US History: Native Americans and the first settlements (0)

Notions for The New World
Native Americans
Origin of Native Americans
Nearly   one-third  of  Native  American  genes   come   from   west   Eurasian  people  linked  to  the   Middle    East  
and  Europe , rather  than  entirely from East Asians as previously  thought , according to a newly sequenced 
genome.  Native   peoples   of   North   and   South   America  descended  from  ancestors  who   arrived   via   land  
bridges from East Asia , possibly in a single migration.
Different tribes and their way of life
The men were hunters, warriors, and protectors, while the women tended to the children , their homes , and 
farmed. It depended on the  tribe  when it  came  to artwork. In some tribes, the men would actually weave 
baskets  and  blankets.  Natural   foods   were  consumed  and  hunted.  Deer,   buffalo ,  fish,  and  various  birds 
were  the   game   of  choice.   Corn ,  beans,  squash,   berries ,  nuts,  and  melons  were  the   fruits   and  vegetables 
that were consumed. Berries were also often used as a natural dye for fabrics.
For the Indians of the Northeast area, the  trees  of the  forest  were the  primary   material  for shelter, tools 
and fuel, and the  animals  of the forest were the primary food source. But the Northeast Woodland Native 
Americans were not solely hunters and gatherers, but also fishermen and farmers.
The people of the Southeast were farmers first and hunters, gatherers, and fishermen second.
Legend of Pocahontas
Pocahontas  is  most   famous   for   saving   the  life  of  John  Smith,  a  leader   among   the   English   colonists.  In 
1607,  Smith  was  captured  by  Powhatan  warriors  and   held   captive  for   four    days .  When  two  large  rocks 
were   brought   in,  the  legend  goes,  Smith  had  a  hunch  his  beheading  was   imminent .  But  Pocahontas 
begged Powhatan not to kill the Englishman and, being her father 's favorite, the chief obeyed his daughter  
and spared Smith.
It is true that Pocahontas had acted as an ambassador for her people to the English. In the first years of the 
colony , she served as a courier for traded goods and as a negotiator  between  the two  sides . But by 1609 
the  Powhatans'  relationship  with  the  newcomers  had  soured,  and  soon  war  broke  out.   Finally ,  in   1613 , 
Pocahontas was kidnapped by the English and held at Jamestown .
While  captive,  Pocahontas  studied  English  and  converted  to  Christianity.  Then,  in  1614,  she  wed  John 
Rolfe, one of the first tobacco farmers, and the union brought a modicum of peace to tidewater Virginia .
Known   as  Lady   Rebecca   Rolfe,  Pocahontas  traveled  with  her   husband   and   infant   son,   Thomas ,  to 
England , where she was received as foreign royalty, an Indian Princess. 
On   March    17th ,  1617,  she  died  from  an  infection  in  Gravesend,  England  at  the  age  of   twenty -two. 
Immediately, the tenuous peace between the Powhatan and the English crumbled and the brutality rose on 
both sides.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
"An Ordinance for the  Government  of the Territory of the United  States  North West of the  River  Ohio," 
was adopted by the Confederation  Congress  on  July  13, 1787. Also known as the the Ordinance of 1787, 
the  Northwest  Ordinance   established   a  government  for  the  Northwest  Territory,  outlined  the   process  
for  admitting  a  new  state  to  the  Union,  and  guaranteed  that  newly  created  states  would  be  equal  to  the 
original   thirteen  states.  Considered  one  of  the  most   important   legislative  acts  of  the  Confederation 
Congress,  the  Northwest  Ordinance  also  protected   civil   liberties  and  outlawed  slavery  in  the  new 
territories.
The  following  three principal provisions were ordained in the  document : (1) a division of the Northwest 
Territory  into  "not  less  than  three  nor  more  than   five   States";  (2)  a  three-stage   method   for  admitting  a 
new state to the Union—with a congressionally appointed governor, secretary, and three judges to  rule  in 
the first phase; an elected  assembly  and one nonvoting delegate to Congress to be elected in the second 
phase,  when  the  population  of  the  territory  reached  "five  thousand  free  male  inhabitants  of  full  age"; 
and  a  state  constitution  to  be  drafted  and   membership   to  the  Union  to  be  requested  in  the  third  phase 
when the population reached 60,000; and (3) a  bill  of  rights  protecting  religious   freedom , the right to a 
writ  of  habeas  corpus,  the   benefit   of  trial  by  jury,  and   other    individual   rights.  In   addition   the  ordinance 
encouraged education and forbade slavery
Indian Removal Act of 1830
The  Indian  Removal  Act  was   signed   into  law  by   Andrew    Jackson   on  May  28,  1830,  authorizing  the 
president   to  grant  unsettled  lands  west  of  the   Mississippi   in  exchange  for  Indian  lands   within   existing 
state borders. A few tribes  went  peacefully, but many resisted the relocation policy.  During  the  fall  and 
winter   of  1838  and  1839,  the  Cherokees  were  forcibly  moved  west  by  the  United  States  government. 
