Women and Native Americans for the Period from 1492 1867 in America

Lack of Freedoms and Limited Opportunities of Women and Native Americans for the Period from 1492-1867 in America
Introduction
The year 1492 counts as the starts of colonization in America. This is when Columbus sailed into the new-found land with three of his ships i.e. Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta. Native Americans impressed him with their kindness but he resulted to abusing them instead of showing the same kindness (Snyder, 2017). The king and queen Ferinand and Isabella were not impressed with the manner in which Columbia was treating the Native Americans (Marilley, 2014). The King and Queen force Columbus to go back to Spain. After this, in the year 1583, another group went into a small Island known as Roanoke with an objective of colonizing it. Roanoke Island one of the Americas Islands. This group was not successful in their colonization mission. Another group was sent in 1587 to try a second time. The missions led to emigration into America therefore giving Native Americans challenge after challenge. The entry of many groups caused many wars in this region therefore affecting the Natives. This discourse attempts to analyze the effect that these activities had on women’s freedom between the year 1492 and 1867. In a similar manner the essay investigates the lack of opportunities for women during this same period. The positive impact for Native Americans from the activities of this period is also examined. Finally, the paper discusses the colonization consequences for Native Americans.
Limited opportunities and freedoms for Women
The history of women during this period is quite scanty on the available documents. The women mentioned are mostly mothers, wives and the women associated with protagonists from America and Europe (McDonagh, 2018). Very few people have heard of Isabel Chimpu Occlo, a princess and a daughter of Atahualpa Tupac, the last of the great emperors of Inca. This woman was a great and pioneer of the successful mestizo writers who existed at the time (Snyder, 2017). Some people might be aware of Malinche. She used to be an interpreter from the Aztecs language to Spanish. At the end of it she fell in love with Hernan Cortez. She was later accused of betrayal for her people to the Mexican conquistador. Most people seem to forget that Dona Marina or Malinche was in fact from the Maya community. The Maya were conquered over brutally by the Aztecs (Camp, 2004). Available evidence about women involvement during the history of colonization suggests that Maya people were considered victims of the occurrences.
The doctrine of common law was one of the laws in the pre-colonial period before 1492. This law prevented women from being empowered. The law stated that men were given full control and dominance over women, their property and their money (McDonagh, 2018). An example of the consequence of this law is that any poor man was capable of sending his children into a poorhouse without consulting the wife. The woman had no say on the matter. During divorce the man had the privilege of keeping everything including property and children. According to the common law women were not to get any education save for the educational preparation in medical practice (Buhle, Murphy & Gerhard, 2009). As a consequence, women got many children. This prevented them from ever developing themselves professionally. If a situation occurred where a woman killed the husband this would be considered a homicide. To the contrary if a man did the same thing the man would only be said to be possess some ‘passion shooting’ (Marilley, 2014). Such events were quite detrimental to the efforts of women who wanted to push for equality. It was necessary to change the perception in if equity was ever to be achieved.
In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries women had to contend with a system that was excessively patriarchal. This system was adamant about not giving women any say. Political and cultural occurrences during the centuries caused a growth of attention towards the issues of women. For instance, educational reforms allowed more women to become enlightened therefore making it possible for them to voice their views about injustices (McDonagh, 2018). The feminism mentality today was not there during this time. Women had to fight for themselves and express their situations through some creative and at times subversive mean.
There was a certain social structure that existed between 1492 and 1545 in America. This social structure diminished any opportunities to get women involved. Women were only afforded the opportunity to serve their families. It was generally expected that women would focus on their domestic activities and duties for the sake of making the family and their husbands better (Marilley, 2014). More often than not women education was not a priority. It was viewed as a detrimental initiative that would make traditional women virtues of morality and innocence go away. Any woman who voiced their opinion in opposition of the patriarchal attitudes or the existing injustices was threatened with exile from the community or even something worse. The unmarried women who were vocal were mostly faced with this witch hunt threat.
Women in America had no permission to take part in any religious studies. Low class citizens got access to the bible from 1705. The study of religion was strictly used for personal introspection and women were not allowed to take part. From 1705 women could use religion as an avenue to express their sentiments and ideas (Buhle, Murphy & Gerhard, 2009). Over and above the religion, women were able to express their sentiments through private autobiographies and letters.
