Immigration in an age of Globalization

Throughout history, immigration has continued to be practiced in every part of the world. However, the major continuities have been in the increasing volume of immigration, its sources, and the incompetence of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The major changes in the immigration trend happened to be the attitude towards immigrants and the laws and regulations. I think it’s amazing that the total population of immigrants that came to a nation was ninety two million.

            Individuals immigrate across the world in search of a better future. Whether its to find a better paying job, better education, or better living conditions, immigrants are willing to overcome numerous obstacles to achieve their purpose in the foreign country. As Daniels stated in the book, the educational achievements of contemporary immigrants are impressive: some two thirds of those twenty-five years of age and older are at least high school graduates as opposed to almost seven eights of the native born. A 1995 study looked at the United States residents with a PhD. and found that twenty three percent of the science and engineering PhD’s and twelve percent of nonscience were foreign born. About 55 percent of the immigrants with PhD’s were naturalized U.S. citizens. As an immigrant myself, I am pleased to hear that those of us who immigrate to receive a better education actually achieve it.

            Along with the legal immigrants come various groups of “non immigrants” or temporary immigrants that enter the United States with various kinds of visas that do not entitle them to apply for permanent resident status and which have expiration dates. I know various individuals who currently have visas. Some are for work, business, traveling, and school.

            As expected along with immigration, come illegal immigrants. I love how Daniels calls this section of the book mission impossible. Regardless of what the government does to try to keep illegal immigrants from entering the nation, nothing will stop them. If the borders get higher, more border patrol, electrical system, nothing can stop an immigrant that is in search of a better future. I have heard of horrific and tragic stories of people who have lost their life’s attempting to achieve their American dream. The ambitious immigrants look for alternative, life-threatening ways to enter the land of opportunity.

            I was definitely able to relate to the chapter of immigration in an age of globalization. I myself am an immigrant, who thanks to my father, have had the opportunity to work on achieving my American dream. He himself had to risk his life, at one point, and cross the border that separates the United States and Mexico illegally to provide his family a better future and more opportunities than he had growing up. Thankfully, he was able to apply for permanent residents and come to the United States with the rest of the family. We are all now naturalized American citizens, and are taking advantage of all of the opportunities that this country provides. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I look around the crowded dinning table I see my beautiful family smiling and laughing, as we share unforgettable memories and the numerous blessing that we have received. I smell the delicious turkey, ham, biscuits, and baked potatoes that my mother has caringly cooked. I don’t know if I can potentially take another bite without having my stomach explode, but the food is simply too delicious and tempting!

 My family has celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday the traditional American way since the year 1994, after emigrating from Mexico to the United States. In Mexico, Thanksgiving is not traditionally celebrated. However, as the number of individuals emigrating from Mexico to the United States increases so does the number of families celebrating Thanksgiving. My family views thanksgiving as a holiday when we get together and remember all the triumphs and downfalls we have had in life, and take time to realize how incredibly blessed we really are to have each other.

From the moment I open my eyes on Thanksgiving morning I can smell the delicious turkey cooking in the oven. I jump out of bed and run to the kitchen, only to find my mother cautiously cooking trying not to wake up the rest of the family. My mom surprisingly cooks only the traditional thanksgiving meal, and not any Mexican dishes. The meal consists of: Turkey, ham, stuffing, smashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, biscuits, steamed vegetables and of course pumpkin pie for dessert.

My immediate family, which consist of my mother, father, brother, sister and brother-in-law traditionally have thanksgiving lunch together at my parent’s home. Following thanksgiving lunch, we visit our grandparents and share dessert with them while reminiscing about childhood memories. Thanksgiving dinner is spent with my brother-in-laws family and my immediate family at my parent’s home. The two families bring the numerous dishes they’ve prepared and place them around the kitchen counter and we fix our plate “buffet” style.

Before having dinner, my mother always begins a prayer, which engages the entire family. She begins the prayer and one by one we alternate by giving thanks for the numerous blessing out Lord has generously granted us with, especially for the blessing of having such a loving and caring family to share the holidays with. Although the food is extremely delicious, the prayer session is my favorite part of thanksgiving. It’s a time where we can be thankful to the Lord for all the hardships, struggles, and adventures we have gone through that has shaped us into the individuals and great family we are. 

