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I had thought that I knew a good deal about the history of this country. Well I didn't & wanted to share with you the most interesting facts I found, in the briefest manner possible. I sincerely urge you to read the book however! It is anything but boring & is truly essential reading.
Before Europeans began migrating to North America, it was inhabited by an estimated 10 to 16 million Americans. Why don't I call them Indians you ask? Well contrary to present beliefs, most Europeans referred to the Natives of this country as simply Americans prior to the War of 1812.
As many of you know, the Europeans brought with them all the of sicknesses & deseases associated with living in dirty cities with open sewage running in the streets. To make matters worse, they rarely bathed & almost never had all of their clothes off at the same time! Upon meeting "the Whites", the natives thought they stunk & tried to teach them to bathe, but were unsuccessful, as "the Whites" found it immodest!
Tragically, the Natives had never been in contact with these illnesses & were ravaged by them. The bubonic plague, small pocks & even influenza killed them on contact. It killed between 90- 95% of them! (by comparison, The Great Plague in Europe during the Dark Ages killed about 30%) The remaining fled to other towns & villages, which caused the sickness to spread like a red carpet before the Europeans.
Can you imagine the breakdown that would occur to our culture if 90% of us got violently ill and died, just as an unknown culture arrived on our shores? The Europeans felt it was God's will, and even called it God's plague. Understandably many natives lost their will to achieve long term goals, such as planting for the next season etc. They were in disarray.
When the Pilgrim's landed at Plymouth Rock, they found cleared farmland, recently planted corn, with a "brook of fresh water", in a perfect location to start a town. The fact is that it was a town! The plague had actually cleared the natives out for the Pilgrims arrival! Such was the pattern throughout New England.
The Europeans did not "settle" Africa or Asia because there were already a lot of people living there. The same was true for America, until The Plagues. Without them, the natives may or may not have been economically dominated, as parts of Africa and Asia were, but certainly not driven off the continent to reservations. That concept was a mind-blower for me.
By the time the Plagues had run their course in the east & the tribes had summoned at least a portion of their strength and organization, the Europeans where firmly entrenched in the native's own towns.
Did you know that the story of, and National Holiday, Thanksgiving was not created until 1863,by Pres. Lincoln to increase patriotism during the Civil War & that Pilgrims were not even included in the story until 1890?! That was 240 years AFTER it supposedly took place! Eastern Natives had observed autumnal harvestcelebrations for centuries before that. After the Europeans arrived, the Natives would sometimes include them in the feasts to forge alliances. But Thanksgiving is much more fable & myth than fact. Certainly not be taken literally. Not that we should think negatively on a day set aside to give thanks for what we have. It's just a shame we include such an ethnocentric myth as its centerpiece.
If you feel that a day should be
set aside to honor the Natives of this land, to who we owe so much,
click
here & sign the petition for a National Holiday in their honor
The Concept of Democracy Was Learned From the Natives
The ideals of democracy & equality are ideals that the colonies saw in action in the Native towns and villages. The Colonists had lived all their history under the rule of Monarchies & even habitually referred to Native village leaders as Kings. eg. King Phillip. When in fact many members of the tribe had a say in the tribe's decisions, including both men and women. There is strong historical support that the Declaration of Independance was based on, or at the very least, inspired by The League of Iroquois!
For a much more thorough history of America's Native peoples. Here is THE
BEST you will find.
The Native American - An Illustrated History
Excellent information and beautiful artwork and photos.
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Mascot Boycott page! |
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