The geographic area now known as the West Indies, Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Central America were very different places just a few short years prior to 1492. Central to the vast cultural and ecological changes in this area were the ways in which the European explorers impacted the native civilizations, decimating many through disease, and the manner in which the native cultures molded, mediated, and refracted into a new world order, creating a hybrid culture that is neither European nor Amerindian.
For historians, anthropologists, and ecologists alike, the widespread exchange of plants, animals, food, human populations, communicable diseases, and ideas that occurred between Europe and the so-called "New World" after 1492 is known as the Colombian Exchange. Historically, it is one of the most significant events in human history; inexorably changing the ecology, agriculture, and culture for an entire two continents. In fact, this exchange affected almost the entire globe -- disease (some from Asia) depopulated many cultures; changed the agriculture base worldwide; circulated crops and livestock as never before; and changed even changed the population dynamics of Africa and Asia with the introduction of sustainable plants. Sadly though, this "exchange" brought with it tragedy; many experts estimate that nearly 80% of the native populations in the New World died as a result of European and Asian disease, clearly the major reason a relative few could overpower hundreds of thousands of indigenous peoples. As one native wrote nostalgically about the pre-Spanish days:
There was then no sickness; they had no aching bones…. No high fever… no smallpox… no burning chest… no consumption… the course...
Although they reacted with sorrow, they also attempted to preserve their culture. For example, some even ground the bones of their ancestors and sewed them into their clothing (Watson 1999). A similar story of Native American's peaceful reactions that were exploited by force is the history of Chief Joseph. This early recruit to Christianity was the chief mediator of peace between whites and his tribe, the Nez Perce, but when
Native Americans- Revisiting the Struggles of 1680 What were the causes of the Pueblo revolt of 1680? In the year 1680, Native Americans known as the Pueblo revolted against their Spanish conquerors in the American South West (Calloway, 2003). The Spaniards had dominated their lives, their souls and their lands for over eighty years. The Spanish colonists conquered and maintained their rule with terror and intimidation from the beginning when their troops
Extinction of the Native American The area of the world that is now known as the United States of America used to belong to various tribes of people which are now known as Native Americans as opposed to their old name, Indians, which was a misnomer based on the erroneous idea that explorers from Europe did not know that such a large land mass existed and that by crossing the Atlantic
Indians'Old World: Native Americans and the Coming of Europeans, (Salisbury, 1996) details how many of the characterizations that have been presented about the Native American cultures in the United States have been incorrect. The author explains that historians have treated the coming of the Europeans to North America as the beginning of history about the people in North America, whereas, in realty, the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492
Weatherford Indian Givers Brief summary of the book: What date was it published? What is the main subject? What time frame does the book cover? Jack Weatherford's 1988 book Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World, described the many contributions that the Native peoples of the Americas have made to world civilization from the 16th Century to the present, which have generally been ignored by mainstream academics and the general public. Who
Lack of Freedoms and Limited Opportunities of Women and Native Americans for the Period from 1492-1867 in America Introduction The year 1492 counts as the starts of colonization in America. This is when Columbus sailed into the new-found land with three of his ships i.e. Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta. Native Americans impressed him with their kindness but he resulted to abusing them instead of showing the same kindness (Snyder, 2017). The
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