Early Americas: Religion and Greed

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Early AmericasReligion and Greed
David Kisela Yolanda Ochoa Enrique Ochoa Mike
Enriquez
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THE AMERICAS Discovered10,000 to 30,000
b.p.e. 149240 to 80 million Native
Americans 1600500,000 Native Americans 93
epidemics scarlet fever, whooping cough,
cholera, diphtheria, etc.
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• EUROPEAN COLONIZATION
• VIKINGS
• 984Eric the RedGreenland
• SPANISH
• early 1500sColumbus and Hernando
  CortésHispaniola and Cuba
• 1519Hernando CortésAztecs
• 1531Francisco PizarroIncas
• FRENCH
• 1534Canada
• ENGLISH
• 1607Jamestown, VA
• DUTCH
• 1624New Amsterdam

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• JOHN SMITH
• "The Glorious Scoundrel
• 16071st Permanent English SettlementJamestown,
  VA
• Emperor Powhaten (Wahunsenacawh)
• Powhaten Indians give aid to colonists
• Smith captured by Powhaten and "saved" by
  Pocahontas
• Smith becomes president of Virginia Colony
• 16191st Women and 1st Slaves Arrive
• Powhaten Culture Survives to Early 1700s

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• POWHATEN CULTURE
• Chief Sachem, Nobles (werances)
• Priests/Medicine Men
• Customary Law
• Egalitarian
• Matrilineal Kinship System
• Towns and Longhouses
• Woodland Horticulturalists
• MenHunting and Fishing
• WomenGrew Crops, Gathered

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• POWHATEN RELIGION/MEDICINE
• Great Spirit
• Polytheists
• Rituals Seasonal, Curing, Hunting, Bathing,
  Thanksgiving
• Afterlife
• Natural Events DiseaseSupernatural
  Forces
• Herbal Cures

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• INDIAN GIVERS
• PLANTS Tomato, Potato, Corn, Squash, Beans,
  Tobacco, Pecan, Hominy, Avocado, Chocolate
• NAMES bayou, hurricane, igloo, teepee, parka,
  poncho, toboggan, canoe, caucua, powwow

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• "When the white man first came to this land, we
  had the land and they had the bible. They taught
  us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened
  them again, we had the bible and the white man
  had the land." Anonymous

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Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485? - 1528)

• Generally assumed that he was born in or around
  1485 in Val di Greve, 30 miles south of Florence,
  Italy
• Born into a wealthy family and was well-educated
• In or around 1506-7 he moved to Dieppe, France
  to pursue a career at sea
• King Francis I of France sent out Verrazzano on
  expeditions to investigate coastline and find
  that passage to Asia also funded by wealthy
  Italian bankers and merchants

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How Verrazzanos adventures started

• During one trip, Verrazzano was provided with 4
  ships, two of which shipwrecked, one was sent
  home carrying riches acquired on the Spanish
  coast
• Only La Dauphine crossed Atlantic Ocean
• Had the habit of anchoring his ship far away from
  shore then taking a boat to shore

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Verrazzanos Adventures

• Set sail in January of 1524 and arrived at what
  is now Cape Fear, NC in March
• Continued north and discovered New York Bay,
  Block Island and Narraganset Bay
• Met with the natives, the Wampanoags (the same
  natives who interacted with the pilgrims almost
  100 years later)

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Wampanoags Friends or Foes?

• Verrazzano described the Wampanoags very
  positively and because they were so friendly, he
  broke his habit of parking so far from shore and
  anchored his ship near it instead
• Verrazzano and his crew remained here for two
  weeks, noting the fertile soil, the woods of oak
  and walnut, and game such as lynx and deer
• Wampanoags traded abundantly with Verrazzano and
  his crew

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Wampanoags dress
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Abnaki of Maine Naughty or Nice?

