Coming to America Chapter 1

While reading this book, I was very glad to find it was easy to understand. In AP U.S History, I had to read A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn. As soon as I read something, it wasn't committed to memory at all. I was able to read Daniels work so much easier and I'm looking forward to the rest of his book. I knew I liked him from second I read " We who write of the triumphs of modern immigration to America must never forget the societies and peoples whom the newcomers conquered and sometimes exterminated."(pg 4)

I found chapter one extremely interesting. Some parts I liked more than others, but overall the experience was really good. Throughout the reading I took down quotes that I thought were especially interesting. Halfway through the reading, I remembered there were questions on the class blog I needed to answer. Reading over the questions, I chuckled to myself because all of the quotes I had taken were directly related to most of the questions asked on the class blog! Id like to share some of those quotes and what I thought about them.

pg 4 "Two centuries later, however, in the Age of Discovery, the attitudes of the Europeans were quite different. No only did they arrogantly assume their own superiority, but they also disregarded the legitimacy of the civilizations and cultures they encountered… European travelers in the new age exhibited as almost universal self-confidence of the superiority of their own culture."

This reminds me of the Columbus Day cartoon I put on this blog two posts down. Columbus happens to look quite arrogant in it. I think Daniels puts this idea into fine words. The Europeans did come in on their extremely high horses and thought they were brilliant in whatever circumstance they found themselves in. "...Disregarded the legitimacy of the civilizations and cultures they encountered" is a nice way of saying (excuse my french) that the Europeans didn't give a shit about anyone but themselves. This point is further drawn out when Daniels writes: " To the vast majority of those who settled what became of the Unites States, Indians were simply another form of animal life, to be killed off, pushed west and eventually to be placed in vast cages known as reservations" (pg11). That quote really opens my eyes and makes me understand even more that a genocide was committed against these peaceful people. To say these peoples were victims is an understatement and Daniels was correct. As he so eloquently put it,

"We who write of the triumphs of modern immigration to America must never forget the societies and peoples whom the newcomers conquered and sometimes exterminated."(pg 4).

Questions for class

1. The distinction between migration and immigration

migration: simply means moving

immigration: moving across national frontier

2. Europeans attitudes towards others change in Age of Discover

"No only did they arrogantly assume their own superiority, but they also disregarded the legitimacy of the civilizations and cultures they encountered… European travelers in the new age exhibited as almost universal self-confidence of the superiority of their own culture."

3. Number of Native Americans that lived in US and Canada in 1492

About two and a half or three million

4. How the Spanish French and English used the Indians

Spanish: labor/slaves to help gather treasures, establish mines and finding new ones

French: In the New France ( Canada) " the French wanted the Indians to become even more proficient at one of their traditional occupations: fur trapping.

English: Pg10 "Unlike the Spaniards and the French, the English had no long-term use for the Indians.

5. Laws or tendencies of migration. Push, pull and means.

What makes people leave or stay in a country.

"Push refers to those forces existing in the place of origin that encourage or impel persons to emigrate." Example of push: potato famine of the Irish, economic pressures or pressures of a growing population.

"Pull refers to those attractive forces emanating from the migrants' goal that draw migrants." Example of pull: famous handbills that drew the Joads to California in the Grapes of Wrath. " Noneconomic attractive forces include promises of political and/or religious freedom and such factors as climate and freedom form the military service"

"Means is shorthand for the ability to migrate: This include the availability of affordable transportation, the lack of restraints on mobility in the place of origin and the absence of effective barriers at the destination."

6. Immigration Myths

The Plymouth Rock

Most immigrants came for religious or political liberty

The Statue of Liberty

Most immigrants were dirt poor

The Melting Pot

American was a "melting pot: in which nationalities and ethnic groups would fuse into one."