A. COLUMBUS
1. How did Columbus describe the landscape of the New World and its inhabitants? List at least three specific references for each (land and inhabitants).
One of the main ways Columbus describes the New World is very bountiful and filled with life. This is described on page 16, when Columbus states, “This island and all the others are very fertile to a limitless degree…and filled with trees of a thousand kinds…in it are marvellous pine groves”. He also likens the trees in the New World to that of his homeland, Spain, when remarking, “I saw them as green and as lovely as they are in Spain in May” (Columbus 16). Another observation Columbus has about the New World in this text is that it has quite the extensive landscape. He comments on it’s vastness and remarkable breadth when writing things such as, “In it there are many harbours on the coast of the sea…many rivers, good and large…many sierras and very lofty mountains” (Columbus 16). Additionally, Columbus writes about how the New World is quite rich in materials. While he never explicitly states their intended use, he alludes to the New World’s profitability by stating, “The pains and arable lands and pastures are so lovely and rich for planting and sowing…there are many spices and great mines of gold and of other metals” (Columbus 16).
One of the first comments Columbus makes about the inhabitants of the island is that they have an impressive physique. This is shown when Columbus is discussing their inability to use modernized weaponry: “not because they are not well built men and of handsome stature” (Columbus 16). He then goes on to say that they are quite meek, and their fighting skills pale in comparison to that of him and his fellow European explorers. On pages 16-17, Columbus describes the indigenous people as “very marvellously timorous” and “incurably timid.” Columbus also writes about their incredibly generosity. He writes that, “they are so guileless and so generous with all they possess…they invite anyone to share…and display as much love as if they would give their hearts” (Columbus 17).
2. Discuss those elements in Columbus’s reports that support the idea that America is a place of degenerated life. Do such elements in Columbus’s reports and those of his successors, seem to be the result of accurate observation of the New World, or do they seem to be the result of prejudice and ignorance brought to the New World?
I believe that while Columbus’ reports may be nearly accurate, the tone and some of the small details contained might be swayed by the superiority complex he felt while being around the inhabitants. Because he only knew his own way of doing things, he might have assumed that the indigenous peoples’ lack of knowledge regarding European things reflected their lack of knowledge in general, while in fact, they have their own societal structures and methods of doing things.
3. Was the naming of the new continent America, after Vespucci rather than after Columbus, one of the regrettable “mistakes of history”?
I do believe that this is one the regrettable “mistakes of history”. While Vespucci was “the first to show clearly that the new lands were not a part of Asia but a new continent”, Columbus was the first one to physically land there (Module 1 Notes). Despite his lack of continental knowledge, Columbus was the person who worked to colonize and take this new land, therefore I believe he should be given the “credit”.
B. HARIOT
4. In what notable respects do Hariot’s attitudes differ from those of Columbus? Do his discussions of the native people seem to proceed from a more objective interest than that of Columbus in the people and their customs?
Hariot’s attitudes towards the indigenous people seem significantly more pompous than Columbus’. His tone when speaking about them is much more egoistic, writing things such as, “in respect of us they are a people poor, and for want of skill and judgement in the knowledge and use of our things” and stating that the indigenous people thought that Hariot and his men “were not borne of women, and therefore not mortal…some would likewise seem to prophesy that there were more of our generation yet to come, to kill theirs and take their places” (Hariot 24). Hariot also focused more on capitalizing on the opportunity to spread Christianity to the indigenous people than Columbus did.
C. SMITH
5. Contrast seventeenth-century views condemning luxury and emphasizing the virtues of hard work to modern attitudes about the importance of leisure and the desirability of a life of luxury.
I think that one of the main reasons our modern views regarding this topic contrast so heavily with those of people living in the seventeenth-century is that in that time, the normality was that the majority of people had very little, and luxury was saved for those born into wealth and royalty. More often than not, those with wealth and power misused it, causing the commoners to condemn these very things. Nowadays, the mindset of our modern society has seen a peak in instant gratification and entitlement, and people are simply not as motivated to work as hard for luxurious things anymore. Leisure and “lives of luxury” are of greater importance nowadays because they are seen as givens, not things just reserved for a select number of people.
6. Is Smith correct in his assertion that the real causes for the early settlement of the English colonies were economic? Or did other events, such as the Pilgrim and Puritan settlement of New England, invalidate Smith’s argument?
The motives behind the Pilgrims’ and Puritans’ settlement of New England oppose Smith’s assertion that economic opportunity was the only real cause for early settlement of these colonies. While he is correct in the regard that these reasons contributed partially, he does not take into account that many of those who came over were settling in the New World for reasons such as religious freedom, and freedom from the long-established tyrannies of Europe. These people were motivated by the hope that one day they could think freely, and not be completely influenced by ideas that had been set in stone for hundreds of years.
7. Discuss how the idea of the Native Americans as devil worshippers justified, to Europeans, the seizure of the infidels’ wealth. Be sure to note also how Smith’s descriptions of Indian ceremonies supported prevailing beliefs that the Indians were idolaters who worshipped an evil deity.
If one feels as if they are superior to another, it is much easier to do questionably moral things to that person. I believe that because the Europeans were to taken aback by the Native Americans’ religious ceremonies, they did not think of them as being on the “same level”, therefore they felt more justified to take their land and wealth. Smith’s descriptions of the Native Americans as “such like devils came rushing in with the like antic tricks…came in three more as ugly as the rest”, having “most strange gestures and passions”, and their chanting “As if near led to hell,/Amongst the devils to dwell” (Smith 42) were most likely exaggerations brought on by his own fear of the unknown.
D. BRADFORD
8. Explain how Bradford’s narrative reveals the Pilgrims’ vision of themselves as travelers in search of God.
Because their views differed from the Church of England, the Pilgrims’ longed for religious freedom in this New World. In his writing, Bradford describes how during their journeys the Pilgrims were “armed with faith and patience…by God’s assistance they prevailed and got the victory” (Bradford 49). This shows how they kept pushing forward against adversity to spread their religion of choice. On page 51, Bradford writes how they possessed “a great hope and inward zeal they had to laying some good foundation, or at least to make some way thereunto, for the propagating and advancing the gospel”. He remarks how “the place they had thoughts on” was America, because of the bountiful opportunities for religious growth it provided (Bradford 51).
9. Explain how the idea that the elect will prosper on earth is especially appealing to community leaders and the well-to-do who naturally favor social unity, social conformity, and the establishment of social ranks.
This idea is especially appealing to these members of society because it enables them to feel a sense of entitlement for their ideas, and lack of wrongdoing. Because Bradford and his people believe they are specifically cherished by God, they have a sense of power in the fact that they believe they are carrying out God’s wishes, therefore are correct in their doings. On page 53, Bradford writes how they had “the just hand of God upon” them.
10.Many nineteenth-century Americans, especially those living on the frontier, held the same beliefs about Indians that Bradford expressed. What seems to account for the continuance of those ideas? Is it simply that white settlers on the frontier wanted Indian lands, and by demonizing the Indians the white settlers helped justify the taking of Indian lands?
I believe that in order to feel justified about the acquisition of Indian lands the settlers demonized the Indians; it is much harder to feel bad about an act if one believes the person they are harming is either beneath them, or not human at all. Additionally, using a fate set by God as a reason behind the acquisitions only empowered the settlers to commit these wrong acts more.