The 1678 era did not bring and drastic changes in women conditions or status. During this year women played an important role in the political and economic spectrum through the domestic activities they took part in (Marilley, 2014). Women were counselors in their homes and they moderated the actions and words of their husbands. Even though women did not participate in politics directly, their role in the local community and their families made it possible for them to influence political systems. No woman could take a different political stand from their husband or even condemn any political system that was established. This notwithstanding women could publicly make known their private views through the religious and personal writings (Salinas, 1992). Women who challenged prejudices and norms in the society risked their own lives. One woman, Mary Dyer, got hanged for her continued stand against the law prohibiting Quakers from access to the colony. Although the influence of women was often disparaged they continued to participate in different activities in the community. Women, for instance were allowed full membership into English guilds. The records from the guild show the reference to words such as freewoman, freeman, sistern and brethern. In the 17th century the writings of women continually concentrated on religious issues although they increasingly became intellectual and creative in their private writings and journals (Salinas, 1992). A publication of 1682 by Mary Rowlandson is quite famous and was apparently written for private use although it came into public light and became a resounding public success story.
Women didn’t have any political voice before 1848. They had no voting writes. Abolitionist activists made up of mostly women came together in 1848, in New York for the purpose of discussing the rights of women (Camp, 2004). Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Candy Stanton were the people who invited abolitionist activists to the forum. Most delegates agreed with the view that American women had autonomy and had a right to have their personal political views and identities.
Native Americans
During this period Native Americans contended with some negative and some positive consequences. When the colonizers began entry into America they brought new technologies that made it possible for agriculture to grow (Clow & Wunder, 1997).
Agricultural Prosperity
The success in agricultural activity began between 9000 and 5000 years ago. The Western and Eastern hemispheres experienced the agricultural revolution at around the same time. Clow and Wunder (1997) found that Mesoamericans from the current Mexico and people from Central America depended on corn for population development in the hemisphere at around 1200 BCE. Corn has high calorie content and can be easily stored and dried. In Mesoamerica and the fertile areas of the gulf coast corn was harvested even two times in one year. Corn continues to an important crop in North America. It is important both culturally and spiritually for the Native American communities.
Native Americans used to manage forests through burning the underbrush in order to create some hunting grounds and prepares for the planting seasons. Various groups would shift cultivation areas. Farmers would cut forests and burn the bushes for seed planting in areas that were rich in nutrients (Geisler, 2013).
Social changes that came with diminishing health for some
Through agriculture there were fundamental social changes although some people may have experienced declining health. According to evidence from human remains societies that shifted to agriculture may have experienced weaker teeth and bones (Meltzer, 2010). Despite the downsides agriculture came with numerous benefits. It became possible for farmers to produce more than hunters would, therefore, enabling other community members to pursue different careers. Skilled soldiers, artists and religious leaders managed to pursue different activities different from food production.
Race making and slavery
The 1660s marked an important turnaround for women and black men in colonies such as West Indies’ Barbados and North America’s Virginia. There were laws that afforded legal authority for the enslaved Africans at the time (The American Yawp, n.d.). The separation and freedom deprivation for the enslaved populations helped to elect racial boundaries. The color of the skin quickly became a major divider between the blacks and the whites. The horrifying cruelty of slavery in America disillusioned Francis Le Jau, a Reverend, upon his arrival in Carolina’s Charles Town in the year 1706. The Reverend had encountered with Africans who were enslaved during Middle passage, Indians moving towards the enemy village in the south to enslave them, and the colonial powers worried about the likelihood of being invaded by the Spaniards from Florida and the French from Louisiana. Death and slavery were all over.
Wars
The colonialists used war as an avenue of acquiring Native Americans as their slaves. The legal European adjudicators from the 17th century considered slavery for prisoners as an act of mercy because in their opinion killing them outright was what justice demanded. Indians from North America’s West Indies were sold by the colonialists from Massachusetts Bay. Years later the New Netherland Dutch colonists enslaved the Indians during the Kieft war that happened between 1641 and 1645 and the Escopus wars that happened between 1659 and 1663 (The American Yawp, n.d.). The war masters i.e. the Dutch sent their captives into Bermuda and Curacao in Southern Caribbean (Meltzer, 2010). During the war of King Philips between 1675 and 1676 more slaves of Indian descent were captured. This was a time when there was an Indian uprising against invasion of the colonies of New England. Many Indians were taken captive and enslaved. Colonists from New England also attempted to send enslaved Indians into Barbados although the Assembly of Barbados declined to take the Indians in. The fear was that these Indians would fuel rebellion.














References
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