Pre Columbian America Essay Example for Free

Pre Columbian America Essay There is no certain answers as to how pre columbian natives got to America. There are many theories based on hard evidence. The Paleo-Indians, archaeologists refer to as the first americans. At this point there was no official scripture in their society. Paleo Indians seemed to have paved the way for many other cultures to settle. All though in many cases these native settlers were very different from one another, they also had a plethora of similarities. Most of the tribes in the new world all believed in the same work ethic. Woman would gather, care for their children, and maintain the household, while men hunted for food. When Paleo Indians, or other tribes would run into each other along the way, they followed the principle of reciprocity. This means they would have a mutual bestowing of gifts, favors, etc. Rather than the notion that one party accumulate profits or power at the expense of the other. These encounters enabled Paleo Indians to develop a broad cultural life that transcended their small bands (5). When hunting, American natives preferred to travel in groups capable of taking down big mammals. Mammals such as Mammoths, Mastodons, and giant species of horses, camels, bison, caribou, and moose. All the settlers had to eventually deal with climate change over time, which could affect the food chain, and cultivation of the areas crops. around 4000 B. C. E. Natives began to evolve their Paleo ways. Once the glaciers began to melt and move northward, â€Å"Archaic peoples,† flourished in these newer areas. Most of the time these areas became rich with food, water, and natural resources. Around 2500-1500 B. C. E most natives moved on from their predecessors ways. Most of these natives excelled in the cultivation of crops. They were capable of producing more food for one area, so it was easy to have more people in a smaller town. This surplus of crops made it easier for different communities of larger populations to band a bond of trade. Not only did these natives begin trading surplus resources, but they began to trade customs, religious beliefs, and ideas. Sometimes dozens of communities would come together and form larger towns. The Aztecs and Incas took it even further and formed two separate empires. Natives all took agriculture very seriously. Domesticating crops, made it possible for communities to have healthier, and more sufficient food. Some tribes have chiefs in charge of a few, if not many communities. These leaders make many decisions for the community, this is called chiefdoms. Prime examples of societies that run like that are indicas, mayans, and aztecs. The mayans developed a numerical system, with the concept of zero. They also developed a calendar, a system of phonetic, and hieroglyphic writing. The Incas, another powerhouse society mastered the art of using the terrain of their community to help create irrigation systems to make it easier to water crops faster. The Incas had strong agriculture, and had much surplus to trade. Although not every society based their lives off of only agriculture. Some native societies, are non farming societies. What these societies do is fish for salmon and collect other wild food resource and stockpile to last the year. These non farming communities would fish in freshwater rivers, to the salt water sea. Catching mammals of the sea, whales, shellfish, etc. Also spent much time hunting land mammals for fur, and food. Crops are not these societies number one concern. Also, Most natives hail from an extended family Native Americans believed in nature and all of its wonders. They believed that everything living is connected. When they killed their prey, they asked for pardon, and gave thanks. Native Americans never saw themselves as single peoples, the term indian did not come until the arrival of europeans in 1492 (22). These natives first inhabiting america lived very similar lives from one another. Most natives hail from an extended family. The tribes took agriculture, hunting, and beliefs very seriously. They all seemed to adapt to environmental changes as time went on in their settlements. Of course when natives first got to America they all experienced different hardships, but overcame them in their own ways. As I read chapter one, by the end of it I realized that most of the tribes individually contributed their knowledge to overcome hardships in history. And they shared these contributions with one another to help each community grow. For instance, Mayans created their numerical system, and Indicas with their irrigation systems, etc. These natives seemed to all have great work ethic, a will to live, and a will to express their beliefs. They all settled areas of untouched land, and created their own societies, and their own futures. American natives banded together to create opportunity, and sought after a better life for themselves. Pre- Columbian Native Americans were not the savages the Europeans described them to be. Native Americans were intelligent, hard working, and misunderstood people.

