World History

The initial interaction of Europeans and Americans is the focus of Chapter One, Three Old Words Create a New, in Norton's (et al., 2000) A People and a Nation. In the first thirty pages of this text, Norton (et al., 2000) contends that the invasion and colonization by Europeans in the Americas represented a wholly one-sided relationship. As Norton (et al., 2000) writes, "The initial impact of Europeans on the Americas proved devastating. Flourishing civilizations were, if not entirely destroyed, markedly altered in just a few short decades" (p. 30). This theme unfolded as Europeans exploited the human and natural resources of the Americas, imposed their religion on indigenous cultures, and enslaved natives and imported slaves.

The theme of the devastation wrought on cultures and civilizations of the Americas by Europeans will be analyzed according to the following categories: 1) importance of the matter, 2) data, statistics, and quantities, 3) unanswered questions, 4) objectivity, 5) relevance, 6) sources, 7) readability, and 8) completeness.

The importance of the exploitation of indigenous cultures in the Americas by European cultures cannot be underestimated. This is true from a standpoint of the shaping of the modern Americas, an evolution highly influenced by Europeans. It is also true from the standpoint of the decimation of indigenous civilizations through imperialism, military force, exploitation and disease. As Norton (et al., 2000) ar

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opean invasion and the devastation wrought on indigenous peoples of the Americas. For example, the Spanish explorer Soto was known for his brutality toward native villages he encountered. Cofitachequi used her brains and instincts to survive the invasion of Soto, helping save her people and village in the process. However, Lady Cofitachequi greeted Soto in a kindly manner and led him away from her people before escaping. Yet the reason why she did so remains unknown, but, as Norton (et al., 2000) maintains, "Whatever her reasoning, the strategy worked: Soto and his men moved on, and although they destroyed other villages and peoples, Cofitachequi survived to be recorded by Spanish, French, and finally English visitors" (p. 4). There is a good deal of objectivity provided by Norton in this chapter. Though she does a thorough job of illustrating the devastating impact on indigenous peoples, the author makes the case that the indigenous peoples of the Americas were quite a warring and brutal people in their own right before the onslaught of the Europeans. For example, religious practices like bloodletting and human sacrifice were common. In one year the Aztecs were responsible for mass murder, the year 1502 in which "five th

Category: History - W