Chapter 12

The first immigrants that settled down in the America’s came from Africa 200,00 years ago.  Immigration Periods include: 200,00 years ago ( Paleolithic period) when Asia (Siberia) Bering, walked from the center of the continent outward. 12,000 years ago (Neolithic) using the Kelp highway, through boat, west coast. 3500 BC (ancient) and 500 BC (Classical) when Polynesians used the Pacific Ocean by boat to immigrate through the west coast. 500 AD (modern) when Europeans used the Atlantic Ocean, boat to the east coast and then westward. Initial settlement patterns displacement due to the mixing of conquest  due to different groups annexation and borders of immigration Nation began to fill up and the nation developed an attitude of nativism, which says although their ancestors were immigrants they don’t want more immigrants to come to the united states to change things, led to the federal level creating emergency acts. In the 1920s, the mass movement of people to the United States is over and an emergency act got passed: Emergency Quota Act and the 1924 Act – Limiting immigration. In the west, the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848) Ended the war, gave those living in the territory taken from Mexico the right to stay or go to Mexico. Three thousand chose the latter course, the regions of Mexico, got incorporated into the United States and the citizens there were suppose to be able to decide if they wanted to go to Mexico or be American citizens. The Bracero Program (1940-1950) took workers from Mexico and brought them to the US and they could come during legal circumstances and do labor work then leave back to Mexico.  The Mexican government- critiqued that they were being used the American government didn’t provide all of the utilities were not being provided very consistently. This chapter really hit home for me, since I am Mexican and my grandfather actually participated in the Bracero program and worked legally in the US doing cotton irrigation. In addition, it makes me wonder what would happen to both the United States and Mexico if the treaty had never passed? Where would we be today? 

Chapter 11: Migration in Prosperity, Depression, and War

Individual immigrate all over the world in hope of success, eagerly searching for a better future for themselves and their families.  Even when restrictive immigration legislation and phasing in of the national origins system in the 1920s immigration didn’t cease. I don’t understand how many scholars that study American immigration can ignore the nearly five million immigrants of the years 1920-1945. Every part of immigration including facts and personal stories are an equally important part of history. It’s interesting that the average immigration for the quarter century was nearly two hundred thousand a year. I can’t believe how nearly half of all the immigrants entered in the four years before the 1924 act took affect, and more than a third came in the following six years, while the last fifteen years of depression and war saw just over a seventh. Net migration, immigration minus return migration, shows an outstanding unbalance. Its unbelievable how during the quarter century there was almost one remigrant for every three immigrant’s. It’s shocking that in the impact of the worst years of the Great Depression more people remigrated than immigrated from 1932-1935. In the 1930’s the number of people leaving the United States exceeded the number entering. The great drop in the number of immigrants from 241,700 in 1930 and 97,139 in 1931 is one of the significant demarcation points in the history of American immigration. It’s interesting how one of the major changes in immigration occurred during the war years. A labor shortage, after the gut and long term mass unemployment of the 1930s, caused the United States deliberately to stimulate the migration of Mexican laborers to work in the agriculture of the American Southwest and West and on America’s railroad. I find it interesting how Daniels refers to the Spanish Mexicans as the pioneers of the American Southwest and the majority if the West Coast. Regardless of the country’s hardships financially, war, and Great Depression; nothing seemed to make immigrants settle. These individuals knew their purpose for immigrating and some of them completed their task and immigrated back to their original country. 

