Differences between Columbus and Smith

Christopher Columbus

A close examination of Columbus motive in his exploration reveals that he harbored a negative attitude towards the natives. To start with, he considered the natives to be insignificant and the only way they could be important was by acting as laborers for Europeans. Though Columbus used to give some of his possessions to the natives, it is because in so doing he could pacify them and avoid their resistance. For example, he argues that he ‘‘gave to all I approached whatever articles I had about me, such as cloth and many other things, taking nothing of theirs in return" (Sale, 303). His real intention was not to benefit or civilize the natives but instead, he wanted to conquer them in order to be honored by his king. His negative attitude is best manifested when he renames the local islands though they had native names.

John Smith

Smith’s attitude towards natives was positive. He considered the local people to be civil and hospitable and treated them as equals with Europeans. Smith was quick to learn the native languages in order to facilitate communication between him and the locals (Lemay 200).

Differences in Attitude between Bradstreet and Rowlandson

Anne Bradstreet

Bradstreet seemed to have a positive attitude towards natives. She disliked the women roles as outlined by the Puritans. In fact, she was a feminist who fought for the rights of women in literary and religious fields.

Rowlandson

Just like Bradstreet, the attitude of Mary Rowlandson towards Native Americans is negative perhaps due to the ordeal she went through as a captive of the locals. In the book A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, she refers to the natives as ‘‘savages’’. This attitude of hers is, however, justified given her experiences in the hands of the local Indians (Derounian, 40).

Similarities between Creation Myths and Biblical Creation Story

As in the bible, many creation stories claim the existence of a Supreme Being. This Supreme Being was the genesis of all forms of life including human life according to most of the myths. Also, in most of the stories, the Supreme Being initiated life by creating a man and a woman who later gave birth to children (Abrams 98). Since then, new births have continued to be the source of the next generations.

New England Primer

Though the New England Primer was instrumental in teaching the alphabet and morals to American children, it portrayed them as corrupt and it used religion as a tool for the European colonialists to obtain the submission of Americans. Some of the language used in the instruction book was morbid, for example, the couplet for letter G which went as follows: ‘‘As runs the Glass, our life does pass.’’

Differences between the Attitudes of Jonathan Edwards and William Bradford

Jonathan Edwards

As with other Europeans of the colonial times, the attitude of Edwards towards native was negative. He saw them as sinners who needed to repent so that they could enter heaven. He is said to have been distressed by the earthliness and sinfulness of the Indian natives. To fight the wickedness, he started a church ministry, the aim being as he says, ‘‘To rescue lost souls and bring them to eternal happiness” (Murray 78).

William Bradford

From his writings, it can be inferred that Bradford had a negative attitude towards Native communities and his saw them as heathens. He applauds the genocidal activities of the the European settlers. This attitude of Bradford towards the natives is apparent in the journal Plymouth Plantation. In this journal he refers to the Indians as ‘‘the lost tribes’’, and ‘‘irredeemable heathens’’. Further, he calls the carnage perpetrated on the natives by the Puritans as ‘‘sweet sacrifice’’. Bradford had no remorse for the cruelty inflicted upon the natives (Goodwin 167).