Social and Cultural Influences on Texas History
Hunter Dorsett
Professor Christopher Buck
HIST 2301, Texas History, WB3 (124T)
Exam One Essay
Many know Texas today as the home of the thriving, proud, ever-changing culture that has amalgamated into a melting pot of numerous ethnicities, values, and belief systems. The earliest of Texas’ inhabitants, however, surely found it difficult to notice much other than the harsh climate and inhospitable terrain provided by the territory. Whether it is ancient migrants having crossed the Bering Strait, Native Americans settling throughout the pre-colonized territory, or even the European explorers colonizing and “Christianizing” Texas throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Texas’ unforgiving landscape forced its inhabitants to use social and cultural interaction to overcome many hardships presented in their respective environments. When the archaic nomads began dispersing across today’s North and South America between 12,000 and 40,000 years ago, the social and cultural development of such groups were likely in their infancy stages. As different bands of settlers began populating Texas’ vast expanse over time, each group was compelled to adjust to their surrounding environment’s particular climate, landscape, sources of food, and other nearby collections of people. Along with this unavoidable adaptation followed the diverse formation of many distinct characteristics among each society, including (but not limited to) different languages, types of housing, food dependencies, religious sects, political organizations and social groups. Many times family units would assemble and rely upon one another for strength. In scenarios such as this, usually a single chieftain – an elected leader often given power due to war bravery, senior wisdom, or religious custom – would be elected to make important decisions and act as the leading representative of his group. This type of cultural development most closely resembles that of the Native Americans who inhabited Texas
Professor Christopher Buck
HIST 2301, Texas History, WB3 (124T)
Exam One Essay
Many know Texas today as the home of the thriving, proud, ever-changing culture that has amalgamated into a melting pot of numerous ethnicities, values, and belief systems. The earliest of Texas’ inhabitants, however, surely found it difficult to notice much other than the harsh climate and inhospitable terrain provided by the territory. Whether it is ancient migrants having crossed the Bering Strait, Native Americans settling throughout the pre-colonized territory, or even the European explorers colonizing and “Christianizing” Texas throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Texas’ unforgiving landscape forced its inhabitants to use social and cultural interaction to overcome many hardships presented in their respective environments. When the archaic nomads began dispersing across today’s North and South America between 12,000 and 40,000 years ago, the social and cultural development of such groups were likely in their infancy stages. As different bands of settlers began populating Texas’ vast expanse over time, each group was compelled to adjust to their surrounding environment’s particular climate, landscape, sources of food, and other nearby collections of people. Along with this unavoidable adaptation followed the diverse formation of many distinct characteristics among each society, including (but not limited to) different languages, types of housing, food dependencies, religious sects, political organizations and social groups. Many times family units would assemble and rely upon one another for strength. In scenarios such as this, usually a single chieftain – an elected leader often given power due to war bravery, senior wisdom, or religious custom – would be elected to make important decisions and act as the leading representative of his group. This type of cultural development most closely resembles that of the Native Americans who inhabited Texas