Cultural Differences In North America

Land base:

• How did different cultures relate to the land?

Humans in North America, prior to the arrival of Europeans, have inhabited for 10,000 to 15,000 years. Many native civilizations had come and gone by the time Columbus discovered the America in 1492 (Dinnerstein, 2015, p.1). At that time, about 3 million to 6 million people lived in North America as a part of 500 distinct tribes, bands, and other groups. The American Indians began series of meetings between and among natives and others who came to America as strangers. In the late fifteenth century, Europeans began to explore the parts of North America. That result in powerful economic and social streams that formed and then designed the United States. The Spanish reached North America

The cultural and religious reasons lead to clashes among Europeans and Indians. Europeans point of view was that they had God-given right to take the land where Indians lived. Because of that they had many fights. Religion wars of 16th and 17th centuries were very brutal. Europeans did not treat Native Americans well. They were brutal to elders, women and children and killed them messily and burned their homes and food stores (M2 Content Guide When Ethnicity Becomes Race).

The US

Whites who were born in America became clearly Americans. The remaining non-economic cultural differences developed founded on race. The founders of America, when considering the risk of war with France, Spain and British, to increase population speedily opted out for unrestricted European immigration. Later, when the nations were established, Congress placed restrictions on who could become a citizen. In the 1790 Naturalization Act, Congress limited the naturalization to “free white persons”. They had open immigration without any conditions. After a certain time period, they could take oath for citizenship. This offer given to whites was a rejection of non-whites. African-Americans who supported abolition, were usually transported, and freed to Africa. Native Americans were at the worst condition. They had no place in the society. When they were forced to leave the land where they had been living for centuries, many Indians struggled and fought to leave. The idea of white versus non-white also effected other ethnicities who were not white (M2 Content Guide When Ethnicity Becomes