High school history

High school history

History of the United States

In the late fifteenth century, three distinct cultures collide to form what the authors refer to as the Atlantic World. The first culture consisted of Native Americans living on the continent of North America. The native people first came as part of a shift from Asia, probably in the Bering Strait off Alaska's west coast, and finally worked their way across the continent and evolved in many different societies with distinct language. Despite their differences, they also had many common characteristics, including their tribal or kinship structure, their animistic religious beliefs, and their concept of respect for the land, all of which is at odds with the advent Europeans' belief.

The Europeans came across the ocean in search of wealth is a very different culture. Europe is undergoing an unprecedented period of economic and population growth as the farming methods increased food supplies. The Renaissance (a French word meaning "new life") has brought about a period of great creativity as the Europeans fought for knowledge in every field. European social structure is based on wealth and power rather than kinship relations and has built strong nation states that competed heavily with each other. Europeans brought the competitive value to them in their new land in the West. They also included their Christianity and a strong sense of religious superiority. They believe that the Native Americans they encountered the New World was low.

Also contributing to this new Atlantic World is the culture of West Africa. Based on kinship and tribal relations, the culture of West Africa differed greatly from that of Europe, but the two societies traded together peacefully for many years. Slavery, however, changed everything. Early on, slavery was an internal part of African culture. Africans captured other Africans in raids or war. The captives and slaves became a part of their owners' race. Eventually, some African slaves were sold to European traders. When the Europeans reached the New World and found that the Native Americans were unsuited to the work of farming and mining, they insisted on having, and then taken more and more West Africans for slaves. The slave trade had begun.

First Columbus and other explorers then come to the new world. They are looking for a way to reach India, but soon realized the value of the continent they are found instead. The Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch and all became involved in exploiting and organizing this rich new land. European explorers brought not only their culture and values, but also their biases, disease, war, and arms. Alone disease decimated the native population, with little or no resistance to European diseases. Because the indigenous population is sick and dying, they are not able in the development of Europeans big need for making for gold and to establish plantations. Thus the Spanish, and to adhere to them, turned to West Africa for slaves to provide labor.

History of a free nation

Although there are some European countries competing for land in the new ...