National Native American Heritage Month

I believe that Notre Dame De Namur University should commemorate November as National Native American Heritage Month because the values proclaimed in the universities constitution strongly emphasizes diversity, culture, and education. For example, hallmark five focuses on embracing the gift of diversity, “ we welcome to our community people of diverse cultures, ethnicity, race, socio-economic circumstances, gender, age, sexual orientation and faith traditions. We develop educational programs which expand out knowledge and understanding of the diversity in our world community and which celebrate the richness of that heritage. In addition, hallmark seven stating that we develop holistic learning communicates which educate for life, “we create curricular/co-curricular interactions that facilitate student-centered learning/teaching environments”. The things done on campus may enhance others knowledge about the history if Native Americans. The sisters of NDNU view education as an experience that will not only prepare you inside the classroom but in life. An experience that can be taken outside of a classroom and applying it to everyday life. Also, hallmark three states that we educate for and act on behalf of justice and peace in the world. Education has a purpose not only to get a job but also to accomplish a mission in life. 

Chapter 9 - Minorities from Other Regions: Chinese, Japanese, and French Canadians

Chapter 9 - Minorities from Other Regions: Chinese, Japanese, and French Canadians

I.      Intro:

a.     During the century of immigration more than 90% of all immigrants were Europeans

b.     For many writers European and Immigrant were all but interchangeable

c.     Africans were kept out of the immigrant canon by definition

d.     Chinese went through the same thing, authors would argue that they were mere “sojourners” and not immigrants at all

e.     This chapter examines the early experience of the two Asian immigrants to come to the United States, Chinese and Japanese, along with the major discrete group from Canada, the French Canadians

f.      There was no English speaking Canadian communities until they began to develop in retirement areas of Florida, Canadians were invisible immigrants because they would travel back and forth to the United States

II.    Chinese

a.     If we do not count the ancestors of the Amerindians, Chinese are the first immigrants from Asia

b.     Meaningful Chinese immigration to the United States begins roughly with the California gold rush of 1849

c.     The Chinese, like many of their ancestors, came with the intention of sojourning and returning with a nest egg

d.     Between the beginnings of Chinese migration in 1848 and the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, perhaps three hundred thousand Chinese entered the United States

e.     There was much coming and going, so that, in all probability the Chinese American population hit an intercensal peak of perhaps one hundred twenty five thousand in the early 1880s

f.      At the beginning of the nineteen century western entrepreneurs, with the help of Chinese middlemen, began importing un-free Chinese labor to various parts of the plantation world, largely as surrogates for African slaves

g.     This “coolie trade”, first brought Chinese to Trinidad in the Caribbean in 1808

h.    It was a brutal and infamous system that in some ways was worse than slavery, in that some employers literally worked their coolies to death before their indentures ran out

                                             1.     Particularly true in the guano islands off the coast of Peru, where that was the fate of the overwhelming majority

i.      No evidence of Coolies being brought to the united states

j.      In 1850s American consular officials in China explained to Washington the differences between immigrants and coolies (Pg 240)

k.    Chinese, who expected to work for themselves in the diggings, borrowed from Chinese moneylenders

                                             1.     They would borrow seventy dollars (fifty for the ticket and twenty got expenses) and were forced to pay back two hundred dollars

l.      For over a century, emigration from china to America was not so much Chinese as Cantonese emigration

                                             1.     90% of the immigrants of that era were not only from Canton in South China but from a very few countries centered on the Pearl River Delta

m.   According to the censuses of 1880 and 1890, Chinese males outnumbered females by more than twenty one

                                             1.     In Australia the imbalance was incredible: in Victoria in 1857 there were 25,421 Chinese males and just 3 females

n.    Within the united states, Chinese were concentrated in the West in general and in California in particular, although the percentage in the rest of the united states grew steadily after 1870

                                             1.     In California concentration was centered in the mining districts of the Sierras and their foothills, Chinese soon made San Francisco

i.      More than a fifth of al Chinese American’s recorded to living there by the 1880 and 1890 census

                                             2.     China town in SF was the first china town established, and has not changed since then

i.      Chinatowns were places where immigrants lived, worked, shopped, and socialized

ii.    They were overcrowded

iii.  At first the Chinese worked in mining, but later expanded to agriculture, manufacturing of shoes and clothing, and laundry workers.

iv.    Some Chinese also owned or operated farms that helped develop new crops

v.     The best job in the Chinese American world was being a merchant because they became the power elite of the community

vi.   Churches were not very popular amongst Chinese and very few were Christians.

vii. A family’s last name was an extremely important element that united them

o.     The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 stated that Chinese were aliens and were ineligible for citizenship.

p.     For some time, the Chinese were the only ethnic group that would not freely immigrate to the US.

q.     When the 14^th Amendment was added, it allowed Chinese Americans born in the US to be citizens.

r.     After Chinese could immigrate to the states again, it was common for a man to get successful in the states and then send for his wife to join him.

