What was the lived experiences of the others in the colonization of North America?
From the beginning the colonial project in North America has been driven by profits for wealthy investors. However, these people were not the only ones involved in the colonization of North America. The colonial project brought with it the notion of the “other” as it arrived in the Americas. Define the others involved and explain their experiences.
The lived experiences of the others in the colonization of North America include people who were forced to live on land that they did not own, people who were exploited for their labor, and people who were killed or enslaved because they had no choice in taking part in this project.
First, there was the forced resettlement of Native Americans. The first Europeans to arrive in North America came from Europe with no intention of establishing colonies and instead were seeking gold, silver, and other natural resources. As they arrived at new places, they killed off any Native Americans who stood in their way or refused to trade with them (Sturm, 2017). This was done through war or through treaties that gave land back to a tribe if it agreed to move away from its original territory.
Then there are those who were hired as servants by wealthy colonists. These servants worked long hours for little pay and had few opportunities for advancement within the household because they could not marry into the family or property owned by their employer. They also faced discrimination from other colonists who believed that they should not be working alongside whites as punishment for being less educated than them; however, this belief never held up because most white men were lower class workers themselves!
The others in the colonization of North America were also involved in the colonization process, but they did not have a say in the decision to colonize. These people were pushed into this situation by the colonial project and its investors.
The first group of people that were subjects of the colonial project were Native Americans. They were forced off their land and into reservations where they would be subject to poor living conditions and harsh treatment from their colonizers. The second group of people are what we call slaves or servants. These people were either brought over from Africa as slaves or bought from other countries where slavery was legal (Barker, 2021). Finally, there was another group of people who came to be known as indentured servants. They came over as immigrants with promises of work contracts which they would never get because they couldn’t afford them or didn’t want them after arriving here in North America.
All these groups had very different experiences than those who came forward voluntarily for reasons such as love for country or family values which led them to come here from Europe or Asia (where many had lived before).
The others in the colonization of North America were the indigenous people who inhabited the land prior to European-American settlers. They were often viewed as less than human, and the colonizers justified their actions by claiming that they were helping the natives by bringing them civilization.
They did not understand that they were bringing with them diseases that had been unknown to the native peoples. It is estimated that 90% of deaths among Native Americans were caused by European-American colonization.
Indigenous people lost their land and way of life due to violence and disease brought by white settlers. Some died from diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza which killed many thousands more. Others had their homes destroyed or burned down during battles between whites and Indians over land ownership rights.
The colonial project brought with it other negative effects such as alcohol abuse which contributed greatly to problems such as domestic violence against women who were often abused by their husbands because they could not support themselves financially due to this abuse; poor health outcomes for children born into poverty due to lack of access to healthcare; lack of education opportunities for children born into poverty due to poor housing conditions; poor nutrition for children born into poverty due
When discussing the colonial project, the people involved are often left out of the conversation. However, it’s important to understand that those who were colonized were not only those who were enslaved. They were also the indigenous people who lived in these regions before colonization (Bakali, 2016).
For example, when Columbus arrived in America, he encountered a group known as the Taino people. These people spoke an Arawakan language and lived in what is today known as Haiti and Cuba. The Taino were originally from South America, but they had migrated northward over time to avoid contact with Europeans (who at this time only traveled southward).
The Taino were forced off their land by Europeans and were then forced into slavery as well. Their experiences were very similar to those of African slaves in that they too were brought to work on plantations owned by wealthy investors such as Christopher Columbus himself or his son Diego Colon (who was governor of Hispaniola by 1510).
While some historians argue that there is no evidence that Columbus or other explorers kidnapped or enslaved any indigenous peoples during their travels throughout North America (as some claim), others believe otherwise because there are documented instances where natives have been taken captive by Europeans.
References
Sturm, C. (2017). Reflections on the anthropology of sovereignty and settler colonialism: lessons from native North America. Cultural Anthropology, 32(3), 340-348.
Barker, A. J. (2021). Making and breaking settler space: Five centuries of colonization in North America. UBC Press.
Bakali, N. (2016). Islamophobia: Understanding anti-Muslim racism through the lived experiences of Muslim youth (Vol. 5). Springer.