The Humanistic View :: essays research papers

During the renaissance, humanism was a philosophy that was characterized by its blending of the concern of the history and actions of all human beings, and their influence in the world, with religious duty. Prior to renaissance thinking, medieval Europe considered life to be sinful and should despised, and that people should only be concerned about their duty to God. Writers of the renaissance time period expressed their opinions about human nature and human’s role in the universe through their writings. Alberti, whose work includes, â€Å" On the Family†, emphases the importants of self-worth and education. He writes, â€Å" If one wishes to gain praise and fame, he must abhor idleness and laziness and oppose them as deadly foes. Basically Alberti says, is that if a person goes about their everyday life without the desire for education, therefore, that person is useless to their community. Bruni, Castiglione, and Pico take humanism a step further. Unlike Alberti, they stress the importants of self-appearance. They believe men should act like a gentlemen, speak softly and be stern with their words, but also at the same time be war ready. From the Book of the Courtier, Castiglione writes, â€Å" where of I think the first should be to handle every sort of weapon well on foot and on horse, understand the advantages of each, and especially to be familiar with those weapons that are ordinary used among gentleman†, what he is saying is that a man during this time should be skilled to fight and he should also know his weapons. For a woman, basically it’s the same thing as a man, with two exceptions. The first exception is that if a woman, who is out in public, and engaged in a conversion she knows nothing about, for her sake she should not comment on anything. And the second exception is that if a woman when speaking, should be very careful not to show how smart she is or how she may have had a better up bringing than a man. Dante and the humanist have many things in common; such as they both like the classic styles of writing from ancient Greece and Rome, they both have praised the importants of a higher education in their works. But the only thing I see Dante differing from the humanist is the focus of God in their life. , Dante's relationship with God is evident in his writing, which portrays the experience of a deeply committed Christian.

