The Transformation of a Continent

1. How does the term "the West" mask the different perspectives of people at the start of the nineteenth century?

           

    The term “The West” masked the different perspectives of people at the start of the nineteenth century because in reality it was “The West” only to people on the east coast. To others such as the Spanish colonists in present day Mexico, the region was considered the north. For Russians in present day Alaska, it was the east. Even for those in the United States, the concept of “The West” was a concept that evolved and developed.

2. Summarize the three major areas of differences and misunderstandings between the Europeans and Native Americans.

Trade: Indians traded traditionally for alliances and friendships. Europeans traded primarily to make a profit.   

Land: Europeans believed in ownership of land. Indians had ties to specific lands for cultural, spiritual, or economic reasons but did not believe in land ownership.

Treaties: Europeans believed treaties applied to multiple Indian nations in a particular region. They also believed the document they signed was the controlling result of the negotiations. Indians often believed they sign for only their own communities. Indians also believed that what was said at the meetings was the controlling factor, not what was ultimately written down.

3. How did the arrival of Europeans transform life in the West? (Feel free to bullet point your answer. But use lots of key details!)

•  Indians were able to trade over larger distances due to the horses brought by Europeans.
• Indians became more prosperous because they could trade further, hunt more efficiently and faster.
• The guns the white men brought were useful for the Indians to hunt with but also caused a lot of conflict between them. There was growing conflict between settlers and Indians over territories and resources. The presence of guns made these conflicts much more deadly. Guns became a useful source of survival and to obtain access to certain goods.
• Europeans brought smallpox, chicken pox, cholera, measles, and other illnesses. These diseases Indians had never heard of before. After the Omaha Indians were infected with smallpox, their population was reduced from 3,000 to 300. They had no protection from the diseases the Europeans brought and their populations were decimated.
• Alliances formed between Europeans and Indians. By establishing relationships especially in trade, Indians could gain access to valuable European goods such as horses and guns. Having alliances with Europeans could strengthen a group’s position.    

4. In a paragraph, explain this sentence from the reading: "The new country's treatment of native 

people would contrast sharply with the ideals it set for itself."

            The leaders of the New United States wanted the United States to be a beacon of liberty. However, since the very first meetings, the British settlers took land from the Indians by any means possible including trade, treaty, trickery, and violence. The ideal of liberty became an ideal only for Anglo Americans who used a philosophy of racial superiority to justify their violent outlook of Native Americans and their enslavement of Africans and African Americans. The white men took advantage of the Indians who were uneducated and came from agriculture hunting societies in order to gain more land for themselves. The ideals that they set for themselves, while appearing to be for everyone, really only applied to European white men.