III.  Japanese

a.     By the time Japanese began to immigrate to the united states, in significant numbers in the 1890’s, Japan was a nascent imperial power with aspirations to the leadership of East Asia, while china was a victim of imperialism, some of it Japanese.

b.     The first groups of Japanese immigrants were political refugees in 1869 and mostly settled near Sacramento.

c.      Some Japanese were also brought to Hawaii in order to work in the sugar plantations.

d.     There was little immigration to the states, before 1942 fewer than 300,000 Japanese came to the states.

e.     Males were majority of the immigrants, with women only being a third of the population and almost of quarter of those were under the age of 5 years. 17.1% of Japanese immigrants were under the age of 5 years.

f.       The Japanese would be younger and more of them would be American born. The main focus of the immigrants was agriculture and eventually replaced the Chinese in some areas.

g.     In Japan, many families were in the farming business but government regulations began to take away the land.

h.    Northern California was the popular place for Japanese at first, but by 1930 more than 35,000 Japanese lived in Los Angeles, California  

                                             1.     The Japanese were very successful and had a positive influence and contribution in California

                                             2.     Whites didn’t welcome the Japanese

                                             3.     There would have been an exclusion act, but Americans were intimidated by the Japanese military.

i.      President Roosevelt did not care for the Japanese and created an agreement with Japan called the Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907-1908 where the Japanese government did not issue passports to Japanese laborers.

                                             1.      This act only banned males, so an increase of female immigrants hit the states.

                                             2.     These women were immigrating to the states to be with their husband.

                                             3.     Other females were part of a “picture bride marriage” and would travel to the states without even meeting their husband.

j.      Most of the Japanese worked in agriculture and outdoor activities

k.    The Japanese government encouraged the Japanese to adopt the Western culture and educate their children to better adjust in the United States

                                             1.     The Japanese government was very active in the Japanese life’s

l.      Gentlemen’s agreement forced Japanese immigration into an essentially female mode

m.   Religion was very diverse amongst the Japanese

                                             1.     A majority of them were Buddhist and continued to practice Buddhism

                                             2.      Large amounts of Japanese were Christians and would later convert.

IV.  French Canadians

a.     French Canadians were pulled into migration to the states because of the economical options provided by the states.

b.      These were the only immigrants whose migration was chiefly accomplished by rail.

c.     The French-speaking population of Quebec, which only numbered sixty thousand in 1763, had multiplied to more than a million in 1871.

d.     French Canadian immigrants focused on agriculture but later moved towards textile mills and other factories that were the heart of New England’s economy.

e.     It is difficult to know how many French Canadians migrated to the united states because they would continue to go move back and forth over the boarder

f.      Acculturation of this group occurred more slowly because of the constant migration between the states and Canada.

g.      There was a strong desire to keep their language alive.

h.    The French Canadians clashed with Irish immigrants because of the disagreements over priests and forms of worship.

                                             1.     Catholic Bishops strongly encouraged them to keep their native language and traditions

i.      The French Canadians had one of the lowest rates of naturalization of any American ethnic group.  

V.    Exam Questions

a.     What is the difference between European and Chinese, Japanese, and French Canadian immigration?

b.     If the immigrants wanted to stay and settle in the United States, what were they ineligible to do?

                                  

c.     What were the paper sons?

                                            

d.     What happened to the demographics in Chinese and Japanese communities during the decade that no significant immigration occurred? (Pg 252)

                                        

Ethnicity and Race in American Life

Standing in a crowded room waiting for the USCIS Assistant to call my name, I can see hundreds of unfamiliar faces. The faces differ in skin, hair, and eye color. These individuals are different heights, weight, speak various languages and immigrated to the United States.  Their physical characteristics cannot nearly define where they have come from, or what they have done to get to where they are today. Thousands of individuals, like the ones filling this room, come from all over the world to America hoping for success and prosperity. They must leave the country they once called home, and immigrate to an unfamiliar country where they must adjust their lifestyle and tradition. Every immigrant shares a common desire; to one day become an American citizen. Today is the day I “officially” become an American.  

