Contrasting Aspects of North American Native and European Civilizations - Essay Example

1. Comparing a North American Native civilization with a European civilization. For purposes of comparing and contrasting European and Native American civilizations, this brief analysis will consider the Arakaris and the European Vikings. Similar to the Arakaris, the Vikings subsisted on a combination of foraging, hunting, planting crops, and fishing. Whereas the Arakaris had close access to one of the world’s largest rivers in the world (the Mississippi), the Vikings were surrounded by thousands of fjords teaming with fish. Likewise, though larger concentrations of both groups existed, the lion’s share of both groups lived rural lifestyles. Furthermore, both groups supplemented foraging and hunting/fishing with the planting and harvesting of crops. Additionally, Europe like America at the time was split into thousands of small (tribe-like) warring factions with a host of political, religious, linguistic and ethnic divisions. Interestingly, though the text and the lecture notes make emphasis of the level of equality that Native American women enjoyed as compared to their European counterparts, this is not necessarily the same story with the northern European Vikings. Due to the fact that the Vikings were semi-nomadic and often engaged in expeditions of conquest and wealth acquisition, the women who remained at home were responsible for ensuring that the civilization continued to operate in the absence of a great many of them men. As such, a type of matriarchal authority structure was not uncommon in Viking settlements during times of conquest. Likewise the Arakaris engaged in a semi-nomadic lifestyle that was anchored by their dependence on the crops of maize, squash and beans. Interestingly, both of these groups are examples of societies in transition between nomadic hunter/gatherers and a more advanced stationary civilization. 2. Impact of Plants, Animals, and Disease from the Old World to the New and vice versa When one thinks about the total impact of the transfer of animals plants and disease from the Old World to the New and vice versa, it could easily lead to a thesis link exploration of the spread of pathogens, the impact of agricultural exchange/trade, and the importance of exchange of various animals between Old World and New; however, for purposes of this brief analysis, the answer will be condensed in such a way as to give the highlights of each subsection. Smallpox immunity was largely enjoyed by the Europeans due to a developed immunity that had existed in Europe for generations; however, with respect to the Native American population, no such natural immunity existed. As a result, it is estimated that as high as 90% of the population perished as a direct result of diseases acquired from European settlers. The effects of the European germs had a far more detrimental effect on the Native American population than did any series of wars or massacres of Indians for the lands they possessed. In fact, many scholars have argued that one of the prime reasons that the Native Americans were unable to defend themselves successfully from the subsequent invasion of the Europeans was due to the decreased, sickly, and severely damaged populations that they were left with. Likewise, the horse revolutionized the way of life for the Native American. As the notes indicated, tribes had previously relied on human power and dogs to move goods from one point to another; however, with the introduction of the horse, a great deal of range was gained. Furthermore, with respect to the Europeans, the availability of New World bison and deer provided supplies of wild meat that did not exist in Europe. In this way, settlers were able to supplement their oftentimes meager harvests by relying on the bountiful supplies of wild game that the New World had to offer. Furthermore, with respect to the transfer of plants, one cannot minimize the important role that tobacco and sugarcane played as instruments of trade between the Old World and the New. Europe’s increasing demand for tobacco and sugarcane led to further colonization and development/cultivation of the New World. Furthermore, the New World additionally offered Europe supplies of wheat, corn, and beans that it previously could not enjoy. As a result, the size and complexity of European civilization increased as it became dependent upon agricultural trade with the New World. 3. Compare the experience of the Chesapeake Bay Virginia settlement with that of the New England settlements – how did they compare and contrast? Firstly, it is important to note the underlying reasons why the respective colonies were founded. Chesapeake was founded by a group of individuals that were intent on turning a profit. These hopeful individuals wanted to find gold/silver, a passage to Asia and any other product or knowledge that could be profitable. Conversely, those settlers of the New England settlement were primarily turning to the New World due to religious reasons. Both Catholics and Protestants settled the New England. The Calvinists did this because they wanted to further separate themselves from the Church of England whereas the Catholics did this because they wanted to have the freedom to worship as they saw fit. Additionally, the New England population was almost overwhelmingly homogenous. The same could not be said for the Chesapeake population. Within nearly fifty years, farming and plantations enveloped the lifestyle of the Chesapeake settlers and a massive number of African slaves were brought in to tend the fields. Further, the tenacity of the respective populations on the topic of religion was different as well. With Puritan New England appearing to be far more pious than the agrarian Chesapeake, a further differentiation is made. Economically, the two differed as well. Whereas New England had a differentiated economy that was based on shipbuilding, fishing, and farming, the economy of the Chesapeake settlement was nearly entirely based on the sale of tobacco. 4. Civilizing “savages” – what was the experience of the various European groups – how did the Natives respond? This short analysis will look at the examples of 4 distinct groups (while one of these groups exists as a subset of multiple groups) – the British, the French, the Spanish, and the Pennsylvania settlers. Like all the groups that will be discussed, the British behaved in culturally and ethnically superior way to all native inhabitants; viewing them only as a source of trade and/or an obstacle in acquiring more land. For this purpose and to this end, the British oftentimes worked to forge temporary and superficial alliances with one group over another or with one group in opposition to another so as to weaken the advantage of some of their competitors in the New World (French-Indian War). Of all the colonizers, the French perhaps treated the Natives with more of a modicum of respect than did the Spanish or the British. This is not to say that they viewed them as their equals; they most certainly did not; however, the subjugation of the native population and forced removal of their lands was at least not a primary policy as it relates to the French. Compared to the British, the French colonizers saw an increased duty to civilize/educate/convert