Unlike the white people, the American Indians appreciated their land and resources and lived in harmony with their surroundings. As Ortiz mentions, “Indians had to fight a desperate rearguard action to survive its [the white frontier’s] advance, so they had neither the time nor the means to tell their stories” (Ortiz 3). White men have all but destroyed a great deal of our environment. American Indians and those who have Native American heritages feel passionate about their histories. They have been wronged by being overshadowed by the white man’s inaccurate account of events.
4. After the messenger has reported to King Motecuhzoma of how the Spaniards have made the journey, what they saw and ate, the King was terrified. He was also terrified by their advanced cannon. When the messenger explained that their clothing is made of iron and their horses carry them wherever they wished to go, it was as if King’s heart has fainted. After being installed in the palace, the Spaniards demanded the gold from the natives, which brought it for them.
Matt Mramer 9/7/2009 Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress By: Howard Zinn In this thesis “Columbus, The Indians and Human Progress” Howard Zinn refutes the common American belief that Christopher Columbus was a trailblazing hero, and instead shows the horrors of how he and his colleagues took advantage of the Native Americans and abused their kind, sharing nature. He expresses the dark side of Columbus’ encounters with the natives and the inhumane way he thought of them and treated them. He exploited the natives for work and precious metals and took advantage of them in as many ways as he possibly could. As many Americans see Columbus as a hero, Zinn exposes the abominations he imposed on the native people, and just how greedy he and the other Spaniards, such as Cortés and Pizarro, were. Howard Zinn is a firm believer that Columbus and the explorers were not heroes or saviors, but rather, cruel and egotistical characters who took advantage of the most innocent of human beings.
It seemed a disaster waiting to happen. Mary Crow Dog was a leader of sorts in this standoff against the state police, as she gave birth to her son here in amongst the incessant fighting. Through this situation, the sheer length of the whole face-off and the number of Indian casualties, the Indians staging the siege gained national and international attention and the US government was forced to reconsider its laws concerning Native
Later the indians suspected the colonists wanted to rule them and control the colony. When captain John Smith was appointed as a member of the council and being sent to the colony in dire times of famine. He forced all people to labor stating that “ He that will not work shall not eat” which was proven to be very effective, he also dealt with mutiny from the indians very well. To settle matters even more he bargained with the indians as well. It was due to his leadership that the colony survived.
A strong belief in Puritanism offered preconceived ideas regarding Native Americans in the 1500’s, which lead to William Bradford’s initial fear of barbaric creatures. It is recorded in scripture as a mercy to the Apostle and his shipwrecked company, the barbarians showed them no small kindness in refreshing them, but these savage barbarians when they met with them were readier to fill their sides full of arrows than otherwise (352-353). Bradford’s idea of Native Americans could not have been more misconstrued, calling them wild beast and wild men (353). After arriving to the new land, Bradford’s crew grew very dependent on the once deemed beast, for the beast directed them how to set their corn,
Old Man of The Mountain By: Riley During the time of the holy crusades there were an unnoticed group of people, killing from the shadows. These people were assassins. Their leader, Old Man of The Mountain, was the greatest leader of his time. He used tactics that the world had never seen before, gave his followers an original advantage and tactically spread fear throughout the holy land. His name was just myth and legend among crusaders and The Old man of The Mountain became something of stories and folklore, which was just the way he liked it.
In Custer Die for your sins Deloria attempts to cover several different issues that the Indians have encountered and continue encounter due to ignorance. In a humorous way Deloria is able to express his opinion while also spreading awareness of what “Being Indian” consists of. The chapter titled: “Anthropologists and Other Friends” blames anthropologists for all the misleading associations made towards Indians. Deloria argues, “they [anthropologists] are the most prominent members of the scholarly community that infests the land of the free…”(CDFYS: 78). Without realizing it, in their attempts to help the Indians anthropologists have only created false assumptions of Indians.
In April 1939 John Steinbeck published The Grapes of Wrath, a fervent depiction of the plight one dispossessed family faced from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma, to the ‘Promised Land’ of California. This sociologically and politically accurate publication evoked a surge of emotional reactions to the general message of the novel. However, this ability to evoke emotion aroused mass hysteria from part of the American public, and notably in politicians and self-appointed guardians of ethics. A number of early critics, and even readers, remarked on the vulgarity of The Grapes of Wrath. Upon its publication it was burned by farmers and for years after was among the most frequently banned books in America because of its profanity (Stanley 43).
On arrival at St Ann’s Bay, Columbus found the Arawak Indians inhabiting the island. Initially, Columbus thought these Indians were hostile, as they attacked his men when they tried to land on the island. As he was determined to annex the island in the name of the king and queen of Spain, he was not deterred. Columbus also needed wood and water and a chance to repair his vessels. He sailed down the coast and docked at Discovery Bay.