Effects Of Colonization On The American Culture And Formation Of The United States Essays Example

The United States is one of the nations with a rich history of colonization. The American history did not occur in a vacuum. It was not until the time of political formation of the United States that followed the Revolutionary War that the word America extended to include the wider groups that lived in the U.S. Otherwise, America solely referred to South America. Before colonization, the Native Americans comprised people from the regions of North America and the present day United States and Alaska. The groups consisted of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic orientations with unique cultures. European colonization, however, to a great extent obliterated the unique culture of the people in the United States. This paper seeks to discuss the ways in which European colonization influenced the unique culture of America and the eventual formation of the United States.
America has a history that has attracted that attention of most scholars who seek to underscore the fundamentals and underlying factors behind this history. Some historians perceive American history as an extension of the history of Europe or that of the Western World. They view America to exhibit a number of similarities with the rest of the world. When the European Colonizers left Europe for America, they went along with their religions, their cultural ideas, their values, and concepts of justice and freedom. In regards, their dominance in America shaped the thinking, perceptions, and attitude of the American people in a number of ways. The colonists who entered America in the 17th century were to large extent not touched by the events occurring elsewhere. In the 18th century, a series of dynastic wars among the European powers influenced the American culture.
In North America, for instance, the presence of the native cultures made it easier for the first English settlers to set a foothold in the continent. At Jamestown colony, the European colonizers encountered the Indian culture that they considered less sophisticated to their own culture. The Indians who inhabited the northern parts of America did not consider their culture inferior to that of the whites; instead, they considered theirs superior. When the Europeans arrived, they upset the balance of power among the people of North American Indian tribes. Their influence spread to the eastern woodlands, Great Plains and to the deserts of the Southwest. The European Colonizers developed a romanticized view of the Indians as noble savages while some perceived them as one of the ten lost tribes of Israel.
American history of colonization paints a picture of a world perceived as a new garden where the colonizers would have their flowers and vegetables blossom. The culture portrayed a sense of a rich diversity characterized by a wide range of social norms. England and other European nations alike planted their mercantile spirit in the virgin soil of America. The colony experienced a mix of religious enthusiasm and orthodoxy that placed an unmistakable stamp against each other. Renowned historians such as Smith described America as a strange garden where transplanted varieties of flowers and vegetables lived together in a vigorously astonishing incompatibility that gradually strained the variation. The European colonizers considered America as a virgin fertile land of prosperity where humanity would blossom a new. Unlike other colonies, American ground provided a platform for cultural integration. It was a world of the innocence.
The Spanish, Portuguese, and the English among other Europeans brought their cultures to America. The discovery of the new world by Columbus opened the avenue for the European nations including Spain, Portuguese, Netherlands, France, and England, who in turn set out to establish their colonial empires. The United States sprung from various colonies. The spilt among Britain, France and Spain became the ground for the formation of the U.S. The history of colonization is the basic thread that holds the United States as a nation. All the important parts that make the United States such as Hawaii have a historical background built on colonization. The nations of the United States emerged through colonization. The first European settlers dating to the early 16th century dominated by the Spanish entered the towns of Florida, California, Louisiana, and the British settlements in New England. The contemporary class, racial, ethnic, and gender relationships trace their origin to the colonial period.
Since the times of colonization, America appears to be a country that absorbs immigrants from diverse backgrounds, assimilates them, and produces standard Americans. Historians describe this aspect as the ideal sense of the American unique culture. The word America, therefore, not only confines to the whites, but also the African-Americans, Native-Americans, Asian-American, and Mexican-American among other groups in the United States. During the colonial periods, indentured servants and other poor whites made a buffer between the landowners and the slaves that formed the bottom level in the social ladder. Shortages in the labor market during colonialism compelled the Colonizers to open doors for slavery. The impact of slavery on the American culture was profound and still rooted in the modern day society in the U.S.
The uniqueness that typifies the American culture is an outcome of colonization. The development of America started competition. Life in the United States in the early days revolved on the pillar of survival for the fittest. The competition between the England, Spanish, and Portuguese and later Holland sets the early impetus of colonization. Fulfilling their mandate in their territories required an aggressive competition that led to the establishment of cultures. Religion emerged as one of the centers of focus for the European colonizers. In addition, colonization also proved to be a study in the concept of social contracts. Survival conditions in America required a concerted effort of all regardless of ethnic orientation, racial group, or any other status symbols. Aware of their sufferings in the hands of the colonizers, the people of the United States despite their ethnic differences came together and declared their independence in the American Revolution leading to the formation of the United States of America.

Works Cited

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