How Did African American Culture Change 1492

“1492” A Year that Changed History

In the year 1492 many of the settlers that began establishing colonies in the New World were from the European cultures. Great Britain, in that period was one of the stronger, more developed Monarchs in the European region. Once the other European Monarchs ascertained that Spain had found, not only new wealth, but land and the prominence that came with it, did the later Monarchs begin to establish their own trade routes, ports, and colonies in the New World.
These new opportunities brought many changes for not only the European culture, but many of the worlds cultures as well. As colonies became more developed in the New World, they felt they needed independence from the Tyrannical Governments they had
left. For most of the settlers were just ordinary citizens looking for land ownership and the freedom that independence could give them as a society.
Countries as far as Africa felt the delayed consequences of this new opportunity. What may at the time, started as a modest way of the New World settlers paying back land owners the expenses they incurred for travel and rations, quickly became one of History’s “black eyes”. This indentured servant program was at best, a temporary form of modern slavery. A Captain of a ship would provide a means of travel, for the right to sell the person to a land owner in the New World for a specified time. This process was what some felt was fair due to the fact, that once the terms of the contract were met, the settlers were free to seek their own opportunities and land ownership in the New World.
From the onset, many of the wealthy land owners changed the terms of these agreements and this eventually led many land owners to prefer out right ownership of a slave rather than what was deemed a temporary indebt-ness.
These wealthy individuals created laws governing this slave trade to establish protections for the land owners and abolish many protections and basic rights of the slaves themselves. This over time led to many of the slaves being from African Cultures, this transition was easier, since the already established laws had already abolished most of the basic rights afforded to people of African descent.
For native American Indians, this new opportunity for settlers proved even more costly, almost the entire culture was destroyed by either disease, famine, or murder. Many Natives believe that this culture war has never ended, even in today’s modern society. As History showed us, once these settlers colonized the Eastern portion of the New World, the Native were either killed, or had to move to the west, eventually living in their own settlements, known today as “Tribal Reservations”. Even today we as American’s believe that since we protect these Native American lands we were justified in our historical and in our own way oppressive actions.
Although there were many positive things that resulted from this colonization of the New World, there are for some cultures far too many negative consequences and sacrifices that started for many people in the year that changed
History, “1492”.