the “savages”. This determination can be seen by the money, time, effort, and lives expended by way of the Jesuit missionaries working to convert those tribes under French influence in and around Montreal and Quebec. As it relates to the Spanish, there existed a desire to convert the “saves” under their influence to Catholicism; however, it appears as if the first instinct was to utterly crush and decimate the population before such efforts were attempting. To this end, entire civilizations were rendered defenseless as large numbers of the male population was massacred/maimed (oftentimes by amputating limbs) and others forced into bondage. Only after these acts were completed did the missionaries them come in to “minister” to the remnants of what was left of the group. Conversely, the final group that will be discussed is that of the Pennsylvania settlers. Although they were far from perfect, this multi-ethnic group composed of Dutch, Irish, English, Scotch, and French settlers established a settlement that no doubt took first prize with regards to its overall treatment of the native population. Furthermore, William Penn instituted a tolerant approach to the natives that lived within Pennsylvania. Seeing the detrimental effects that alcohol had on the native populations, he also instituted a ban on all alcoholic beverages to the native population. Naturally, not all Pennsylvanians appreciated or abided by the laws and norms set forward by William Penn and as more and settlers came to Pennsylvania, Penn’s influence over them dwindled and Pennsylvania began to more and more closely resemble the other colonies. 5. Discuss the beliefs of the Quakers and their impact on the development of the Pennsylvania settlement. As mentioned briefly above with relation to the way in which William Penn’s leadership had profound positive effects on the treatment of the natives within the region of Pennsylvania, one can further understand the positive attributes that are often attributed to Pennsylvania as a function of the unique belief system that the Quakers ascribed to. As opposed to many of the religious movements that were born out of Europe during the 15th and 16th century, Quakers believed in pacifism and tolerance as a key fruit of the spirit as it relates to New Testament theology. As opposed to Catholicism that actively sought to root out opposition to it during the Dark Ages, as opposed to maniacal absolutism that Puritanism/Calvinism exhibited, Quakers exhibited what could arguably be defined as the closet resemblance to what New Testament theology intended. What is especially unique about the Quakers is that they were never a state religion; meaning that unlike Calvinism and Catholicism that had at previous junctures in the past controlled entire nations in Europe though a state sanctioned power-apparatus, Quakers have never sought for or enjoyed this advantage. Doubtless this is due to the fact that they advocated a pacifist approach and the effects of this necessarily indicate that such a group would not become intimately involved in the internal power politics of a nation/state. Thought he religion was not without its faults, it exhibited a much needed middle path and tempered approach to the pathological extremes of fanaticism that were oftentimes represented in the New World. 6. What was the impact of large-scale slavery on the political, social, economic, and cultural developments of the South? As the South began to develop it began to exploit and utilize the fertile region it occupied in order to grow and produce a variety of different cash crops. These included, rice, beans, tobacco, sugarcane, corn, and wheat as well as many others. By virtue of the amount of land required to constitute a profitable endeavor (read economy of scale), the settlers became more and more dependent upon slave labor to work the fields and provide for the needs of the various plantations. More so than any other factor, this is the direct result of a highly agrarian lifestyle that did not develop in the same way that the North did. Due to this dependence on non-settler workforce, the demographic and culture of the South began to rapidly change. Socially, the society became stratified; not merely between black and white but slaveholder and non-slaveholder. Economically, this served to provide a major differentiation between these slave holders and non-slaveholders. Slaveholders were able to enjoy major economic gains due to the size and scale of their ventures; whereas non-slaveholders worked to subsist with no possibility to accrue further wealth. Culturally, this created a tenuous situation that was doomed to fail. The fundamental evil of slavery has had ramifications that continue to the current day. Jim Crow laws after the end of the Civil War guaranteed that the Civil Rights movement must come to fruition to overturn such a system. Further segregation had to be tackled in order for the implication of second-class citizenship should be done away with. Currently, the cultural implications of slavery continue to wield a powerful influence over our political system as well as daily life. Racism on both sides continues to define interactions between both black and white as elements of both groups work to inflame relations as a way to generate support, money, and power among specific elements of each race. 7. Differences in viewpoints of the English government in London and the Colonialists view of governance. How did these differences contribute to American Revolution? As land grants were given to the English nobility with respect to the American colonies, more and more freedoms became to be realized. This was not always the result of the crown granting these specific freedoms but more the result that the king’s subjects were separated by a vast sea, inhabiting a continent with plentiful land and open frontiers. Such a proposition was fertile ground for the concept of liberty as the colonists experienced a degree of personal liberty that did not exist in the old country. By the middle of the 1650’s King James, a Stuart, flatly and resoundingly denied the colonists attempts to form their own legislature. This was doubtless partly born from the fact that James himself distrusted the assemblies and legislatures and rightly viewed them as diminishing English sovereignty over the colonies. As such, the colonist’s desires and the king’s requirements were set in motion to meet at a point of contention in what would become the American Revolution. In the minds of the colonists, their needs could not justifiably be understood or met by a king that existed on the far side of the ocean. In order for the unique perspectives of the colonists to be understood they required representation and a style of non-autocratic governance. A further irritant to all of this was the fact that the colonies were continuing to pay excessively high taxes as a result of debts incurred by the English government due to Queen Anne’s War. In addition to the high taxes, lack of representation, and the autocratic style of the appointed governors the colonies, the colonists felt as if they were being treated as second class citizens; whereas English citizens had representatives to act on their interests in the parliament, their American counterparts had no voice whatsoever. Read More