Motivation by Cultural Values and Economic Gain through the Pre-Colonial to Antebellum Periods by Ruth Ellen H Collett https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl en-us 2022-11-15 13:37:28 UTC 2022-11-16 13:41:40 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4da.png 1542: Spanish Explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's account of his interactions with indigenous peoples in the Gulf South rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445335 This 1542 account by explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca's account of his interactions with indigenous peoples in the Gulf South. In this unreliable account, the explorer describes a native population enthusiastic about conversion to Christianity. This source reveals a greater truth about the motivation of Spain, in its colonization of North America, to establish comprehensive religious dominance during this time.

Source:
Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, The journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and his companions from Florida to the Pacific, 1528-1536, Fanny Bandelier, trans. Ad. F. Bandelier, ed. (New York: 1922), 99-108. https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-new-world/alvar-nunez-cabeza-de-vaca-travels-through-north-america-1542/]]> 2022-11-15 19:48:49 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445335 1641: Chrestien Le Clercq's account of an indigenous Gaspian man's way of life rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445455 This account by an indigenous Gaspian man evidences the resistance to Christian cultural domination voiced by some groups during these four time periods. The indigenous man acknowledges the French colonizers' view of his people as "the most miserable and most unhappy of all men, living without religion, without manners, without honour, without social order..." He goes on to rebuke the French for their imposition of cultural values on indigenous peoples, identifying their true motivation as the "comfort [of their] misery and the poverty which oppresses [them]. As to us, we find all our riches and all our conveniences among ourselves, without trouble and without exposing our lives to the dangers in which you find yourselves constantly through your long voyages."

Source:
Crestien Le Clercq, New Relation of Gaspesia: With the Customs and Religion of the Gaspesian Indians, William F. Ganong, ed. and trans. (Toronto: 1910), 103-106. https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/colliding-cultures/a-gaspesian-indian-defends-his-way-of-life-1641/]]> 2022-11-15 19:48:54 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445455 1580s: Beginning of major English colonization in North America rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445543 English colonization began in North America during the 1580s and would continue until the fight for American independence in the 18th century. 
To some extent, these colonizers were motivated by their own religious values and wished to fight back against the perceived "heresy" of the Spanish. Although the British were hoping to bring Protestantism to North America, the colonizers were mainly motivated by economic gain. The English wished to both establish systems of trade and extract resources from its colonies. 

Sources:
"Colliding Cultures." In The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, edited by Joseph L. Locke and Ben Wright, 28-53. Vol. 1. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019. 
]]> 2022-11-15 19:48:59 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445543 1776: American Declaration of Independence rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445645 Penned right before the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence established the United States as a sovereign nation free from British control. Though not centered around Christian ideals, the Declaration uses religious language multiple times. The last line of the document, for example, creates a strong connection between political independence and divine will: "Free and Independent States...have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace... And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives..."

Source: 
Jefferson, Thomas, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. "Declaration of Independence." Course pack for US History 300A, compiled by Dr. Miriam Villanueva, Fall 2022, Phillips Academy Andover. ]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:04 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385445645 Early 18th Century: The Great Awakening rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446042 During the colonial era, the American colonies saw a broad resurgence in religious spirit among everyday people. Sermons from the time provide insight into the cultural and social norms perpetuated by religious leaders. Evangelist George Whitefield preached to his congregation about the importance of maintaining godly Christian ideals in the home, asserting "every governor ought with his household to serve the Lord, catechizing and instructing their children and servants, and bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

Source:
Whitefield, George. "The Great Duty of Family Religion," in The Great Awakening: Spiritual Revival in Colonial America, Item #42, http://greatawakeningdocumentary.com/items/show/42. Accessed November 15, 2022.]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:23 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446042 1812: Cultural values, specifically religion, as support for pro and anti-conflict sentiments during the War of 1812 rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446336 Against the backdrop of the brutal War of 1812, religious sects became increasingly politicized. Both pro- and anti-war religious leaders preached sermons in support of their given side, using religious arguments to justify their views. Pro-war army chaplain Samuel Knox, for example, delivered an address to Maryland volunteers urging them to trust in God when fighting this "righteous" war: "Go then ye citizen soldiers, and the God of those armies that fight in a righteous cause—and a righteous cause only, go with you. But, allow me, to beseech you to remember... that the most pious are generally the most valiant...the most courageous heart, can lose none of their strength..."

