During the colonial period, many nations were conquered and ruled by the British. One of the nations that did not escape the wrath of the expansion of the British Empire was the United States of America. At that time, the U.S was still occupied by the Red Indians and was not yet organised into states. With the coming of the British, there was a change in the system of governance whereby those of the British replaced the previous leadership structures and systems. However, the British did not have a smooth sail in their conquest of America. They had to contend with the local people as well as the leaders who were in place at theta time. However, due to their superior weaponry, they were finally able to subdue the indigenous Americans and establish a rule that they preferred. In this paper, an in-depth analysis of the significant factors that affected the Bristish conquest of the American soil as wella s other related aspects is looked at in detail.
Question 1
English colonialists arrived in the United States a time when there was no form of a centralized government. There were tribal chiefs that presided over various geographical areas. When the British arrived in the U.S in 1607, they settled in a place that had more than 15,000 Indians (Kingsburg, 1906) . The people were ruled by aa Paramount chief whose title was Powhattan. When John Snith first arrived in the American territory, he had an exchange with Powhatan. They differed over many issues, and each one of them wanted something from the other.
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John Smith needed food from the Paramount Chief. The reasons for this is because they had arrived in America from Britain and they did not have enough supplies with them. He needed provisions such as bread, turkey, and venison. On the other hand, Powhatan needed other materials from the British. He required forty swords that he could supply the British with forty baskets of food. from their exchange; it is quite clear that the two leaders did not agree with each other as can be witnessed by the claims that are made by Powhatan. He laments why those who he is helping out and providing for food and shelter would want to destroy him and his people. Powhattan needed guns and swords from the British so that he could be able to defend himself from his enemies. Indeed, this exchange between those leaders shows how conflicts emerged between them. John Smith says how he could use his arms to hurt the American people if they did not comply with his demands (Thwaites, 1635) . The two leaders had a different order that led to their differences and subsequent conflict.
Question 2
The Virginia company prefers to promote family life in the colony as compared to single life. One of the reasons why they are doing this is that they want as cosy that is stable whereby all children are catered for by their parents. Thya understands that the family unit is fundamental in the society and is the fabric that holds the community together. Indeed, they prefer that men be married so that they can assume family responsibilities and become responsible people in the society. Additionally, it can be said that the Virginia company prefers family life in the colony so that they can rid the society of social ills such as poverty, ignorance, and disease. A stable society that upholds family values will have a high level of organizations and low rates of crime. Similarly, such a society will have upright children who will support good values and shun vices, therefore, grow up to be responsible people in the society.
Additionally, the company prefers that ladies get married to landowning men rather than servants because the former have a means of sustaining the women and providing for their families. Indeed, this is true because landowning men are more stable and have a continuous stream of income as compared to servants who are employed by their masters. The company prefers that the women be married by free men who have the, eans to support and maintain them. They believe in this ideology despite tye the fact that they are aware that marriage is an institution that was created by God and should conduct according to the dictates of nature. The company also advocated that the women should be married out of their free wills and not be forced by anything. The company preferred married men to single persons and therefore had more respect for them and considered them to be worthy people in the society.
Question Three
The Indians had a different customer that guide them in their day to day activities. They had multiple beliefs and customs that guided them in their day to day activities. When the Missionaries arrived in America, they sought to convert the local Indians to Christianity. However, their actions were greeted harshly since the locals did not want to accept another religion that was from a foreign nation. When the Missionaries told them of one God who created everything on earth, they dismissed it a said that those were the beliefs of their countries. They had a standpoint that every nation had its own beliefs and customs.
When Brebeuf arrived in the Indian territory, he was fascinated by some of their customs and liked them. One of the aspects of their cultures that he wanted was that the Indians married only one wife and polygamy was highly frowned upon in their society (Ganong, 1677) . They had such strict laws pertaining marriage such that they were never allowed to marry any of their relatives, however distant. Additionally, they also believed in the immortality of the soul and that the souls of dogs and other animals were immortal. He was also amazed by their good morals and the manner in which they behaved in public. They did not kiss or caress while in public. Furthermore, their men would keep a certain distance from their wives, of up to three years when she was nursing. However, one part of the customs that were practice by the Indians that they did not like was that they were gluttons. This was mainly evident during times of feats and other festivals that were held in their territory.
Question 4
On the aspect of gender and family relations, there is away in which their’s differ from those of the Europeans in a significant way. One of the methods in which their gender and family relations differ from those of the Europeans is that their men are not allowed to come near their wives when they are nursing. They are required to give them a break of up to 2 years so that they can heal. Additionally, another difference can be spotted in the manner in which they do not marry directly from their family lines. They are not allowed to marry from their distant relatives as well.
