Historiography #3: The American Revolution

Each historian, depending on their diverse influences and viewpoints, has interpreted the debate over the origins of the American Revolution in different fashions. Each historian either believed that the foundation for the Revolution was a political and intellectual event, a social and economic phenomenon, or a radical event that had a profound effect on the society. My belief is that Gordon Wood, who wrote The Radicalism of the American Revolution, is right in believing that the Revolution was a genuinely radical event that led to the breakdown of such longstanding characteristics of society as deference, patriarchy, and traditional gender relations. The radical federalists, which included George Washington and Sam Adams, were huge public figures in America and they helped convince most people to believe in their ideals. It grew the Federalist Party; the radical group that was the most vocal in wanting a complete break from Britain.

The Origins of Slavery Debate: Historiography #2

After reading the text, “Debating the Past: Origins of Slavery,” it is difficult to determine if slavery caused racism or racism caused slavery because there were so many things that lead up to the need of slaves in North America. I believe though, that slavery was the result of White racism. In the Enduring Vision: A History of the American People the text states that, “But while the missionaries deemed Native Americans potential Christians, they joined most other colonizers in condemning Africans as less than fully human and thereby beyond hope of redemption. Blacks could therefore be exploited without limit,” and that, “ Africans’ blackness, along with their alien religions and customs dehumanized them in European eyes.” This shows that even though Whites did not exploit Blacks at the beginning, they did consider Blacks lesser than themselves. The differences between the cultures and religions of Blacks and Indians were unknown to Whites, which made them think it was their Christian duty to enslave inferior people. I believe that Winthrop Jordan was right, that had there not been slavery, Whites would have been likely to oppress Blacks in the New World anyway. Things would not have changed because White colonists considered themselves above people that were strange and had unknown customs that were not like their own, and that looked different than they did.

Historiography #1: The Arrival of the Europeans

My personal belief that it was morally wrong to nearly exterminate a thriving Native civilization in the European’s quest to colonize America, but their overall discovery of America was the greater advancement in the history of civilization.
Even though there is no sure estimate on how many people lived in the Americas, I agree that the Europeans definitely did ruin the Native American population with diseases from Europe as well as the casualties that came from warfare. The death of millions of the Native American population definitely makes it hard to see any achievement that the Europeans made, but the advancement of the Americas that came from the Europeans coming is something that affects us as a people today.
Europeans brought over ideas, resources, and knowledge that the Natives knew nothing about, which in the long run (now), would have affected in America in so many ways that it would be unimaginable to think. The Europeans would’ve eventually discovered the Americas in later years but we wouldn’t be as advanced today had they not discovered the land then.
So although it might not have been the prettiest story of how our home was found, it is the story, and I am personally grateful things worked out like they did.