The word “discovery” is not longer used when discussing the European exploration in North America. While this vast and beautiful land was seemingly vacant, it belonged to millions of indian societies scattered throughout the continent. North and South America were not vacant scraps of land; free for conquistadors to take from the Indians. This land was home to millions of indian societies some of which were the Aztecs, Incas, and Mound Builders. They had established roads, buildings, irrigation systems, weapons, temples, and markets. The Aztecs and the Incas developed highly advanced technology such as irrigation systems and vast trading networks. Societies such as the Mound Builders lacked the technological advances and the knowledge able
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The men used the land to hunt for deer, turkey, and other animals. While the women farmed, made clothing, and pottery. Hardly any indian societies had an idea of self ownership. As the Europeans began to explore further into the seemingly vacant land of North America they inevitably began to come across more and more savages. While both the native americans and the europeans had alternate views of each other. The native americans were amicable.They wanted peace not war. “Since that you are heere strangers and come into our Countrey, you should rather confine yourselves to the Customes of our Countrey, than impose yours upon us.” (A Wicomesse Indian to the governor of Maryland, 1633) Europeans did not respect the native americans as men. They looked at the economic potential in the land and the slaves. As contact between the native americans and the europeans began to widen, so did disease that came off the european ships. The native americans had never encountered diseases such as “the bubonic plague, chicken pox, pneumonic plague, cholera, diphtheria, influenza, measles, scarlet fever, smallpox, typhus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough.” (http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/325) This wide spread epidemic killed a vast majority of the native american
The men used the land to hunt for deer, turkey, and other animals. While the women farmed, made clothing, and pottery. Hardly any indian societies had an idea of self ownership. As the Europeans began to explore further into the seemingly vacant land of North America they inevitably began to come across more and more savages. While both the native americans and the europeans had alternate views of each other. The native americans were amicable.They wanted peace not war. “Since that you are heere strangers and come into our Countrey, you should rather confine yourselves to the Customes of our Countrey, than impose yours upon us.” (A Wicomesse Indian to the governor of Maryland, 1633) Europeans did not respect the native americans as men. They looked at the economic potential in the land and the slaves. As contact between the native americans and the europeans began to widen, so did disease that came off the european ships. The native americans had never encountered diseases such as “the bubonic plague, chicken pox, pneumonic plague, cholera, diphtheria, influenza, measles, scarlet fever, smallpox, typhus, tuberculosis, and whooping cough.” (http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/325) This wide spread epidemic killed a vast majority of the native american