Netanya Carmona

ENGL 1302
Professor C. Robinson
10 February 2017
Essay #1

Its apparent that as of late, America has not been the most peaceful

nation. The Black Lives Matter movement remains prominent, and there has

been rage over Donald Trumps new position as president. This is especially

true after he signed an executive order that banned citizens of seven

predominately Muslim countries from entering the United States. However,

these examples of racism occurring in America are not anything new.

Discrimination against Native Americans and Africans has been an issue

since the arrival of the English, who wished for them to adopt their own

culture. In his book A Different Mirror, historian Ronald Takaki states that

the greater part of the earth was possessed and wrongfully usurped by

wild beastsor by brutish savages. A Virginia pamphlet argued that it was

not unlawful for the English to possess part of the Indians land. (36). The

English referred to the Native Americans and Africans as brutish savages,

deeming them unworthy and uncivilized because of their differences in belief

system and apparent libidinousness, however, these beliefs are what

guaranteed the survival of these two cultures.

When English colonizers decided to set sail for America, they had been

expecting a religious utopia. Puritans, or dissenters who believed that the

Church of England was in need of purifying, fled England after James I

banished them (Tindall and Shi 43). Starving in England, the Puritans would
finally be able to cultivate the Lords garden in America. This was their idea

and, upon encountering the Native Americans, thought they lacked what

they believed made them civilized. This included Christianity, cities, and

clothing, but the English also found them to be too driven by their sexuality

(Takaki 33). The same went for Africans, who were exposed to the unpleasant

idea that was white mans burden. Christians sought to educate the

Africans and convert them. In their opinion, it was their duty to do so and

save the uncivilized masses (White). Things were only made worse through

slavery, which brought on centuries of suffering for African Americans.

As Africans were transported over to America, they brought over not

only their belief in spirits and magic, but also their belief in a Creator. This

made it easy for some to accept the Christianity that was forced upon them

since they could recognize in the Christian God. White slave masters did

their best to rid their slaves of African religion and spirituality in fear of them

organizing rebellions. In their eyes, a Christianized slave would be less

troublesome to manage. In secret, however, they would gather in bush

meetings and worship in their own way. If not considered Christians, some

slaves would still choose to practice aspects of Christianity since they found

comfort in the bible. They identified with its promise of salvation and used

the lyrics of religious spirituals to aid them in time of need. The songs

provided a sense of relief and helped them endure their daily suffering. Not

only that, but the songs served as clues in the case of helping slaves to

escape through the Underground Railroad (Tindall and Shi 409). As a result,
music has become an integral part of African American culture in terms of

religion to this day.

Similar to Africans, Native American beliefs were not taken seriously

and were looked down upon. Tribes such as the Wampanoag believed in

Spiritualism and would thank Mother Earth and all organisms for the gifts

they provided. However, the English would ridicule the Natives and call them

inferior and unintelligent. To them, they were nothing more than devil

worshippers who were fueled by lust and had no manners whatsoever (Takaki

41). When Christianity was introduced to Native tribes, it was in an attempt

to civilize them. In This May Be the Last Time, a film by Sterlin Harjo, it is

stated that it was difficult to convert Native Americans because of the

language barrier, so Christianity was presented to them through music. This

music was meant to ruin their culture, but it was instead embraced by tribes

as they made it their own. Later on, however, more efforts were taken to

forcefully assimilate them. Jefferson went as far to say that it was the

Shawnees own fault for their drastic population decline, that it was because

they were uncivilized rather than because of the introduction of foreign

diseases and invasion of their land. He declared that Native Americans

should live on private property, learn arithmetic, give up hunting, and live by

industry to make them more like the white man (Takaki 46). To make matters

worse, Indians were forced off their own land and made to suffer through the

Trail of Tears. Many died along the way, and their sorrow fueled the songs

many Native Americans sing today.

 It isnt any secret as to how horrifically Native Americans and African

Americans were treated throughout history. Perhaps the instances of

discrimination against these two groups are not as noticeable to some, it

definitely exists in America to this day. Its important to acknowledge their

suffering and recognize their strength, because despite all the hardships

faced, these two cultures have fought against those who tried to change

them. They took what was thrown at them and turned their pain into

motivation. The Africans and Native Americans proved that their beliefs were

not wrong, and that they could still manage to maintain their sense of

identity for years to come.

 Works Cited

Shi, David E., and George Brown. Tindall. America: A Narrative History. New

York: W.W. Norton, 2016. Print.

Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror. 2nd ed. New York: Back Bay-Little, Brown,

2008. Print.

This May Be the Last Time. Dir. Sterlin Harjo. BOND360, 2014. Netflix.

Web. 15 September 2015.

White, Alex. "The White Mans Burden: The Sad Story of the Scramble for

Africa." Holistic History. N.p., 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.