Envisioning America & What Caused the Pueblo Revolt - Book Report/Review Example

Envisioning America & What Caused the Pueblo Revolt? Introduction The books written by Mancall and Weber entitled “Envisioning America: English Plans for the Colonization of North America, 1580 – 1640” and “What Caused the Pueblo Revolt of 1680?” provided us a good insight with regards to the past relations between the English, the Spanish colonists, and the indigenous people in the past. By imagining myself to be in the role of an eyewitness to the English settlement of North America and the Pueblo Revolt, the importance of each historical perspective in creating accounts of the past events will be thoroughly examined and discussed. In the process of analyzing the significance of past events particularly in the relationship between the Spanish colonists, the English people, and the indigenous people, specific historical events that will be used in the discussion will be discussed elaborately. The English Settlement in North America and Pueblo Revolt Most of the English people who really wanted to establish a colony in North America were English people living in Spain, Portugal, and France rather than in England. (Mancall, 1995, p. 4) Under the leadership of Richard Hakluyt, the British people left England in order to colonize the Western Hemisphere particularly the North America for three main motivational reasons which is: (1) to establish the Christian religion particularly Catholicism; (2) to trafficke goods and services such as the increase in employment opportunity that are necessary in the promotion of British economic activities; and (3) to conquer the land and natural resources of North America (Mancall, 1995, p. 1, 4, 33, pp. 10 – 12). In the process of invading North America, the English people were attempting to create their “new England” in a foreign country (p. 2). In the case of Pueblo Revolt, the Spanish colonization was focused more on religious purposes rather than economic reasons. Started with the regular exchange of food supply, medicine, and other goods and services, the Spanish people eventually make use of religion to require the Pueblo families to donate their food supply and other resources more than what they can actually give in order to support the Spanish mission, military forces, and civil institutions (Sando, 2002). The Spanish priest headed by Alonzo de Posada began to control the religious beliefs of the Pueblo people and forced them to participate in Spanish religion (ibid). Basically, the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 showed us that unity among the Pueblo people enabled them to regain their rights over their own land and free themselves from being harassed by the Spanish people. Considering the English colonization, the English viewed their native tribes they have encountered in North America as a group of people with well-established economic activities and relations related to agriculture and hunting, as a group of people that has successfully established their own religious beliefs and a political system which enabled the people to maintain internal order and negotiation with other group of people (Mancall, 1995, p. 2). With regards to North America, the English people viewed the country as a nation that has a lot of natural resources that could contribute to the economic success of the English people. In fact, it was in North America where the Europeans found new foods including potatoes, tomatoes, and squash (p. 5). Frontiers of inclusion means that the act of intermixing and dealings between the races is allowed whereas the frontiers of exclusion means that settling took place in such as way that people are not allowed to intermix with other race and culture. (Hutchison, 2003) The English people often make use of frontiers of exclusion when settling in another country or territory. This is clear when the group of English people who colonized the North America viewed their native tribe Indians as a group of individuals not equal to their own people but of a lower race (Hutchison, 2003, Mancall, 1995, p. 2). On the contrary, the Spanish people are practicing frontiers of inclusion such that the Spanish priest wanted to Pueblo people to participate and acknowledge the Spanish religion (Sando, 2002). The Spanish and English colonists were similar in the sense that they viewed themselves as someone who is superior whereas the Pueblo people and the American Indians were inferior people which made them a victim of the colonists’ superiority complex. Despite the difference wherein location of colonization took place, both the Spanish and English colonists were hoping to gain economic and political power from the country they invaded. However, the expectations of the Spanish and English colonists clashed when the Pueblo people and American Indians decided to fight for their rights over their own land and territory away from the hands of the colonizers. Given that the Spanish colonizers abused their rights over the control of the Pueblo people, the Pueblos ended their support towards to Spanish people’s reasons for invading the Pueblo. Discussion Whenever a group of people wanted to colonize another country, it is a common strategy for invaders to make use of religious purposes in order to gain power and economic advantages from the country invaders wishes to colonize. It does not really matter to them whether or not the act of colonizing another nation would result to war or bloody encounters as long as they could gain something out of their colonizing plan. The main reason for Pueblo Revolt was because of the Spanish’s abuse of power with regards to the context of religious belief. It is clear that each group of people has their own cultural and traditional beliefs that no other people could easily break. Given that the Spanish people respected the religious beliefs of the Pueblo people, it would have been possible for them to have prevented the development of Pueblo Revolt. Conclusion It is necessary to examine and study the historical perspective behind colonizing another country since going through this type of learning process would enable us to have a better idea regarding the different motivational reasons and different strategy being used in the past that could either result to the success or failure of colonizing activities. Historical visions the writers have translated into words will increase the wisdom of our government officials in terms of protecting our geographical territories from becoming invaded by aliens. (Mancall, 1995, p. 3) In other words, knowing the different past perspective regarding this matter will enable us to have a better understanding on how we could protect our own country from being colonized by other countries in the near future. For example: Mancall (1995) explained that the Englsih men and women who were behind the colonization of North America were trying to create their own “new England” in North America. By this statement alone, it is clear that one of the few reasons that motivated the English people to enter the territory of North America was not only limited in gaining authoritative power over the land but also the American people in their own country. Only then would the English people be able to establish their own culture and beliefs aside from improving their economic activities by expanding their prospective global markets. Another good example is the book written by Richard Hakluyt which was published between the years 1579s and 1580s stating that the English people’s desire to find a territory the English people wanted to settle into was never found. (Mancall, 1995, p. 2) By analyzing this perspective, the author was suggesting that the English people was not successful in terms of trying to colonize another country. Likewise, the issue behind the historical events wherein the English people are trying to colonize another country suggest the fact that the concept of migration is not really a new phenomenon but is something that is taken place for many centuries ago (p. 3). *** End *** References Hutchison, C. (2003, February 18). Retrieved September 18, 2009, from Colonizing the New World: Pure Motives or Search for Wealth: http://www.useless-knowledge.com/opeds/article95.html Mancall, P. (1995). Envisioning America: English Plans for the Colonization of North America, 1580-1640. Edited w/ an INtroduction by Peter C. Mancall. Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press. Sando, J. (2002, July 1). Native People Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2009, from The Pueblo Revolt of 1680: http://www.nativepeoples.com/article/articles/121/1/The-Pueblo-Revolt-of-1680/Page1.html Read More