Because of old world diseases, native people were unable to defend themselves allowing Europeans to colonize the Americas successfully. The military also gave Europeans an advantage over native people because it was well-equipped, organized with a chain of command, and structured. The military had guns, steel and armor, and horses. The military also had tactics like the flank, which involves infantry and horses. Native people were guerilla warriors, but wasn’t quite as advanced as the European military.
Article Review After reading “If You eat Their Food…”: Diets and Bodies in Early Colonial Spanish America, by Rebecca Earle, I was left with the impression that early Spanish settlers were very ignorant of any civilization or race outside of their own. I realize that the early Spanish might not have had much contact with different races or civilizations other than their own, but one would think that they would at least assume that no matter what food a person consumes, or the region one lives in cannot physically change your race. In defense of the Spanish I can understand why they were shocked at first when they discovered the Amerindians, because they differed from the Spanish in almost every way. When the Spanish first arrived they noted that the Amerindians were very timid, dark skinned, had straight hair, and lacked beards, which was very confusing to the Spanish because they prided themselves on their beards. In the article it states that the Amerindians also suffered from less stomach sicknesses, rarely went bald, and rarely developed gallstones.
The Europeans may have thoDidught of the Indians as savages and seen as them very different than themselves because of some fundamental differences in their attitudes, as well as some societal advances and practices that were completely foreign to the Indians. Upon arriving in the new world the Europeans were almost guaranteed to encounter some new things that they would not have the education, open-mindedness, or ability to understand and empathize with. Many of the first encounters natives had with the English were peaceful and mutually beneficial. The Indians had never seen the type of equipment, animals, or mindset the Europeans had. Imagine living your
It can easily be said that life in the 1830’s is way different than the life today in the 21st century concerning social justice and politics. Back in the day, according to Alexis de Tocqueville, many Americans strongly supported and assisted clubs and other organizations having to do with politics and justice. Not many people were allowed to vote and assist but the ones that could do so, and if they could not everything that was on their hands was done so they could participate. It all is almost merely the opposite as life today regarding those topics. Nowadays not many people are interested in politics as they were before, and the ones that do it is because they are very fond of the party, or the candidate.
The Europeans also invented machines and devices to make their work easier. But Indians had life pretty easy in some ways. Plenty of food, less trouble with fitting the environment. They had focused not on machinery or animal husbandry but on medicine, agriculture, transportation. Trouble was, none of these areas of expertise helped them stand up to an enemy that had them outmanned and
This gave them a very strategic edge against those they were conquering, allowing warfare to be quite simple. The use of gun powder was frequent between both civilizations, but not known in others. So, when the Spaniards showed up in the America’s and the Ottomans in Turkey with cannons or guns, there wasn’t much of a battle that could be put up against the two. The militaries of both of these civilizations were also very elite, the Janissaries for the Ottomans and the conquistadors for the Spanish. The Janissaries were a group of Christian boys converted to Islam that were taken from their homes at a very young age, also known as the devshirme system.
Native American civilizations were lost during the European invasion of the continent. The absence of a written language among most tribes force them to depend on aril traditions that were difficult to maintain as their civilizations were being killed off and separated by the dominant white culture, it is often difficult to locate information concerning the religious beliefs and rituals of the large variety of Native American civilizations that flourished in North America before the time of the European invasion. The ritual ceremonies practiced by the tribes were systematic worship services that occurred in accordance to certain seasonal periods throughout the year; these rituals were handed down through the generation and remained unchanged
Explain why a few Spaniards were able to conquer large numbers of indigenous. There are three main reasons why a few Spaniards were able to conquer large number of indigenous people. The first reason why the Spaniards were successful indigenous conquerors is because they took advantage of the beliefs of the Indians. The Indians at first thought of the Spaniards as “Gods,” since the Spaniards knew that they manipulated the Indians into doing what they wanted. The second reason why Spaniards were able to conquer the Indians is mainly all f the weapons they had.
In accounts over the years, it seems more commonly accepted that this was simply misunderstanding, due to Europeans not being exceptionally open minded to a foreign culture. “The discovery of the Americas did not begin with Christopher Columbus. It began thousands of years earlier, when human beings first crossed into the new continents and began to people them.” (Brinkley) It seems that respect for this statement wasn't expressed very diplomatically by some European settlers. I find this common thread of misunderstanding throughout accounts to be a quite chilling reflection of the situation's actuality. Is this directly connected to the misunderstanding which led to the slaughter of many?
What was the difference between the Native Americans and the Europeans? One valued life more than the other. When the Europeans first intruded upon American territory, it was apparent that the Native Americans weren't sure what to think to such an intrusion. Of course, compared to when the Spanish encountered the Aztec and Inca empires, it was quite a subtle experience. The Native Americans had never been exposed to any world but their own.