70s Fashion Began Where the 60s Left Off

70s fashion began where the 60s left off. Mini skirts were popular and theflower power influence was everywhere. 60s' trends first adopted by the beautiful people filtered into mainstream wear. Trousers were flared and shirts had big collars. For men, the kipper tie was soon standard wear with a suit. These girls (above) are at a party in the summer of 1970. They show that the mini skirt was far from dead. 70s' fashion took on a multitude of different styles and influences. As well as the hippy style of the late sixties, there was nostalgia for the past. First for the 20s and 30s, then the 40s and 50s and finally the Edwardian era. There was also concern for the environment and strong ethnic influences. Men's fashion adopted a look that would have been considered too feminine a few years earlier. Shirts were tight fitting with big collars and were brightly patterned. There was also a trend towards unisex clothes. The formal suit was still expected to be worn to a dinner party in the 70s; for younger men it was usually only worn in the office or for formal occasions. Jeans, increasingly flared, were popular with men and women for everyday wear. By the end of the decade, change was on the way. Punk rejected everything that had gone before. Mini, midi or maxi The popularity of the mini skirt was challenged in the early 70s and a group of (male) truckers even organised a campaign to bring it back in 1970. However, the mini remained popular in the early years of the 70s, but women now could chose between, mini, midi, (mid-calf length) or maxi (full length) skirts. Hot pants, ultra short shorts, sometimes with a bib and braces, were a variation on the theme. The girl on the above, right, is wearing a pair of navy hot pants with long white socks. Her blouse is in a floral pattern and has a big collar with rounded corners. Longer dresses, inspired by the hippy era of the late sixties, were also in fashion, with paisley or floral patterns being popular. I lived in Portsmouth in 1970/71/72 and was aged 16-18 at that time so had the best of it. Hot pants, mini skirt/dress, long dress and maxi coat, wide brimmed hats, seed bead jewellery and a headband round my head!! I was a true hippy to begin with and went to the Isle of Wight pop festival in 1970. Chris Flares and platform soles Two trends defined the 70s in a fashion sense: flared trousers and platform soles. Flares were derived from the hippy fashion for loon pants of the late 60s. They were worn by men and women. The flare was from the knee and reached exaggerated proportions in the middle years of the 70s. The trousers were often hipsters, sitting on the hips rather than the waist, and tight fitting. The combination of flares and denim made flared jeans the fashion phenomenon of the decade. Platform soles were mainly worn by women and more fashionable men. There were health warnings about damage that could be caused to the back in later life, but the fashion did not last long enough for that to have an effect. There was an element of thirties retro in the style of some of the shoes, which echoed the thirties' love of two-tone or co-respondent black and cream or brown and cream colours. Bright colours also gave the shoes more of a space age look. Platform soles on eBay Nostalgia Nostalgia had a big influence on fashion in the 70s. Barbara Hulanicki's Biba label popularised a look derived from the 20s and 30s. There was a brief fashion for loudly checked tweed Oxford Bags for men and women from around 1972. These were usually worn with platform soled shoes in 30s style two-tone patterns. Biba took over venerable, old London department store, Derry and Toms, in 1973 and turned it into an Art Deco palace. The Biba store became a hip meeting place and a complete lifestyle emporium. The Biba look was a long cotton skirt, worn with a long sleeved shirt or smock, and topped with a floppy brimmed hat. Biba was ahead of its time in providing a complete lifestyle store. However, Biba did not make commercial sense; it was more of a place to hang out than to shop. A large part of the store's floor space was not used to sell merchandise. Big Biba, as the store became known, closed two years later. Laura Ashley, founded by Bernard and Laura Ashley in the 1950s, looked back further when they introduced British women to Edwardian style dresses and nineteenth century inspired floral prints in the mid-70s. Laura Ashley, unlike Biba, was commercially successful and is still going strong today, although sadly Laura Ashley herself met an untimely death in 1985. Formal occasions The 70s were more relaxed than the 60s. However, on formal occasions and in the office men still wore suits. The kipper tie, favoured by the fashionable in the late sixties, became a standard men's accessory. For women, long dresses were often worn for formal occasions. This wedding, left, is from 1970. The lady's floppy hat and long dress drew inspiration from the hippy era as well as nostalgia for the 1930s. The brown colour, also derived from the 1930s, was very popular throughout the 70s. Long hair was fashionable for both men and women. Beards were also popular. This again was a hangover from the flower power years of the late 60s. In many peoples' minds psychedelia was very much in, although the pop music scene had moved on by then. Jeans and the casual look In the more relaxed mood of the 70s, jeans were increasingly popular. Initially little changed from the sixties, but by the mid seventies most people were wearing flares. Printed t-shirts were also increasingly popular in the 70s, as were trainers and canvas shoes. Late 70s fashion By the end of the 70s, flares were still mainstream fashion. This group, left, shows two younger men with long hair. One wears a suede safari jacket with a wide collar and brown, flared trousers. This look was favoured by Brodie and Doyle in the TV series, ‘The Professionals'. The other young man with a short leather jacket and flared blue jeans is more casual and younger looking. The older man has a beard (a very fashionable look in the 70s) and wears a wet-look type anorak. The woman is wearing a suit. Flares, denim, long hair and cheesecloth shirts were the staple of 70s men's fashion throughout most of the decade. Inspired by the hippy movement of the late sixties, this look, echoing the hippy dream of Free Love and optimism, did not fit with the closing years of the 70s, but mainstream fashion was unable to change. 70s Punk fashion Punk came to most people's attention from 1977 onwards through the publicity surrounding the original Punk band, The Sex Pistols. The Sex Pistols' promoter, Malcolm McLaren, together with his partner, designer Vivian Westwood, created the original Punk look. Their shop at 430 Kings Road, originally named ‘Let it Rock', a Ted revival store, was called ‘Sex' at the time the Sex Pistols band appeared. The look was based on a sexual fetish for black leather, mainly for its shock value, combined with ripped t-shirts carrying slogans designed to provoke. McLaren and Westwood changed their shop's name again to ‘Seditionaries: Clothes for Heroes' at the end of 1976. The new name heralded a wholly Punk outlook. The stock featured bondage trousers, bondage dresses and a new t-shirt featuring the Punk message, â€Å"Destroy†. Punk was a rejection of anything that was considered good taste. Ripped and bleached clothes were part of the look, as was spiked hair, dyed in bright colours. Black make up and safety pins as earrings were often worn. For most Punks, quite a few of whom were unemployed, the look could easily be created from modifying second-hand clothes rather than from a trip to the Kings Road. Punk itself lasted into the early 80s. Its importance though, was as a catalyst for change in the fashion world. Punk rejected the flared jeans and cheesecloth shirts which were popular mainstream fashion. It rejected the hippy style and the hippy view of the world. Vintage Punk fashion on eBay Late 70s fashion trends The end of the seventies saw the appearance of a number of youth cults formed formed in the wake of Punk. Amongst those was a revival of the Mod style of the sixties, as well as the Teddy Boy look of the fifties. Mainstream youth fashion also changed dramatically; the 1980 film, ‘Gregory's Girl' illustrates how quickly. One of Gregory's mates, who is a year older, has left school and got a job as a window cleaner. He has saved his money to buy a white jacket with enormous lapels. Gregory's contemporary, Steve, has a white jacket with lapels an inch wide. There was always a particular way to wear a school tie. In 1979 the knot was tied very near the wide end. The 3 inch long tie was tucked into a pullover, to give the impression it was a kipper tie. From 1980, it was folded in half length ways to reduce the width and pressed with an iron so it stayed put. By 1980, school ties were often worn ‘back to front' so that the ‘thin end' was prominent. The fat end was tucked into the school shirt, behind the knot. A bit uncomfortable, but very trendy. Al I was coming into my teens in 1979, but the punk look was still very much for the minority and most kids still had longish hair, shirts with big collars and flared trousers, although the flares were becoming smaller. Locally the mod revival at the end of 1979 killed off this fashion rather than punk. By 1981 seventies fashions and music had become a total joke and almost no one under 50 would be seen dead in flares. Even punk was being classed as old hat and too seventies. Glenn A High fashion was very different at the end of the 70s. Ralph Lauren designed the clothes for the hit Woody Allen film, ‘Annie Hall' in 1977. There was a distinct 80s feel to the outfits worn by Annie (Diane Keaton), who wore crumpled socks, full skirts and layered jackets. Young people dropped flares and wide collars with breath taking speed. Older people were slower to change from the 70s look, but by around 1983, the archetypal 70s style was extinct. 70s fashion reference Fashion of the 70s is another great Taschen 25. It is packed with adverts from the decade. You will find flares, hot pants, platform soles, denim, slacks, microphone hairdos, wide collars and kipper ties. There is also a short introduction to fashion in the 70s. The book is colourful and very entertaining. The adverts are all American ones, but this does not detract much from a great piece of nostalgia.

