W2: The Clash of Cultures

Select one question and respond with researched material using the AIE readings, the course content, and the film. Post your main statement by Friday night and reply to at least two classmates by Sunday night.

1. What effect did the introduction of smallpox have upon the culture of the New World?  Before answering, look at two different viewpoints on the effects of the smallpox epidemic on American Indians to help you answer this question: William J. Bauer and Patrick Spero. 
2. Look at the European empires (Spain, France, and England). Explain in detail how each of the countries and their colonists influenced and changed the tribes they encountered. Your answer should reflect the invasion by European empires on Indian lands and against Native people, the consequences of the European invasion on the Native lifestyle, and the changes in culture, religion, economics, and warfare.
3. How did Natives respond to the Europeans’ culture and society? Did they try to co-exist in the New World with the Europeans? Did the tribes change or assimilate to be included in European society?
4. Discuss the Columbian Exchange’s positive and negative effects on the New World. What new items were introduced to the American Indians and did they help or hinder progress for the First Nations?
5. How did Europeans perceive "Indianness" during this early period of contact? Look at Columbus’s view of the first people compared to the Pilgrims’ perspective on the Natives. What issues do historians face when trying to reconstruct histories of early Native American cultures?