The Colonial Era Myths & Misconceptions -N. America not a sparsely populated virgin land, but rather it had millions of inhabitants -N. Americans were not hunters on horseback but rather farmers -First Americans were ones who crossed from Asia to develop many diverse cultures -N. Americans subsist through "primitive ways of living'' when they actually were sophisticated. Native America on Eve of Contact -7-12 million people lived in USA/Canada w/ 350 distinct groups & 250+ different languages w/ their own political structures, kinship sys, economies. -Downfall of these groups was trying to play each other off using the European colonizers -Many N. American groups fought each other --> Conflict led to weakness that let the colonists take them over -After many conflicts, the Iroquois finally decided to make a political alliance with 5 other tribes--> led to Iroquois council (w/ women having roles) --> Model for U.S.'s federal gov. Impact of 1492 - Columbus's Voyage Pos: -reshaping of diets by introduction of vegetation from both worlds -introduction of horses to New World Neg: -Disruption of the ecosystem (overgrazing, weeds) -European diseases wipeout 50-90% of N. American pop. -After decimating the N. American pop., introduction of African slavery -developed modern concept of progress and new ideals of a better future, as well as made Europeans challenge common beliefs -Thomas More + Utopia View of a perfect society w/ no crime, poverty, injustice but justfied taking land from N. Americans and African slave labor Varying Views of America -Some viewed America as an "earthly paradise" due to the simple and free lives lived by natives -Others viewed America as a place of wilderness, human misery, and lack of Christianity -America as land of liberty, liberation, material wealth --> escape from corrupted European life Varying Views of America -Some viewed America as an "earthly paradise" due to the simple and free lives lived by natives -Others viewed America as a place of wilderness, human misery, and lack of Christianity -America as land of liberty, liberation, material wealth --> escape from corrupted European life The Black Legend -Spain's enemies created the "Black Legend" to vilify the Spanish as corrupt and cruel people who enslaved the Indians/stole from them/killed/infected them. -Bartolome de las Casas condemned maltreatment of the Indians. -BL = powerful ideological sanction for English involvement in the New World--> justified seizing Spanish ships for gold, raiding Spanish ports-->strike blows upon Spain's aggressive Catholicism and rescue Indians. Irony is that the English seamen who liberated Indians also bought enslaved Africans to sell to Spanish colonists