• Verrazzano describes the Abnaki encountered up in
  what is now Maine
• ...of such crudity and evil manners, so
  barbarous, that despite all the signs we could
  make, we could never converse with them. They are
  clothed in peltry of bear, lynx, 'sea wolves' and
  other beasts. Their food, as far as we could
  perceive, often entering their dwellings, we
  suppose to be obtained by hunting and fishing,
  and of certain fruits, a kind of wild root.
• The Abnaki shot arrows at the French when they
  tried to land but still conducted meager trade by
  using baskets let down on a line from the cliffs
  to the ship

But as the ships turned away, they saw
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What displeased the French even more were the
Abnaki's disdainful manners when the Europeans
left, "such as exhibiting their bare behinds and
laughing inmoderately."
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Verrazzanos Voyage in 1527
His men mutinied and ordered him to return to
France, but Verrazzano, using their incompetence
in navigation, nonetheless reached Brazil, cut
logwood (a red dye wood then named Brazil wood,
from where the name Brazil originates) the King
and merchants funding his trips made good profit
out of it.
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Verrazanos Voyage in 1528

• He crossed the Atlantic again with the goals of
  cutting logwood (to make his funders wealthy) and
  exploring.
• Landed in Florida, and then followed the chain
  of the less Antilles (islands).
• Like usual, he anchored his ship away from the
  island of Guadelupes shore and took a boat to
  greet the natives.
• Unfortunately, the natives were not a friendly
  tribe that wanted to trade, but cannibalistic
  Caribs. They expertly killed Giovanni and ate him
  while still fresh. The ship was too far away to
  give gunfire support.

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The Caribs

• Life was based on war success in battle was the
  only road to power
• Caribs were enemies to the Arawak often sought
  them out for food and women
• Once they set out to battle, they never turned
  back.
• They would never leave their dead or wounded
  behind.

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Some Carib culture

• Patriarchal society
• Men practiced polygamy
• Women who committed adultery were subject to
  death
• Boys grew up to be warriors
• Girls grew up to be mothers if infertile, they
  were considered a disgrace

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Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca 1490-1560
Brief Biography -Military Service (fought in
battle of Ravenna) -Credentials (aide to Duke of
Medina Sidonia, later aide to King Charles
I) Panfio De Narvaez Expedition -Purpose (gain
control of Aztec capital) -Outcome (Fernando
Cortes wins dramatic victory) -Redress (attained
patent to settle Florida)
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-Mission Gone Bad (stormy weather leaves
explorers stranded) -Island of Misfortune
(inhabited by the Karankawas) -Vaca becomes ill
and is left behind Cabeza de Vacas
Adventures -Lope de Oviedo (convinced by Vaca to
leave island) -The Ragged Castaways (Andres
Dorantes de Carranza, Estevancio, Alonso
Castillo Maldonado, and Alvar Nunez Cabeza de
Vaca)
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-Mariames (killed infant daughters to avoid
incest and aiding the enemy) -Yguazes (main
diet consisted of roots but when hungry would
eat spiders, ant eggs, worms, lizards,
salamanders, snakes, dirt, rotten wood, and
even deer dung) -Escape One (unsuccessful due to
argument amongst tribes) -Escape Two
(successful due to tribes harvesting prickly
pears)
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-Avavares (Vaca and companions became healers
and advocated Christianity) Northern
Mexico -Surgery (removed arrowhead from natives
chest with knife) -Jumanos (first agricultural
people who lived in houses) -Corazones (friendly
natives who offered them 600 deer hearts as
food)
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-Slave Trading Post (taken to Mexico City by
Spanish) -Vacas downfall (appointed governor of
Asuncion but later overthrown due to his pro
native stance)
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Arawak/Taino Native Americans

• Mostly in Haiti and Dominican Republic (ranged
  from Venezuela through the Caribbean and Central
  America all the way to Florida)
• Dec 6,1492 Columbus landed with the first
  settlement of the New World (Mole St. Nicholas in
  Haitis north)
• Mostly made up of sailors from wrecked Santa
  Maria

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Arawak/Taino Native Americans

• 300,000 - 400,000
• 1507 about 60,000
• 1531 about 600
• Used mostly as slave labor
• Letter provided by Columbus on second voyage back
  to Haiti from King Ferdinand

