1.6 Cultural Interactions in the Americas

Explain the contact between natives and europeans around 1492

Contact between natives and europeans was violent and lengthy. It shaped both sides because they both held contrasting values—- in europe, women’s place was in the home, but in the new world, women were significant outside the house. Furthermore, Europeans believed in only one god while natives believed in multiple. Lastly, Europeans wrote documents to write laws considering hunting and plowing. However, natives followed tradition when it came to hunting and plowing.

Explain the Spanish treatment of native americans- spanish policy

• Showed Native Americans who dominated (subjugated them)

• All thoughts about the Natives was not unanimous, though

• Bartolome de Las Casas: argued for better treatment of the slaves (Indian slavery). He passed New Laws of 1542, which ended Indian slavery and started the end of the Encomienda System

• Valladolid Debate: Debate about the role of Indians and how they should be treated. Bartolome vs Juan Gines de Sepulveda. las Casas did not gain equal treatment for Indians, but he started the argument

Explain the English Policy of treating Native Americans

• Did not subjugate the natives, just expelle them

• Settled in areas with not a lot of natives, as most have perished from diseases

• In Massachusetts, Europeans were able to coexist with natives who taught them to grow corn and such. However, conflict would ensue as many english had minimal respect for native culture, calling it savage

• The english began pushing the natives out to provide for their growing populations

• Families arrived not single men, so less married the natives

Explain the treatment of Natives by the French Policy

• looked for furs and converts to Catholicism

• Saw natives as potential economic and military allies

• Held good relationship with natives to maintain good fur trade. Had fur trade posts in St. Lawrence valley

• Indians traded them beaver felts

• Less of a threat to the natives

• Helped HUron people fight their enemy

What attitude did the Spanish, English, and French all share about the natives?

• All overall saw natives as inferior; they could be exploited economically, converted, and military allied

In what ways was English policy toward Native Americans different from those of France and Spain?

• English policies were different from France because although england maintained peace with the natives, conflict later ensued, leading the english to exclude the natives from their land. In trast, the French maintained a positive trading system for a long time.

• The English policy was different from the Spain in that unlike the english policies, spain subjugated the natives heavily, making them inferior. English policies mainly just expelled them.

How effective were Native Americans in overcoming the negative aspects of European policies?

They were not effective as the natives were not uniformed— even migration did not help

What were some survival strategies by the Natives to combat the Euroepans?

• Tried to ally with one or more European powers. Seen when many tribes allied with spanish to help them gain independence from Aztecs

• Some tribes migrated west, but ended up clashing with other tribes who became upset as the tribes contrasted; they did NOT yet identify as Native Americas

What was the role of Africans in America?

• Brought third Cultural tradition in the Americas

• Grew rice well, making it an important crop in colonies such as south Carolina and Louisiana

• Banjo was introduced, making it an important southeastern US culture

• Europeans stated that Africans were biologically inferior and that God justified slavery, so therefore, slavery was right.