Throughout history the rhetorical question “What is an American?” has remained unanswered. The French author Michael-Guillaume-Jean de Crevecoeur attempted to define an American, “He is either an European or descendant of an European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country” (Daniels 101). I strongly disagree that an individual must be from European descendents to be considered an American. I, for example, immigrated to the United States from Mexico with my family in search of a better future. I was two years old when I first came to America. I have no childhood memories of the two years I spent in Mexico. The United States is where I grew up, and even though I wasn’t born in this country, it’s the land I call home.

Crevecoeur also mentions, “ He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds. He becomes an American by being received in the broad lap of our Alma Mater” (Daniels 101). I am not sure what Crevecoeur means by leaving behind ancient prejudices and manners; but immigrants definitely have to make drastic changes to their lifestyles in order to adjust in the United States. Crevecoeur adds,”the notion that an immigrant could shed his culture the way a snake sheds his skin is nonsense” (Daniels 102). It is entirely up to the individual to either keep or lose their cultural traditions, values, and morals. My family continues with the same morals, values, and traditions as we had in Mexico.

Crevecoeur continues by saying “Here [in America] individuals of all races are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world” (Daniels 101-102). The United States is made up of thousands of individuals who have traveled from all over the world and have overcame numerous obstacles to achieve success. America is known as a “melting pot” due to the racial and ethnical diversities of every citizen. The numerous individuals that have immigrated to America do not melt into a new race of men, they simply have the same purpose as every other citizen of this country, the ambitious goal to succeed and prosper.

When I think of an American; there isn’t a specific race, ethnicity, or culture that comes to mind. America is the country it is today because of all of the immigrants that have suffered through indentured labor and humiliation to achieve the American dream and succeed. There is no race, ethnicity, or culture that defines an American; it’s the ambition, dedication and determination to succeed that make an individual an American. 

Chapter 3: Slavery and Immigrants from Africa

I am disgusted by the thought of slavery itself. I don’t know how there are some cruel individuals who believe that they posses the authority to mistreat a human being. Whether it’s physical or emotional, I strongly believe that it is unacceptable.  It is a shame that historians of Europe and the United States largely ignore the significance that slavery has had in world history and the development of capitalism. African American’s had a huge impact in history, I cant imagine how drastically different our country and world would be if it wasn’t for the crucial labor that millions of innocent African Americans endured.

            It is clearly evident that if it wasn’t for the labor of African immigrants, and all immigrants overall, the world would be completely different. As chapter two mentioned, immigrants were forced to indenture themselves to labor for some planter or company and they were taken advantage of. Slaves weren’t any different; they were forced to work endless hours manufacturing rum, sugar cane, cotton, etc. and were treated as if they were nothing. I can’t believe how West Indian planters decided that it was more expedient to work their slaves to death and then buy more. It seems as if the slave owners viewed African American slaves like a shoe, they would use them until they were completely warn out then they would simply throw them away and buy a replacement.

Immigrants made the largest contribution to the capitalist economy all over the world. I find it to be a racial discrimination that historians simply ignore black history, not only black immigrants who were slaves but also have not paid much attention to black immigrants from the Caribbean. It’s amazing how by the end of the colonial period, roughly every fifth American was either an African immigrant or descendent of one. It’s truly unfortunate that the evidence and material required for writing more about African American history doesn’t even exist since social historians want literate proof. However, African American’s were nonliterate people, they could not express how they felt in letters or diaries, the majority of them didn’t even know how to read or write because they didn’t have the “right” to be educated. White slave traders wrote the only contemporary documents generated about slaves. The slave owners obviously didn’t realize and didn’t care to know about the hell that the slaves were going through.

