Native American And African American Cultures example essay topic

Gary Nash's book, Red, White, & Black, is a very detailed and very interesting glimpse into the history of all American people, that existed on this land from the very beginning. Nash approaches this in what seems like a textbook form, which allows him to view each culture from completely different aspects. In doing this, we more accurately learn of the values and customs of each of the three cultures, we see how they interacted in America, and we see what effect this interaction had on each of the individual cultures. Nash introduces us to the very first people that inhabited America.

These "Indians", as they were later labeled, are generally stereotyped as being primitive, savage, and inferior people. However, Nash shows us that these people were actually very sophisticated, and had a very rich culture. Native Americans came over from Asia tens of thousands of years ago. Over time, they split up throughout all of America, and developed their own, individual societies. These many establishments had wide-ranging diversity between their cultures, mainly due to different environmental conditions in each area.

Native Americans had many advanced technological accomplishments that enhanced the way of life. They built shelters, including longhouses and cabin-like structures. They also had a wide variety of tools, clothing, and complex languages. The domestication of plants had a huge impact on the way of life, allowing people to settle in one place. These natives also had complex political and social structures. For example, the Iroquois confederacy consisted of many clans and tribes that made up one enormous organization.

They also had a sophisticated system for solving internal problems. Life surrounded around the family, which was headed by the female line. Nash views the Native Americans as a group that had evolved much over time. They were skilled in many labors, had strong political and social structures, and had rich cultures. Before contact, Europeans were characterized as militant people, mainly concerned with expansion of their empires. The European political structure revolved around the nation-state.

A nation-state was an completely independent state, largely occupied by people with a common culture, history, and language. Before contact with the natives, Europe was undergoing a cultural Renaissance, introducing a more secular age, where freedom of thought was encouraged, and human abilities were emphasized. The Europeans were faced with severe religious divisions, between the Catholic and Protestant churches. This division led to harsh conflicts between peoples. The Anglo-Europeans were characterized as sophisticated people, with a strong desire for conquest and power. They had a strong economic drive, which resulted in the pursuit of material goods, especially in the New World.

At times, they were harsh people, believing that they were the supreme race, and looking down on others as greatly inferior. Another race that played a significant role in early North America was the African race. Nash explores the rich cultural heritage that these people had, and how they were exploited. The West African culture revolved around family life. The extended family was important, and polygamy was also practiced. Similarly to the Native Americans, African societal structure consisted of families, which made up clans, which made up tribes, which made up entire kingdoms.

In the society, there were three main social divisions; the elite, the middle class, and the lowest class, consisting of slaves and degraded persons. Slavery was an important element in the African social structure. Though slavery existed in Africa, it was not employed for the reasons it was in the New World. In Africa, a slave was not viewed as an economic instrument, and slavery was not based on racial discrimination. Slavery in Africa was not nearly as harsh as what would transpire in the New World. At the heart of Nash's interpretive thrust is his demonstration that all three of these cultures changed immensely, once they all came together in North America.

To simplify Nash, we can say that the Europeans came in, basically overtook the natives, and then started bringing in Africans to use as slaves. This brief summary depicts the Europeans as being very powerful, in being able to dominate these other cultures. It is true that they were very powerful, but in order to show the strengths of the inferior races, Nash emphasizes that the Europeans had great advantages. The main advantage was disease.

When the Europeans came in, they inflicted many illnesses on the natives of both America and Africa. These included smallpox, typhus fever, and measles. Nash shows us that the Native Americans and the Africans were at a huge disadvantage, and this is one of the reasons they were overtaken so easily. Something else that is not usually though of is that the Europeans also enslaved their own people, through indentured servitude. These people were part of the lower classes of European society, and were generally allowed into North America, given they worked as a servant for a given time period. After contact, all of the cultures changed.

The Native Americans were invaded, and many of their customs were destroyed. New religion and ways of life were imposed on them. They were incorporated into the society, but as inferior to the Europeans. They also had a severe drop in the population due to death from disease, battle, and famine. The African way of life also changed immensely.

They were basically taken over, and a new life was forced upon them. They were forcefully brought to the new world, where many of them were put to work as slaves. Similarly to the Native Americans, they were forced to abandon their rich culture and tradition, for this new life that was being forced upon them, against their will. These people were severely exploited. Another issue that is addressed is how European law was changed in the New World. European civilization began to become savage, in the treatment of these native peoples.

We see how traditional British law, especially that pertaining to slavery, was ignored in America, allowing for the practice to continue. The Natives of both worlds were thought of as inhuman beings, but as Nash emphasizes, these people were anything but. They had a rich and complex culture, which was now destroyed. In several cases however, such as early on in the southeast, the Natives fought back, and actually forced the Europeans out. In showing all of this conflict, Nash illustrated how much of an impact these three cultures had on one another, and the future development of each.

Nash's purpose in writing this was to look at all of the people of early North America from different perspectives. He shows just how close the futures of North American peoples were. Despite their extremely rocky beginning, it would lead to a nation of diversity and strength. He emphasized how unstable and uncertain their relations during the early times, by introducing specific occurrences to us, and focusing on each race of people separately. Generally, we usually learn about this time period from the perspective of the Europeans. We rarely see emphasis put on the Natives and Africans viewpoints, and that is what makes this book extremely unique and significant.

Nash puts great emphasis on the viewpoints of the Natives and Africans, perhaps showing that they were stronger and more sophisticated than thought. We generally think that the Europeans came in, and immediately washed out these other societies, when in fact, the natives struggled and fought back, and were much more knowledgeable and experienced than generally thought. In addition, he shows how each of these cultures affected one another, and what they brought to one another. For example, the Native American and African American cultures had changed immensely. They were forced to abandon their previous culture, and begin to live like the Europeans. However, they were generally considered inferior in this society.

This was a long process, of course, that went along a very rough and uncertain path, but still eventually brought these people together. Nash shows that after long conflict with one another, there was a unique American culture that had developed, with these different people all brought together in a completely new political and social structure. All of the cultures came together, by force at first, but eventually laid the foundations for the new American people. He documents the trials and tribulations of all three of the people, and how they impacted one another. This book has great worth, and is very rich in its interpretation and explanation of early North American history. The book has many strengths and valid arguments, which make it the extraordinary work that it is.

Red, White, & Black is so unique in many ways. It gives us a whole new glimpse into this time period, and teaches us things that we never would have otherwise known.