Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building Essay

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda
Updated: Dec 19th, 2023

The Native Americans are the ones who originally lived in America, much before its European Colonization, and had crossed over to North America from North-Eastern Asia through the Bering Straits in Alaska. The cultural identities of the Native Americans have not been appreciated by the Anglo Americans or the Europeans and have led to their destruction throughout history.1

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Essay on Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building
808 writers online

In between the years of 1763 and 1890, 13 of the British colonies started to expand towards the North American seacoast, which extends over 3000 miles. This westward expansion of the Americans is not just a great story of man’s achievements but also a tragic description of man’s brutality and cruelty. The independent and joyful lives of the Native Americans, who were mainly the outlaws, miners, cowboys, explorers and the mountain people, were highly exploited, as they had to almost move their entire families from one place to another.

The sacred bond they shared with nature made them believed that land was for use and not for owning. They were not prepared for the diseases, which the new settlers brought with them, and a lot of them died due to it. When the British colonies became free, they started to move farther west and were often found fighting with the Native people. The Natives became resistant and hostile towards the whites, and in the 1830s, the government made a policy to get rid of the Natives. Before the beginning of the 20th century, most of the Natives were killed, and the ones who survived were not free and lived in reservations. The Native Americans responded in a violent manner to the process of westward expansion but were ultimately not able to save their land or themselves from destruction.2

Nation-building has been conducted in America since the late 1890s. It is the interference in the dealings of a nation in order to change the techniques of the government. The new settlers wanted to establish democracy in America and did not approve of the savage manners in which the Natives ran the government. The settlers used force to have their way, and the Natives revolted back with force. But they were ultimately defeated and had to give up running the government to the settlers. The Natives were also denied prestigious posts in the government.3

The Natives were not happy with the manner in which the settlers intervened in the workings of their government, although it promoted social justice and economic security. Their whole infrastructure was rebuilt, and a number of new American values were being mixed in the old culture. This did not make the Natives very happy as they thought that this process took them away from nature and that their culture would be lost forever. A number of the Natives were made slaves by the whites and were forced to work for them, shattering the confidence and pride, which they had harboured in them for ages. Their personality and emotions were highly altered as they were made to feel inferior to the white settlers. 4

The westward expansion and nation-building helped them in becoming more independent, educated and resourceful such that they have become the most powerful country in the world today. The settlers, with their new and innovative ideas, made America a better place to live by creating human rights, compulsory education, and also improving the social and political values of the people.

Bibliography

  1. Nichols, Roger L; American Indians in U.S. History; University of Oklahoma Press, 2003
  2. Tate, Thad W. & David L. Ammerman; The Chesapeake in the 17th Century: Essays on Anglo-American Society; W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 1979
  3. Tilton, Robert S; Pocahontas: The Evolution of an American Narrative; Cambridge University Press, 1994

Footnotes

  1. Tate, Thad W. & David L. Ammerman; The Chesapeake in the 17th Century: Essays on Anglo-American Society; W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 1979
  2. Nichols, Roger L; American Indians in U.S. History; University of Oklahoma Press, 2003
  3. Tilton, Robert S; Pocahontas: The Evolution of an American Narrative; Cambridge University Press, 1994
  4. Nichols, Roger L; American Indians in U.S. History; University of Oklahoma Press, 2003
Print
Need an custom research paper on Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, December 19). Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building. https://ivypanda.com/essays/native-americans-in-anglo-american-nation-building/

Work Cited

"Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building." IvyPanda, 19 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/native-americans-in-anglo-american-nation-building/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building'. 19 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/native-americans-in-anglo-american-nation-building/.

1. IvyPanda. "Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/native-americans-in-anglo-american-nation-building/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Native Americans in Anglo-American Nation Building." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/native-americans-in-anglo-american-nation-building/.

Powered by CiteTotal, best essay citation creator
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1