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Letter From King Ferdinand

• In the name of King Ferdinand and Juana his
  daughter, Queen of Castile and Leon, etc.,
  conquerors of barbarian nations, we notify you as
  best we can that our Lord God Eternal created
  Heaven and earth and a man and a woman from whom
  we all descend for all times and all over the
  world. In the 5,000 years since creation the
  multitude of these generations caused men to
  divide and establish kingdoms in various parts of
  the world, among whom God chose St. Peter as
  leader of mankind, regardless of their law, sect
  or belief. He seated St. Peter in Rome as the
  best place from which to rule the world but he
  allowed him to establish his seat in all parts of
  the world and rule all people, whether
  Christians, Moors, Jews, Gentiles or any other
  sect. He was named Pope, which means admirable
  and greatest father, governor of all men. Those
  who lived at that time obeyed St. Peter as Lord
  and superior King of the universe, and so did
  their descendants obey his successors and so on
  to the end of time.

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Ferdinands Letter Continued

• The late Pope gave these islands and mainland of
  the ocean and the contents hereof to the
  above-mentioned King and Queen, as is certified
  in writing and you may see the documents if you
  should so desire. Therefore, Their Highnesses are
  lords and masters of this land they were
  acknowledged as such when this notice was posted,
  and were and are being served willingly and
  without resistance then, their religious envoys
  were acknowledged and obeyed without delay, and
  all subjects unconditionally and of their own
  free will became Christians and thus they remain.
  Their Highnesses received their allegiance with
  joy and benignity and decreed that they be
  treated in this spirit like good and loyal
  vassals and you are under the obligation to do
  the same.

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Ferdinands Letter Continued

• Therefore, we request that you understand this
  text, deliberate on its contents within a
  reasonable time, and recognize the Church and its
  highest priest, the Pope, as rulers of the
  universe, and in their name the King and Queen of
  Spain as rulers of this land, allowing the
  religious fathers to preach out holy Faith to
  you. You own compliance as a duty to the King and
  we in his name will receive you with love and
  charity, respecting your freedom and that of your
  wives and sons and your rights of possession and
  we shall not compel you to baptism unless you,
  informed of the Truth, wish to convert to our
  holy Catholic Faith as almost all your neighbors
  have done in other islands, in exchange for which
  Their Highnesses bestow many privileges and
  exemptions upon you. Should you fail to comply,
  or delay maliciously in so doing, we assure you
  that with the help of God we shall use force
  against you, declaring war upon you from all
  sides and with all possible means, and we shall
  bind you to the yoke of the Church and of their
  Highnesses we shall enslave your persons, wives
  and sons, sell you or dispose of you as the King
  sees fit we shall seize your possessions and
  harm you as much as we can as disobedient and
  resisting vassals. And we declare you guilty of
  resulting deaths and injuries, exempting Their
  Highnesses of such guilt as well as ourselves and
  the gentlemen who accompany us. We hereby request
  that legal signatures be af fixed to this text
  and pray those present to bear witness for us,
  etc.

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Bartolome de las Casas (1474-1566)

• Liberation Theology
• liberation and equal treatment for
  non-caucasian people esp. Indians
• Primary concern was to encourage the practice of
  conversion of Amerindians by peaceful means
• Father sailed with Columbus in 1492

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Bartholome de las Casas

• 1510-First ordained Roman Catholic Priest in New
  World
• 1516-Returned to Spain to plead Indians case
  with Charles V
• He was named Protector of the Indians and in 1520
  was authorized to found a model colony in Santo
  Domingo

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Bartolome de las Casas

• 1537-He received support from Pope Paul III
• 1540-Returned to Spain and helped pass laws that
  prohibited Indian slavery and safeguarded the
  rights of the Indians (Nuevas Leyes de 1542)
• Consecrated as bishop of Chiapas, Cuba in 1543

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Bartolome de las Casas

• 1547-Returned to Spain where he devoted the rest
  of his life to speaking and writing on behalf of
  the Indians