COLLISION OF CULTURES

“We came here to serve God and the king, and also to get rich.”

In “The Collision of Cultures”, the authors explain the different perspectives of America. Long before the Columbian era, people did inhabit the Americas. Indian tribe settled in Mexico known as the Aztecs and Mayans; Further down, in South America, the vast Incan empire was located. These tribes were each had their own sophisticated society, with its own agriculture and trade. However, in North America, Native Americans were slightly different. They were located all over, from the southwest (the Anasazi) to the northeast (the Cherokee). Many tribes believed that one didn’t own land since it’s divine and most tribes were lead by women, equality between sexes.

On the other side of the world, the Europeans (Spain & Portugal) were planning voyages in order to explore what was across the ocean. I don’t think anyone can argue that the three main reasons for exploration were: religion, gold, and land. With new advances in maps and navigation, they were more than eager to come. One of the most famous was the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. It set a foot in the door for more exploration for others and sadly, more greed. With more newcomers, the more diversity of animals and plants arrived. Maize, white potatoes, and beans soon became staples in European food; the domestication of farm animals was soon common to the Native Americans. Along with animals and plants came disease. Smallpox and typhus wiped out many people, leaving Europeans with some willing members for conversion.

Search for gold was primary but colonization was secondly important. As the Spanish empire grew, the expansion proceeded fearlessly. A method the explorers used was Christianity, for God. Indians and Native Americans couldn’t resist because of their three major disadvantages: guns, germs, and steel. Europeans were far more advanced and forced them into slavery. When many died, slaves from Africa replaced them. Soon after, the destruction of polytheistic belief enraged Southwestern natives, in return, they rebelled between 1598 and 1680.

Meanwhile in Spain, they were having religious conflicts as well. The Protestant Reformation destroyed old Catholic ways and put England on high alert for a chance of “stealing” away North American. England finally defeats the Spanish Armada in 1588, officially declaring dominance in North America.

With the defeat of Spanish conquistadors, the English settled in with the Native Americans. Unlike the Spanish, the English were least savage and encouraged each other to build relationships in exchange for goods with the Indians. The British were intrigued by the East Coast for its profit in minerals and other exotic products. One of the famous settlements was Jamestown. At first the newcomers didn’t thrive and food was in short supply but eventually, the growth crops and other food sources were learned. As the relationship with Native Americans deteriorated due to rebellion and invasion of sacred land, the English stuck to trading and labor.

The English, in some aspects, slowly treated the Natives just as the Spanish did. Conflicts broke out in North and South Carolinas, the Tuscarora and Yamasee Wars, because of abuse and enslavement of the indigenous people. Even the Puritans forced them into slavery, working them like farm animals. Christianity played a role by providing freedom in some colonies. Separatists formed Plymouth colony in order to practice Christianity and branched out to many others to do the same like Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Netherland (present day New York) and Maryland. Every colony did its part in favor to England, becoming a great trading empire.