Inflicting inferiority complex among the native dwellers is one way in which Europeans used to conquer and rule other lands. They got into the land that belonged to other people then try to convince those people that they are more superior to them. That they are a special race miles ahead of others. The superiority that the Europeans focused on when they first settled in America was race and religion. They made the native Americans believe that Christianity was the superior religion and that should be adhered by everybody on earth. They, therefore made the Native American feel that they actually needed the European to civilize them on matters to do with religion. When Columbus first landed in America, he thought that he has landed in India (Mauk 52). This was because of the similarity of their skin completion with the Indians. They also used racial and cultural superiority to make the Native Americans fear them. They made them believe that the white race was more superior to any other race, and that their aim is to help other inferior races get civilized.
Slavery was something which existed since the beginning of recording of history. For a long time, slavery was taken as a normal thing which posed no moral injustice. It was normal for the captives of war to be subjected to slavery. On the other hand, the European believed that Africans are cursed race and by taking them to slavery so that they can mingle with the white was just a favor. They also believed that the Africans were so uncivilized that they deserve to be treated with any level of cruelty without any discretion. In the late 17th century and the early 18th century, the Spain, England, and Portugal expanded their colonies. They needed more labor for the production of food and sustainability. The Native American were too week to provide such labor. As a result, they started sourcing for slaves in Africa.
The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment are the periods in the American history that are characterized by a great change in the various perception of human life. The Enlightenment period was characterized by great academic improvement and inventions that brought the scientific world into a different level. The likes of Isaack Newton made various inventions that changed the overall scientific paradigm. The Enlightenment was characterized by logic and rationality which was a contrast of the Great Awakening. It brought in sense the need to put a way superstition and logically reasoning with facts. There was no rationale behind the Great Awakening (Mauk 126). It was based on the fear that the spirituality of the colonies was being eroded. It involved encouraging people to feel more religious and to approach issues with their hearts rather than their brains. The consumer revolution came as a result of great enlightenment. People become more creative hence the agrarian revolution. As a result, there was enough food to feed the population.
The French Indian war which began in 1753 and ended in 1764 was as a result of territorial struggle for expansion. As a result, the Britain was able to acquire even more land in the Northern America. The war resulted into a lot of expenses which was necessary to acquire the military and also to provide them with the firearms. At the same time, the Britain also had to control a vast land in the northern America. This control also required resources. The resources were therefore split between the expense of war and the ruling of the British territory. By the time the Treaty was signed in Paris to end the war, the British had used too much resources hence could not effectively rule its territory in the North America (Mauk 221). This is the very point that the American Revolution ensued. To cover for the great expense used during the war, the British decided to tax their colonies. This resulted into imperial crisis with many Americans joining the revolution side.
Works Sited
Mauk, David C., and John Oakland. American civilization: an introduction. Routledge, 2013.