Austrailas Involvment in the Vietnam War - 1048 Words

Why did Australia become involved in the Vietnam War? Australia first came involved in the Vietnam conflict in 1962 when the Australian Government sent a team of thirty army advisers to help train the South Vietnamese Army for its fight against the NLF guerrillas. At the same time a squadron of Royal Australian Air Force fighters were sent to nearby Thailand. While the alliance with the USA was becoming increasingly important, Australia still had strong ties with Britian. In January 1965, Australia sent an army of battalion to help Britain denfend newly independent Malaysia against border raids by Indonesia. Only three months later the Australian Prime Minister Menzies announced the commitment of another battalion to help the USA in†¦show more content†¦What was the impact of the war on Australia and neighbouring countries? Over two million Vietnamese died on both sides during the war and many more suffered horrifying injuries. Approximately half of all Vietnamese casualties were civilians and the major cause of their deaths was massive US bombing and shelling of villages in NLF- controlled areas. Many Vietnamese suffered terrible burns from the napalm, super- naplam and phosphorous bombs that were dropped by US planes. The Combodian people also suffered terribly after the war spread into their country. It is probable than half a million people died during the civil war in Cambodia between pro- and anti-US factions from 1970 to 1975. The US carpet bombing contributed enormously to this death toll. Estimates of the number of people who died between 1975 and 1979 under the murderous Khmer Rouge regime that came to power in 1975 run up to one million--out of a total population of just over seven million. Vietnam suffered enormous environmental damage from the war, manliy from US bombing and use of defoliants such as Agent Orange. Bombing destroyed many rice-growing areas in South Vietnam and severely damaged the ecomony of North Vietnam. US government s denied Vietnam any foreign aid after the war. There have been approximately a million refugees from the conflict. The NLFs strongest supporters had