USA History to 1865, Essay Example

Native American culture and English culture back in the time of colonialist settlement were both vastly different with very few similarities. Native Americans had fluid concepts of time, property and land ownership, the present and the future, as well as harmony with nature (Abbattista). This means that the Native Americans the English encountered had completely different views on conquest over others and conquest over nature (Abbattista). The English had systems in place that followed a strict observation of time, finances, and property rights, whereas the Native Americans saw time as irrelevant and were focused on the present and giving instead of saving (Abbattista). Their cultures most certainly clashed, and both had very fundamental and incompatible differences. This ultimately lead to fighting wars, the death of many Native Americans and English, and the ultimate removal of the Natives from their land and assimilation into English culture (Abbattista).

Because of these differences, the Natives Americans and the English proved to have incompatible cultures. The English still saw the Native Americans as savages, and their practices were considered barbaric and immoral (Abbattista). Because of this, the English viewed them as needing political control, as well as conversion to Christianity (Abbattista). Historians argue that the colonialists regarded the Natives as “people who supposedly did not meet the basic prerequisites of civilized society, who lived by the laws of nature, or without any laws, learning, religion or morals” (Abbattista). These fundamental differences are what prompted a series of wars fought between the two in an effort for the Natives to reclaim their land and cultures (Abbattista). Many people lost their lives, and in the subsequent years, disease carried over from the Europeans nearly wiped out the tribes, thus leaving them more susceptible to English rule (Abbattista). The clashing of cultures, as well as the fighting for control over land, created an impossible situation whereas no other outcomes seemed likely.

Several factors contributed to and influenced the creation and maintenance of an American colonial slave society and culture. Those factors include needing to keep slaves alive and able to continue working on plantations, forcing slaves to have children in order to continue the increasing of slave labor, and forcing of cultural interactions between slaves and plantation owners that ultimately formed a new African society in the colonies (Blackburn). The British empire greatly benefited from the slave trade, and used slave labor as a means of financing their lives overseas (Blackburn).

British plantation owners needed to keep slaves alive in order to maintain free labor in the colonies. Slaves under the British Empire were not only enslaved, but were also forced under fear and violence to have children as a means to maintain the numbers of slaves needed to keep the plantations profitable for the British. Because of this, a new African society was established in the colonies. This was due to the expansion of slave families and the repeated interactions between plantation owners and slaves. The new slave society and culture was created because of the British empire’s desire to make huge profits off of the suffering of others in order to fund their own culture and society (Blackburn).

The British slave trade in the colonies, both the American and the Caribbean colonies, provided a great deal of benefits to the empire. In particular, the slave system in the colonies benefited the British empire by providing free and forced labor in British-owned plantations. The slave trade provided money to finance industry, services, and financial systems (Blackburn). The slave trade also provided funding for various wars fought with other European nations (Blackburn).

The British empire benefited financially from the slave trade and continued to use slave labor as a means to meet their financial profits and needs. Because of this, slave society and culture on colonial plantations emerged. The pain, suffering, and violations of human rights that slaves encountered on these plantations lead to a new, but forced, African society and culture (Blackburn).

The American Revolution was revolutionary in the sense that it saw the removal of the old, British political control and the implementation of new democracy and social change (“How Revolutionary”). Because the American Revolution lacked the true qualities of a complete upheaval of institution and society, it can be seen as not being particularly revolutionary. However, the American Revolution was fought on a set of principles that were popularized from the Enlightenment, which, at the time, spawned the French Revolution and other acts of revolution throughout the world (“How Revolutionary”). Because of this, the American revolution can be argued as a true revolution, because it was fought to provide a new way of life for the American colonies.

The American Revolution impacted various social groups, and in the process altered the structure of American society. The American Revolution saw the establishment of a democratic republic. This in turn removed the political power of the British crown, thus American citizens were able to participate in the political process instead of just being subjected to it (“How Revolutionary”). The middle of society, which under crown rule, were not given rights of the upper class and the noble, but in the newly established American democracy, those merchants, farmers, artisans and traders were given the same rights (“How Revolutionary”).

The revolution gave credence to what were previously considered radical ideals, such as equality and liberty to all (“How Revolutionary”). These rights to participate, however, were only afforded to certain white men, and women and people of color were not a part of the new democracy (“Societal Impacts”). Nevertheless, the establishment of democracy and the new American government of participation, directly caused a major shift in how citizens were regarded in society and would eventually lead to the advancement of women’s rights, the abolishing of slavery and changes in religious attitudes (“Societal Impacts”).

Works Cited

Abbattista, Guido. “European Encounters in the Age of Expansion.” European History Online. 24 January 2011. Web. 13 October 2015. <http://ieg- ego.eu/en/threads/backgrounds/european-encounters/guido-abbattista-european-encounters-in-the-age-of-expansion>.

Blackburn, Robin. “Enslavement and Industrialisation.” BBC History. 17 February 2011. Web. 13 October 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/industrialisation_article_01.shtml>.

“How Revolutionary Was the American Revolution?” Digital History. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3222>.

“Societal Impacts of the American Revolution.” Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 14 Oct. 2015. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/12.asp>.