America Civilization essays

America Civilization essays Upon the Europeans discovery and colonization of the Americas an irreversible transformation was triggered. The extreme differences in the cultures of the Europeans and Native Americans would prove to be fatal to the way of life that existed before European colonization. It appears that the majority of the actions of the Native Americans towards the new European colonists were in peace and acceptance. Unfortunately the colonists dreams conflicted with the views of the Native Americans. The free living philosophy of the Native Americans left them open to an unexpected overtaking by the colonists. The Europeans believed in making a new world out of America while completely disregarding the fact that there was already an Old World. The English learned quite a bit about survival in the New World from the Native Americans. They were taught how to construct and use nets for catching fish. Also they were taught how to construct canoes, a great method of transportation and hunting. The Native Americans showed them their ways of agriculture which were far superior to the methods of the English. In the 1580s the English settlers feared the Native Americans because the land was new and unknown to them. They did not understand the ways of the Native Americans and feared them. From the settlers perspective they needed to claim and posses land in order to feel safe. Many English settlers had read articles about the Native Americans prior to there journey to the Americas. The French and Spanish had portrayed the Native Americans as Indians. Christopher Columbus wrote that the Native Arawak Indians he encountered as loving people without covetousness. Others early explorers also wrote of the Native Americans friendliness and helpfulness. These images sat well with the expectations of the English, who were originally interested in trading with t...