1. Read pages 1 - 2. How does the term "the West" mask the different perspectives of people at the start of the nineteenth century? (Keep in mind the discussion at the beginning of class today - "Eastward Expansion")
The term “the West” only refers to the perspective of American Easterners. However, many other countries referred to it differently. The Russians called it the East, while the Spanish in South and Central America referred to it as el Norte, meaning the north. To the people actually living on the land everyone wanted, American Indians, direction didn’t matter. It had never been a concern to them before. The term “the West” only represents America’s viewpoint, and because we are the ones who eventually conquered this land, other perspectives have been lost.
2. Read page 5. Summarize the three major areas of differences and misunderstandings between the Europeans and Native Americans.
Trade: The idea of trade in Indian culture had previously been thought of as similar to gift giving, whereas the Europeans saw it as a method of profit. They eventually instilled this idea in the American Indians, who depleted their resources more so that they would have enough to trade with the Europeans for items they had now become dependent on, such as cloth, tools, guns, alcohol, and horses.
Land: Before the Europeans, particularly the British, the Native Americans knew of owning land, but not in the same way. They had claims to land based on the fact that their ancestors had lived there, or for other cultural reasons. The Europeans brought with them the idea of being able to buy and sell land, a totally foreign concept that the Native Americans had to adjust too.
Treaties: One core misunderstanding that arose from treaties is the fact that the Europeans thought of the “Indians” as one whole group, one unified nation of people. They did not care that there were thousands of tribes, so when an Indian group signed a treaty thinking it only applied to their community, the Europeans applied it to all the surrounding communities. The American Indians also had no writing system, and most things in their society were based on spoken word, such as history and, before the Europeans, treaties. The Europeans often twisted what had actually been negotiated in their favor when it came time to write it down.
3. Read pages 3 - 7 (stop at U.S. Westward Expansion). How did the arrival of Europeans transform life in the West? (Feel free to bullet point your answer. But use lots of key details!)
The majority of changes caused by Europeans in Indian society stemmed from horses, guns, and disease. Many tribes relied on hunting wild game for their food and pelts to trade. With horses their hunting became much more efficient. Even the agricultural tribes benefited from horses, as it made it easier to get farming supplies from far off settlements. Some hunting tribes became nomadic, following the buffalo that was their food source. The ease of trade caused by horses brought in more changes to Indian culture. Religion was often brought along these routes as well. The Europeans also brought many diseases to the Native Americans along these routes, killing thousands in epidemics. Guns were brought along these routes too, as with transportation being made easy by horses, more tribes laid claim to larger plots of land. Conflicts in between tribes, or with European settlers, became much bloodier and more dangerous as guns were introduced. Some tribes didn’t clash with the Europeans, in fact, some allied themselves with settlers so they could attack rival tribes. The Europeans gained increased trade through these alliances. Some Indians raided European colonies to get livestock, guns, and other goods. In general, Indians adapted very well to Europeans invading their land. In some cases, such as the Pueblos in New Mexico, they rebelled against certain cultural ideals that did not line up with their own. The majority of Native Americans were able to expertly integrate European culture with theirs, excluding the things they did not agree with.
2. Read page 5. Summarize the three major areas of differences and misunderstandings between the Europeans and Native Americans.
Trade: The idea of trade in Indian culture had previously been thought of as similar to gift giving, whereas the Europeans saw it as a method of profit. They eventually instilled this idea in the American Indians, who depleted their resources more so that they would have enough to trade with the Europeans for items they had now become dependent on, such as cloth, tools, guns, alcohol, and horses.
Land: Before the Europeans, particularly the British, the Native Americans knew of owning land, but not in the same way. They had claims to land based on the fact that their ancestors had lived there, or for other cultural reasons. The Europeans brought with them the idea of being able to buy and sell land, a totally foreign concept that the Native Americans had to adjust too.
Treaties: One core misunderstanding that arose from treaties is the fact that the Europeans thought of the “Indians” as one whole group, one unified nation of people. They did not care that there were thousands of tribes, so when an Indian group signed a treaty thinking it only applied to their community, the Europeans applied it to all the surrounding communities. The American Indians also had no writing system, and most things in their society were based on spoken word, such as history and, before the Europeans, treaties. The Europeans often twisted what had actually been negotiated in their favor when it came time to write it down.
3. Read pages 3 - 7 (stop at U.S. Westward Expansion). How did the arrival of Europeans transform life in the West? (Feel free to bullet point your answer. But use lots of key details!)
The majority of changes caused by Europeans in Indian society stemmed from horses, guns, and disease. Many tribes relied on hunting wild game for their food and pelts to trade. With horses their hunting became much more efficient. Even the agricultural tribes benefited from horses, as it made it easier to get farming supplies from far off settlements. Some hunting tribes became nomadic, following the buffalo that was their food source. The ease of trade caused by horses brought in more changes to Indian culture. Religion was often brought along these routes as well. The Europeans also brought many diseases to the Native Americans along these routes, killing thousands in epidemics. Guns were brought along these routes too, as with transportation being made easy by horses, more tribes laid claim to larger plots of land. Conflicts in between tribes, or with European settlers, became much bloodier and more dangerous as guns were introduced. Some tribes didn’t clash with the Europeans, in fact, some allied themselves with settlers so they could attack rival tribes. The Europeans gained increased trade through these alliances. Some Indians raided European colonies to get livestock, guns, and other goods. In general, Indians adapted very well to Europeans invading their land. In some cases, such as the Pueblos in New Mexico, they rebelled against certain cultural ideals that did not line up with their own. The majority of Native Americans were able to expertly integrate European culture with theirs, excluding the things they did not agree with.
4. Read pages 7 - 10. In a paragraph, explain this sentence from the reading (which is the first paragraph under the heading of "US Westward expansion."): "The new country's treatment of native people would contrast sharply with the ideals it set for itself."
When the United States of America declared its independence from Britain in 1776, the founding fathers wrote the words “all men are created equal” as one of the truths that is necessary to a government. A few decades later, when it came time to fulfill our “manifest destiny” the meaning of this phrase became a bit blurred. We Americans wanted the land that the Native Americans had. Officially, we owned all the land to the Rocky Mountains after the Louisiana Purchase. However, this was not enough motivation for the American Indians to leave. We decided that as Anglo Americans, we were a superior race and had a right to move them by force, killing thousands in the process. It seemed that because America wanted the land, because of our “manifest destiny”, we were willing to ignore one of the key rights listed in our founding documents.
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