Apush Ch 1-6 Essay Draft
During the colonial period from 1607 to 1750 an "American" way of life emerged, differing from Old World European culture. This new lifestyle developed from the interaction of five major groups, including the; Native Americans, Chesapeake colonies, New England colonies, Indentured servants, and African slaves. Each of these peoples contributed ideas, principals, practices, and beliefs to the melting pot that would later become the United States of America.
Native Americans had a significant impact on Europeans as early as America's discovery in 1492 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 14), during which time, the Columbian Exchange occurred. This initial exchange had a larger influence on Native American life than European, as the Old World explorers introduced diseases to which the Indians had no natural immunity (Yazawa, Melvin 46). According to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey (15), in the Centuries after Columbus' landfall, as many as 90 percent of the Native Americans perished.
When Europeans returned to America in the 1600's to develop permanent settlements, Native Americans reintroduced to them planting techniques and crops, such as corn and tobacco, that would revolutionize the early colonies economies and diet allowing them to grow and flourish and making them an important aspect of "American" culture (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 15). Additionally, Native Americans shared in the celebration of the first Thanksgiving with the Plymouth pilgrims (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52), a holiday still important and beloved today.
Later interactions between the Native Americans and Colonists were mainly hostile, as a result of the European's insatiable land-lust, evident in such conflicts as the Pequot War (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52). The aid Native Americans provided to early settlers allowing them to sustain themselves would result in the downfall and destruction of numerous Indian tribes, who had already dwindling populations as a result of European diseases
Native Americans had a significant impact on Europeans as early as America's discovery in 1492 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 14), during which time, the Columbian Exchange occurred. This initial exchange had a larger influence on Native American life than European, as the Old World explorers introduced diseases to which the Indians had no natural immunity (Yazawa, Melvin 46). According to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey (15), in the Centuries after Columbus' landfall, as many as 90 percent of the Native Americans perished.
When Europeans returned to America in the 1600's to develop permanent settlements, Native Americans reintroduced to them planting techniques and crops, such as corn and tobacco, that would revolutionize the early colonies economies and diet allowing them to grow and flourish and making them an important aspect of "American" culture (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 15). Additionally, Native Americans shared in the celebration of the first Thanksgiving with the Plymouth pilgrims (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52), a holiday still important and beloved today.
Later interactions between the Native Americans and Colonists were mainly hostile, as a result of the European's insatiable land-lust, evident in such conflicts as the Pequot War (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52). The aid Native Americans provided to early settlers allowing them to sustain themselves would result in the downfall and destruction of numerous Indian tribes, who had already dwindling populations as a result of European diseases