American Revolution Essay

? The Northern Native Americans were known as â€Å"savages† by the European settlers, but actually they created some of the greatest civilizations in history. The lands and social cultures that European explored thought they â€Å"discovered† had in fact been developed way before they had arrived. When the European settlers arrived in North America they found an unknown continent largely populated by around 350 Native American civilizations. The Northern Native Americans ways of life may have differed but they were all able maintain and create advanced civilizations with an effective use of land and agriculture, a well-organized social structure and adequate living arrangements . One of the main reasons why Northern Native Americans were able to create such strong civilizations was due to their effective use of land and agriculture. With different native societies being located in the Southwest, South and Northeast of America, they all had to overcome different climatic and geographical hardships to survive. The Pimas and Papagos had to deal with the overwhelming fact of Southwest dryness and find a way to create an effective civilization that would thrive. The Pimas and the Papagos were able to make irrigation farming possible with narrow bands of vegetation in wet sands found along rivers to the Gulf of Meixco and Californina for nearly 3,000 years before European colonization. The Natchez and the Indians of Florida in the South lived in a climate that was perfect for farming with wide-ranging fertile plains and rich bottom land which made farming even more possible. Since agriculture is such a large part in all Native American civilizations, with the perfect climate and geography for farming enough food and plants were grown to support thousands of people. The Native Americans of the Northeast were blessed with varied geographical features but not as blessed with having to deal with growing seasons since it got very cold in the winter. In the Northeast cultivation became strongest support of the Native American economy. The Iroquois women were able to grow and harvest food to support 50 longhouses. Due to the way the Native Americans were able to adjust to their geographic and climatic hardships farming became prosperous. Along with agriculture, social structure is also a key factor in a successful civilization. The Pimas settlements were located a large distance apart and were governed by assemblies of men with one headman to manage the irrigation works. The Pueblo people had a strict code of behavior to abide by along with a government system and ceremonies of rituals. The Natchez had their own leader they called the Great Sun and they lived in a class based society where public torture and human sacrifice was common. The Indians of Florida had a similar social structure living in chiefdoms that were characterized by a class system. The Iroquois nation founded a confederacy that was able to control the period of persistent violence. This confederacy became one very powerful as it suppressed violence and outlawed warfare among member nations. By forming some sort of government, each Native American civilization were able to control their people and reach stability. The advanced civilizations would not have been stable if ample living arrangements for the large population of Native Americans did not exist. In the Southwest, the Pimas and Papagos lived in detached settlements that were separated up to a mile apart which allowed limited interaction with other people. The Pueblos lived a communal village life, living in dwellings of interconnected apartments. Due to the commitment of communal village life, the Pueblos populated the oldest continuously occupied towns in the United States. In the South, the Indians lived in villages of twenty to large towns of thousands; depending on their ways of life. The Iroquois of the Northeast lived in 400ft long homes called longhouses that housed dozens of families. Their villages were surrounded by wood walls which was evidence of conflict between groups. Algonquian communities consisted of smaller independent villages than those of the Iroquois people. The statement â€Å"By the eve of European Conquest, North Native Americans had constructed good civilizations† is true because way before the European settlers believed they found a â€Å"new world† the Native Americans were advancing and establishing strong civilizations on their own. When the Europeans came to settle, they encountered hundreds of Native American communities that were highly advanced for the time period. Even with limitations of their homeland due to geographic and climatic hardships, the North Native Americans were able to create livable and advanced civilizations. These civilizations thrived due to the Native Americans being able to adjust to their surrounding allowing great use of land for agriculture, strong social structures and organized living. .