When he arrived in the Indian territory, Thomas Morton was fascinated by certain aspects of their lives and was able displeased by some characters. For example, he much admired their generosity and the manner in which they treated their visitors. They were not obsessed with the acquisition of unnecessary items and lived simple lives. On the other hand, he was displeased by the manner in which they conducted themselves. In particular, he was angered by their debauchery and drunkness. Morton had his judgment s about the style in which Indians lived. His interaction with them made him come up with his description of and view of their political, religious and social lives. He disliked their religious beliefs which he likened to devil worship.
Thomas Morton is of the opinion that the Indians led much more freer lives than the Europeans. One of the reason, why he adopts this school of thought, is because the Indians led simple lives and did not have may possession. For instance, they only had a few utensils which they used communally. They were not obsessed with the acquisition of many commodities that they might not apply in the long run. Therefore, the Europeans were lost for words and wondered why the Indians lived so poorly and in lack in a nation that was so rich. They could not fathom how the locals were unable to harness and exploit the natural resources that dotted every part of the country that they could use them to improve their lives. In their opinions, they thought that the Indians lived just the way beggars did in back in England (Foner, 1782) . They believed that the Indians should lead much better lives if they accepted Christianity and believed in one God, the creator of Heaven and earth.
Question 5
Despite the fact that the Indians led more miserable lives that the French and British, they consider themselves to be much happier that both of them. This was despite the fact that the Europeans considered themselves to be much more superior and dominant in every aspect that Indians when they found savages. The Indian wondered why they were supposed to be living impoverished lives yet in their own opinion; they had everything that they needed. They did not see areas why the British thought that they did not live within the conifers o0f social order and lacked manners, religions and well-structured society. The Indians considered themselves to be much happier than the Europeans since their lives were not controlled by the need to acquire expensive possessions. They were content and satisfied with everything that they had.
The Indian leader had a different kind of interpretation of the French Migration to North America. They consider themselves to be happy since they had not taken risks such as leaving behind their families and journeying across storms to venture into a country that they felt to be poor and backward. The Indians thought that the French left their homeland since they were much weaker and lacked sufficient resources that America. They thought that if they went to France, they would be greeted by sights of people who are even much pooer that them, living in a nation that is devoid of resources. They knew that they would never subject themselves to the danger and risks that the French exposed themselves in their long voyaged when they traveled from Europe to North America. The Indians believed that the French depended on them for many things. One of them was cod. Additionally, when they wanted some excellent morsels, they would not hessite to ask for help from the Indians. The French also needed the Indians helped when they went on their hunting expeditions so that they may be regaled. Indeed, such actions disturbed them, and they always wondered why people who looked down upon them would be asking for their help in every way.
Question 6
The Pueblo Revolution was one of the revolutions that marked the beginning of the end of the Spanish rule among the Indians. The Indians felt that they had reached a point where they needed to free themselves from the shackles of slavery that had been inflicted upon them by the Spanish. To demonstrate their new- found freedom, they undertook various actions that made them feel that they had finally renounced European rule. They burned down churches and another place of worship that had been erected by the Spanish. They did away with all the things that were related to devising worship and made a mockery and ridicule of them. Additionally, they killed Priests, whom they believe that were part of the Spanish religion. They wanted to get rid of everything that symbolized Spanish or European reason in their land.
They also engaged in other acts such as bathing in rivers and saying that they were doing away with the waters of baptism. They also burned down the temples, rosaries a damages that were affiliated with the Spanish religion. To signify their newly found freedom, they performed their superstitious rituals such as offering flour, feathers and tobacco in the Spanish churches. Indeed, religion played a significant role in the Pueblo revolt since the local Indians used the imposed Spanish religion as a bone of contention that fueled the revolution. They were opposed to the foreign religion since they thought that their former religion was much better than the Spanish one. Religion was at the center-stage of the revolution. It is the one that ignited the fire that started the revolution.
Indeed, the era of colonialism brought with it many effects, some of which are still vivid in the modern world. One of the countries that were faced by decolonization is the United States of America. However, their sudden decision by the inhabitants and their quest to free themselves resulted to an early independence of the U.S. the autonomy ensured freedom and gave Americans the opportunity to rise and flourish.
References
Foner, E. (1782). Voices of Freedom. W.W. Morton and Company , 124-137.
Ganong, W. (1677). A Micmac Indian Replies to the French. New Relations of Gaspesia , 104-106.
Kingsburg, S. (1906). Sending Women to Virginia. The Records of The Virginia Company , 256-257.
Thwaites, R. (1635). Father Jean de Brebeuf on the Customs and Beliefs of the Hurons. The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents , 117-124.
