Who REALLY Discovered America? Should any of these folks get the credit?

Or Maybe These Guys (and Gals!)

Some Important (Serious!) Points Indians were not one people Tribes were not united into ‘nations’ Indians had great variety in physical appearance, language, and culture

Indians V. Europeans Indian cultures were very different from European ways; it was perhaps inevitable that they would not get along. They had different ideas about religion, family life, and government.

The Major Issue: Land Native Americans did not have the same concepts of private land ownership that Europeans did. This would be the major problem from the start.

Conflict Begins Some factors favored the Indians: *Superior numbers *Home turf *Knew how to survive *Defending homes and families

In The Conquers’ Favor *Tribes did not work together *Europeans had superior technology *Indians were broken with booze *KEY FACTOR---DISEASE! Especially smallpox!