Knox, S. "A discourse, delivered in the 2d. Presbyterian church in the city of Baltimore, on Thursday, the 20th of August, 1812." Baltimore: Printed by William Warner. https://www.classicapologetics.com/k/Knox.Presby.pdf

]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:37 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446336 1830: Andrew Jackson's State of the Union Address on the 1830 Indian Removal Act rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446440 Religion, specifically Christianity, was used during the early republic era as a justification for the poor treatment of indigenous peoples. In Andrew Jackson's State of Union in 1830, the president spoke on the recently instated Indian Removal Act, which enforced the forced removal of  indigenous people from their lands. Jackson argued that this removal would, "under the protection of the Government and through the influence of good counsels, [allow native peoples] to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community." This statement reflects the standard of Christian values and lifestyle as the ideal state, while also insinuating that the absence of Christianity in these communities categorizes them as subhuman "savages."

Source:
"Manifest Destiny and Indian Removal." Smithsonian American Art Museum. Last modified February 2015. Accessed November 15, 2022. https://americanexperience.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Manifest-Destiny-and-Indian-Removal.pdf. 


]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:41 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446440 1850s: Chinese Americans reject dominant cultural ideals in favor of retaining traditional systems rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446518 Although frequently motivated by economic gain - that is, the hope for a better life upon immigration to the United States - Chinese American displayed notable deviation from the "ideal" Christian lifestyle which existed during the antebellum era.  During the second half of the 19th century, Chinese communities were created in America that retained traditional systems and customs. In Chinatowns across the American West, Chinese Americans celebrated cultural holidays and practiced traditional religions.

Source:
Takaki, Ronald. "'Foreigners in Their Native Land' : The War Against Mexico." In A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (Revised Edition), 155-76. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 2008. 

]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:45 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446518 1861: Address by Confederate Vice President Andrew Stephens rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446609 This speech was given in 1861 by Confederate Vice President Andrew Stephens and details some of the core tenets upon which the seceded state was based. In the address, Stephens asserts the "new Government is founded upon... the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and moral condition." Here, Stephens appeals to prevailing Confederate cultural ideals of white supremacy as well as religious ideology, arguing Northerners were attempting to make things equal which the Creator had made unequal."

Source:
Stephens, Andrew. “Speech of A. H. Stephens,” Frank Moore, ed., Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, etc. Volume I, (New York: 1861), 45-46.

]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:49 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446609 1852: Frederick Douglass' "What to a Slave is the 4th of July?" Address rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446683 In a keynote address on Independence Day, Frederick Douglass addressed the hypocrisy of the system of enslavement existing in a supposedly "free" society. Douglass frequently uses religious language in this speech to attack the institution of slavery, asserting "that God did not establish it...that which is inhuman, cannot be divine!" 

Source:
Douglass, Frederick. "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?," Course pack for US History 300A, compiled by Dr. Miriam Villanueva, Fall 2022, Phillips Academy Andover.]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:53 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446683 1820s-1860s: The Market Revolution and ideals of success influenced by cultural values, including religion rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446782 Starting in the 1820s, the American public saw enormous economic expansion with the rise of commercialism and mass production. During this time, a new ideal of success arose in private life, as the American middle class man "aspired to own a comfortable home and to marry a woman of strong morals and religious conviction who would take responsibility for raising virtuous, well-behaved children..." This aspirational life was heavily motivated by widely held cultural values, in this case religious devotion.

Sources:
"The Market Revolution." In The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, edited by Joseph L. Locke and Ben Wright, 198-226. Vol. 1. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019. 