            I cannot believe the “Myth of the Negro Past”!!! How can people actually believe that Africa was a cultural desert that had no contributions to the rest of the world and that slaves were “primitive savages without even the vestiges of a viable culture” and that whatever Africans might have had in the Old World had been completely vanished? It is more than evident that Africa has a cultural diversity like any other country. The only reason why African slaves didn’t practice their cultural beliefs is because the slave traders prohibited them to.  The amount of lost culture is very unfortunate. Can you imagine how many different rituals we could have witnessed if thousands of slaves would have been able to practice their cultural routines?

            I’m amazed that African slave trade existed for over four centuries. Nearly ten million persons were kidnapped from Africa and most were sold in the America’s. It is thanks to these innocent slaves that we now have a capitalist economy and great manufacturing system. These individuals have been taken advantage of and the least historians can do is give them recognition on their contribution in world history. 

Coming to America: Chapter 1 & 2

As I look over my shoulder, I see the place where I grew up, my heritage, and the land I call home. I can see the hillside covered with beautiful flowers and cactus. I take another glance and I notice the beautiful colors of the Mexican flag the red, white, and green all a symbol of my home and a part of me. I look ahead of me and unknowingly see what will now be my home and future. I can see tall buildings, pavement, and city streets filled with anxious people. I notice another flag, one that I am unfamiliar with; it is red, white and blue. Numerous individuals have no other option but to leave the land they once called home to pursue their life dreams, find a stable career, provide a safe living environment for their children, and hope for success in foreign land. My family is no exception.

            “Migration is a fundamental human activity” (Daniels 3). I believe this passage is very true, and it amazes me that it has remained true throughout history. The human race was able to spread throughout the entire globe because of migration. I found it very interesting how in historic times there was already an established distinction between migration and immigration. Since my family and I moved across an international frontier, we are considered immigrants. Nonetheless, every individual immigrant or not plays an important role in history.

I was stunned when I read that the first person of which scholars are aware of, Lucy, was first found migrating by foot. More surprising is the fact that her footprints were still legible after three million years! I found it very humorous how Daniels used “so-called age of discovery” to describe the European voyages that lead them to land where people had already established themselves. His sarcasm demonstrates how ethnocentric Europeans were throughout history.

The fact that Europeans felt superior then the other individuals in the nation definitely bothers me. “Most Europeans also assumed that they and their stock were inherently superior to the various people the subjugated. With some notable exceptions, Europeans has a contempt for the cultures and peoples they encountered, an attitude that would soon evolve into modern racism” (Daniels 4). It’s very unfortunate that racism began in thousands of years ago and still remains today, although not as severe. Racism has been witnessed most with African Americans, but certain apply to all cultures.

People migrate across the globe for distinct motives and many of them had no idea what they were getting themselves into. It was very sad to read that since migration to America was so expensive, many immigrants were forced to indenture themselves to labor for some planter or company. I believe that this remains true. The price to move from one place to another is unbelievably expensive and a financial burden on many individuals. I know many individuals that have come to America with a farm labor contract that requires them to work with a specific company regardless of the situation. They are taken advantage of when the only thing that the innocent immigrants want is to better themselves and secure their families future. It is shame that individuals believe that they have the right and authority to discriminate a particular immigration group when history has clearly proven that everyone has immigrated from somewhere foreign to the land we now call home in search of a better future. 

A Journal of Pacific Maritime History

As I sit on the sand the salty ice water approaches my toes, I let the sand run through my fingers and listen to the seagulls on the Pacific coastline, and all of my focus is driven to the beautiful sun setting into the ocean. I am amazed by the fact that seventy one percent of earths surface is covered by the ocean. I can’t even begin to imagine the quantity of artifacts, lives, and histories that are hidden deep inside the large body of water that lies before me.  I, like many other individuals, rarely take the time to actually consider how much history, is yet to be revealed with the numerous amounts of historical artifacts and evidence concealed in the sea.