Approximately 4,000 Cherokees died on this forced march, which became known as the " Trail of Tears."
By   1837 ,  the  Jackson  administration  had  removed  46,000  Native  American  people  from  their   land   east 
of  the  Mississippi,  and  had  secured  treaties  which  led  to  the  removal  of  a  slightly  larger  number.  Most 
members   of  the  five  southeastern  nations  had  been  relocated  west,  opening  25  million  acres  of  land  to 
white settlement and to slavery.
Reservations
After  being  forced  off  their  native  lands,  many  American  Indians   found   life  to  be  most  difficult. 
Beginning   in  the  first   half   of  the   19th   century,  federal  policy  dictated  that  certain  tribes  be  confined  to 
fixed land plots to continue their traditional ways of life.
Besides the moral issue of depriving a people of life on their  historic  land, many economic  issues  plagued 
the  reservation.  Nomadic  tribes  lost  their  entire   means   of  subsistence  by  being  constricted  to  a  defined 
area.  Farmers  found  themselves  with  land  unsuitable  for   agriculture .  Many  lacked  the   know -how  to 
implement   complex  irrigation  systems.  Hostile  tribes  were  often  forced  into  the   same   proximity.  The 
results were disastrous.
Indian citizenship Act of 1924
Until   the  Indian  Citizenship  Act  of  1924,  Indians  occupied  an  unusual   status   under  federal  law.  Some 
had  acquired  citizenship by marrying white men.  Others  received citizenship  through   military  service, by 
receipt  of allotments, or through  special  treaties or special statutes. But many were  still  not citizens, and 
they  were  barred  from  the  ordinary  processes  of  naturalization  open  to   foreigners .  Congress   took   what 
some saw as the  final  step on  June  2, 1924 and  granted  citizenship to all Native Americans born in the 
United States.
Trail of Broken Treaties of 1972
The  Trail  of  Broken  Treaties  Caravan  is  primarily  known  as  an  American  Indian   Movement   (AIM) 
protest that occurred in 1972.  Events   such  as this were  designed  to bring  attention  to the mistreatment and 
bleak  future the First Nations found themselves facing as a result of the colonization process and its after 
effects. 
The  Trail  of  Broken  Treaties  was  designed  to   generate   media  coverage,   providing   a  useful   medium   to 
articulate  the   goals   and   changes   they   wanted   to  see   occur   in  federal  Indian  policy.  The  activists,  and 
in   particular   the  American  Indian  Movement,  used  the  mass  media  in  an  attempt  to  sway  depictions 
of  themselves,  which  allowed   them   to  generate  stronger  political   support   by  having  sympathetic  news 
reports.
Present situation
Today    there   are  more  than  half  a  million  Indians  in  the  United  States.  Economically  they  range  from 
pauperism  to affluence. A few have made  money  from oil and other natural  sources  found on their lands, 
but many thousands  live  at near-starvation levels. Some are educated and  completely  assimilated in white 
society;  many  live  in  nearly  complete  isolation  from  non-Indian  Americans.  Relocation  programs  have 
taken hundreds of Indians to  work  in cities; thousands of others  cling  to the  security  of their reservations, 
hoping  to   gain   education  and  assistance   necessary   to   develop   the  resources  of  their  lands  and  become 
self-sustaining.  Generally,  the  Indians  are  still  proud  of  their   traditions   and   heritage ,  and  many  of  them 
resist giving them up or allowing them to be submerged or corrupted by white civilization. But Indians 
generally  also  recognize  that  their  standards  of   living   must  be  raised.   Without   giving  up  their  unique 
cultural  heritage, they have organized into tribal councils to try to help the federal government settle on 
long-range  programs  of  education,  health   services ,  vocational  training,  resource   planning ,  and  financial 
credit.
First Settlements
Jamestown Colony (living conditions, population, plantations, import of slaves)
In 1607, 144 English men and boys established the Jamestown colony, named after King James I.
The colonists were  told  that if they did not generate any  wealth , financial support for their efforts would 
end. Many of the men spent their days vainly searching for gold .
As  a  consequence,  the  colonists  spent   little   time  farming.  Food  supplies  dwindled.   MALARIA   and  the 
harsh winter besieged the colonists, as well. After the first year , only 38 of the original 144 had survived.