]]> 2022-11-15 19:49:57 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385446782 Understanding Motivations of Economic Gain and Cultural Values Through the Lens of Religion from Pre-Colonial to Antebellum America rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385501881 How were people in pre-colonial, colonial, early republic, and antebellum America motivated by economic interest or cultural values up until the Civil War?

Americans from the pre-colonial era up until the Civil War were heavily motivated by economic interest and cultural values, specifically religion.
Religion, specifically Christianity, was used as a justification for colonization as well as a guiding set of values for political and social systems of the time. However, resistance to the permeation of Christian values into daily life existed among marginalized groups during all four time periods, including Chinese-American immigrants during the early republic era and indigenous societies in the pre-colonial era. 

]]> 2022-11-15 20:32:21 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385501881 1400s: Religion as a unifying factor among indigenous peoples rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385719647 In the pre-colonial era, religion acted as a unifying factor among tribes and functioned as a center for a civilization. The Mayans of present-day Central America, for example, cultivated a religion which revolved around corn, a key food source of its people. Although directly motivated by economic gain, traders from Mexico also carried aspects of culture, such as the Sun Dance religion, in the North Americas.

Source:
Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. "Follow the Corn." In An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, 15-31. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2014. file:///Users/ruthiecollett/Downloads/Indigenous%20Peoples'%20History%20Follow%20the%20Corn.pdf.]]> 2022-11-16 00:38:41 UTC https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2385719647 Bibliography rcollett24_2 https://padlet.com/rcollett24_2/mbe04i30ik470wcl/wish/2386045697 Primary Sources:
Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, The journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca and his companions from Florida to the Pacific, 1528-1536, Fanny Bandelier, trans. Ad. F. Bandelier, ed. (New York: 1922), 99-108. https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-new-world/alvar-nunez-cabeza-de-vaca-travels-through-north-america-1542/

Crestien Le Clercq, New Relation of Gaspesia: With the Customs and Religion of the Gaspesian Indians, William F. Ganong, ed. and trans. (Toronto: 1910), 103-106. https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/colliding-cultures/a-gaspesian-indian-defends-his-way-of-life-1641/

Douglass, Frederick. "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?," Course pack for US History 300A, compiled by Dr. Miriam Villanueva, Fall 2022, Phillips Academy Andover.

Jefferson, Thomas, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. "Declaration of Independence." Course pack for US History 300A, compiled by Dr. Miriam Villanueva, Fall 2022, Phillips Academy Andover.

Knox, S. "A discourse, delivered in the 2d. Presbyterian church in the city of Baltimore, on Thursday, the 20th of August, 1812." Baltimore: Printed by William Warner. https://www.classicapologetics.com/k/Knox.Presby.pdf

Stephens, Andrew. “Speech of A. H. Stephens,” Frank Moore, ed., Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, with Documents, Narratives, Illustrative Incidents, Poetry, etc. Volume I, (New York: 1861), 45-46.

Whitefield, George. "The Great Duty of Family Religion," in The Great Awakening: Spiritual Revival in Colonial America, Item #42, http://greatawakeningdocumentary.com/items/show/42. Accessed November 15, 2022.

Secondary Sources:

"Colliding Cultures." In The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, edited by Joseph L. Locke and Ben Wright, 28-53. Vol. 1. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019.

Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. "Follow the Corn." In An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, 15-31. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2014. file:///Users/ruthiecollett/Downloads/Indigenous%20Peoples'%20History%20Follow%20the%20Corn.pdf.

"Manifest Destiny and Indian Removal." Smithsonian American Art Museum. Last modified February 2015. Accessed November 15, 2022. https://americanexperience.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Manifest-Destiny-and-Indian-Removal.pdf.

Takaki, Ronald. "'Foreigners in Their Native Land' : The War Against Mexico." In A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (Revised Edition), 155-76. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

"The Market Revolution." In The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, edited by Joseph L. Locke and Ben Wright, 198-226. Vol. 1. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019.
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