It amazes me how much society underestimates our ancestors that astonishingly voyaged their way around the world. I believe they were extremely courageous individuals that were capable of crossing dangerous and large water barriers to disperse around earth. Our ancestors also managed to discover various coastal adaptations required for survival while voyaging.  Their intelligence allowed them to construct composite forms of watercrafts. They somehow understood the sophisticated technology and engineering required to construct a boat to get them across the huge ocean. Without any education, these individuals worked out of desperation and managed to survive off of marine resources and maintained a strong boat that got them across vicious open waters to a land where they had the opportunity to colonize.

It’s unbelievable how many years it has taken archeologist and maritime historians to discover the antiquity of maritime people. Many families spread around the earth’s surface during a period of dramatic sea-level changes. There were many glaciers during the time of their voyages.  It disappoints me how many archeological evidence is eroding in the ocean due to global warming and the rapid sea-level rise. It is truly unfortunate that most of the coastlines our ancestors used is now submerged deep inside the ocean, making it nearly impossible to discover more ancient seafaring history.

As scholars continue to search for evidence for systematic seafaring, island colonization, and marine hunting, fishing, and shellfish they come to realize that the theories, that were once thought to be true, are being contradicted by artifact found in the ocean and it’s geographical evolution over time. I strongly agree with the most recent theoretical scholar prospective “individuals have always had the capacity to rapidly adapt to a challenging condition. This human ability to innovate during periods of heightened environmental stress is one of the hallmark characteristics of our specie and has been central to out ability to enter and expand throughout the entire breadth of the New World since the last Ice Age.” It’s evident that as time progresses, assumptions scholars are making today is either going to be contradicted or further proven correct. However, something that will certainly remain the same is our amazing ability to adapt correspondingly to situations that rise in our lives. That same courage and strength that we have today, is the strength and courage our ancestors used to survive years of voyage across the oceans, a challenge that is slowly but surely being revealed through time. 

The American Indian and the problem of History

I am amazed by the fact that scholars believe they have the right to simply eliminate someone’s history. It is shameful how so many historians claim that Native Americans have not participated in “history” and are only mentioned when they have encounters with the European White’s who claimed to have created “history”. Even worse often when they are recognized they are referred to as barbaric and an uneducated culture. I cannot believe that such intelligent individuals including historians, anthropologists, and archeologists cannot come to a logical consistent conclusion and therefore must imply that Native Americans lack a history and future. Scholars never gave Indians the opportunity to demonstrate how intelligent they truly are and how civilized there communities were before Europeans invaded America. They overlooked supporting evidence such as linguistics, cultural, and political structures that the Native Americans used before European’s even knew of their existence. I sincerely believe that scholars must take into consideration every aspect of Native Americans and not only focus on what benefits the European White’s. Native American’s were well established in culture, and social behaviors. They had many rituals and tribal practices that they believed benefited their existence many of those traditions are still carried on in the remaining tribes of modern day America. Unfortunately, Europeans viewed Native American’s as barbaric because they were incapable of communicating with them, or lacked the desire to try. Visitors would take advantage of the Indians hospitality and would inflict violence in their villages. Native American’s could have taught a lot to the European culture, such as rather than killing for number, pride, money, or even greed based motives, Native American’s viewed killing as a gift from the God’s who provided them with warmth, food, and even shelter from their hunting. The suffering that Native American’s endured is one of America’s most ugly blemishes and the affect of that is still felt today in the very depleted culture of Native Americans who have few, scattered reservations. It is an ongoing struggle trying to balance traditional culture with modern life, not only with Native American’s but also with all immigrants of the United States. It seems that the great American melting pot can be more like the great American segregator of race and culture. I personally can relate to this article because my family and I are immigrants from Mexico. It is difficult to stay connected to ones roots and traditions while being surrounded by such diversity in this country. Keeping our native identity is an ambitious challenge, but regardless of natural, social, and religious environments our past cannot be changed by anyone or anything and although our past might influence our future it doesn’t guarantee it. European’s cultures and traditions are very diverse from Native American’s and many other individuals; they cannot expect a national identity, which requires us to abandon our own cultures and values because they aren’t the “dominant” class. One day I hope that all recognizes Native American’s true history instead of disregarding the importance of their past.

I'm done!

Yay, I'm done!