The colony may well have perished had it not been for the  leadership  of John Smith. He imposed strict 
discipline on the colonists. "Work or  starve " was his motto, and each colonist was  required  to spend four 
hours per day farming.
A  new  boatload  of  colonists  and  supplies  sank  off  the  coast  of  Bermuda  on  its  way  to  help  the  hungry 
settlement. The winter of 1609-10, known as the "Starving Time," may have been the worst of all.
Disease   and   hunger   ravaged  Jamestown.  Two  desperate  colonists  were  tied  to  posts  and   left   to  starve 
as  punishment  for  raiding  the   colonies '  stores.  One  colonist   even   took  to  cannibalism,   eating   his  own 
wife . The  fate  of the  venture  was precarious. Yet still more colonists arrived, and their numbers  included  
women.
Despite the  introduction  of tobacco cultivation, the colony was a  failure  as a financial venture. The king 
declared the Virginia Company bankrupt in 1624.
Twenty slaves in Virginia Africans brought to Jamestown are the first slaves imported 
into Britain ’s North American colonies
Mayflower and Pilgrim Fathers
Over  a  hundred  travelers  embarked  on  the   voyage   of  the  Mayflower  in  September   1620 .  Less  than  one 
third were Separatists. The rest were immigrants , adventurers, and speculators.
Their voyage took about two months, and the  passengers  enjoyed a happier  experience  than most trans-
Atlantic trips .
 Lost at sea, they happened  upon  a piece of land that would become known as Cape Cod. After surveying 
the land, they set up  camp  not too far from Plymouth Rock. They feared venturing  further  south because 
winter was fast approaching.
The  Pilgrims  had  an  important  question  to   answer    before   they  set  ashore.   Since   they  were  not  landing 
within the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company, they had no Charter to govern them.
Mayflower Compact
In  the  landmark  Mayflower  Compact  of  1620,  the  Pilgrims  decided  that  they  would  rule  themselves, 
based   on   majority   rule  of  the  townsmen.  This  independent  attitude  set  up  a   tradition   of  self-rule  that 
would later lead to town meetings and elected legislatures in New England.
Without   good   harbors  or  extensive  tracts  of   fertile   land,   however ,  Plymouth  became  a  colony  of 
subsistence  farming  on  small  private  holdings   once   the  original  communal   labor   system  was   ended   in 
1623. 
Puritan Colony in Plymouth, New England; Puritan ethics and ideology
The  four  main   convictions   of  Puritanism  were  that  personal  salvation  was  completely   dependent   upon 
God,  that  the   Bible   was  the  final   authority   and   guide   to  good   Christian   life,  that  the   church   was  to  be 
organized from the scripture and that society was a single, unified entity. This is the Puritan Ethic: Strict 
self-discipline  and  devotion  to  God  and  church,  accompanied  by  contempt  for  sinful  pleasures  and 
luxuries.
Their  belief  that their destiny was predetermined, their self-imposed isolation, and religious exclusivity, 
would later lead to  witch  hunts beginning in 1688. The expulsion of  Roger   Williams  in  1636  and Anne 
Hutchinson in  1638  was caused by their neighbors'  fear  of " evil " in their midst. The  Puritans  also were 
responsible  for  the  first  free  schooling  in  America  and  established  the  first  American  college,  Harvard 
College, in Cambridge , Massachusetts.
Thanksgiving
In 1621, when their labors were rewarded with a bountiful harvest after a year of sickness and scarcity, 
the Pilgrims gave  thanks  to God and celebrated His  bounty  in the Harvest Home tradition with feasting 
and  sport  (recreation). To the Puritans, a true “thanksgiving” was a day of prayer and pious humiliation, 
thanking God for His special Providence.
Religious issues (freedom)
Europeans  came  to  America  to   escape   religious  oppression  and  forced   beliefs   by  such  state-affiliated 
Christian  churches  as  the   Roman   Catholic  Church  and  the  Church  of  England.  That  civil  unrest  fueled 
the  desire  of America’s forefathers to establish the organization of a  country  in which the separation of 
church and state, and the freedom to practice one’s faith without fear of persecution, was guaranteed. That 
guarantee was enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Quakers
The  Religious  Society  of   Friends   began  as  a  movement  in  England  in  the  17th  century.  Quakers  have 
been a significant  part  of the movements for the abolition of slavery, to promote equal rights for women, 
and peace. They have also promoted education and the humane treatment of  prisoners  and the mentally 
ill, through the  founding  or reforming of various institutions. Quaker entrepreneurs played a central  role  
in forging the Industrial Revolution.