Americans from their land. The negative impact that their entrance brought about was far less beneficial compared to their positive influences like introduction of education and Christianity. 2. Explain how Rodger Williams exemplified "Seeds of Dissent"? Roger Williams was a European theologian who was born in 1603 and died in 1683. He was a protestant who was among the first people to advocate for freedom of religions as well as the distinction of church from the state. Williams studied the local American languages and vehemently campaigned for fair treatment of the Native Americans.   Dissent means to refuse to fit a given authority or doctrine of an established church. Roger Williams exemplified dissent in many ways according to his background. One way was through campaigning for religious freedom of individuals. He even went ahead and started a colony of his own called Providence Plantation that offered refuge to the religious minorities. Another way Williams exemplified dissent is through the establishment of his church. Williams felt that the church at that time was undermining the views of some of its congregation. Therefore, he wanted to start a church that will treat its congregation fairly, and offer it a fair chance and opportunity to express its views freely. Williams shows a good example of dissent through his open campaigns against the slave trade. Even though he was a European, he strongly voiced his disagreement with his kinsmen’s practice of the slave trade among their 13 colonies. In conclusion, Williams stood for fair treatment for all people. He also advocated people’s ability to voice their opinions. He did not like to see people mistreated or stopped from expressing themselves. He was a man of initiative, and always ready to assume responsibilities in relation to his believes. Therefore, he lived to the claim of seeds of dissent. 3. Did economic inequality contribute to Bacons Rebellion? Explain Bacon’s rebellion took place in 1676 between settlers of Virginia and the governor of Virginia at that time. The key areas of conflict were increasing taxes, low tobacco prices and protest against some people being given more privileges because they were close to the governor Sir William Berkeley. In addition to this, another reason for the uprising was that Berkeley had failed to defend his people against being attacked by the Native Americans. Economical inequality brought about Bacons rebellion in many ways. The main reason the Native Americans waged attacks on the English colonies were because they accused them of doing unfair business with them. To begin with, Bacon a European was not happy with the way Native Americans were attacking the colonies firms. He, therefore, went to the governor to voice his concerns. When the governor took the measure of building a protective wall against the natives, he raised taxes for the poor among them. Majority of the people were displeased hence they were easily coerced to join hands and lead a rebellion (Murrin et al.,). Tobacco farming was a prime economic activity in Virginia. The governor was accused of doing corruption deals with the leaders in England where it was mainly exported to in that, and it fetched very low prices. The only people who benefitted were the governor and those close to him. Consequently, this led to people feeling aggrieved, and the rebellion was one of the ways they thought of using to deal with their concerns. In conclusion, Bacon’s rebellion came about mainly due to economical reasons. First Bacon felt that the natives caused them losses in their plantations, and this was an economical reason. Then, there is the issue of tobacco fetching low prices in the export market. Lastly, the fact that only the governor and those around him were flourishing business wise proves beyond doubt that the cause of Bacon’s rebellion was mainly motivated by economical inequalities. Works Cited Murrin, Johnson, McPherson, Gerstle, Rosenberg, and Rosenberg, Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, New York: Harcourt College Publishers, 2005. Zinn, Howard. Peoples History of the US 1492-Present. New York: Harper Collins, 2003. Read More