Religious & Societal Interactions in Early America

This assignment examines the complex interplay between Native American, European, and African societies in early America, focusing on their distinct religious beliefs and practices. The paper explores how these societies interacted through trade, cultural exchange, and conflict, highlighting the influence of Christianity, animism, and Islam on their worldview. It delves into the historical context of crusades and the spread of religion, ultimately analyzing how these interactions shaped the development of a 'New World' identity.

Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY
American History- condition of the native and neighboring societies
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AMERICAN HISTORY
Thesis statement: To delve deep into the conglomeration of the New and the Old World
Thousands of years ago, the Native Americans, Africans and European societies were
created individually. The people of these societies led a sedentary lifestyle. Christian beliefs tie
the societies in a common thread.
Christ is very much present in the life of the Native Americans. Typical evidence of this
fact lies in worshipping Christ according to the seasons. Mention can be made of the celebration
of the birth of Jesus or winter solstice. Their expression of celebration was through dance, music,
drink, visiting friends (Littell, 2017). Viewing it from the other perspectives, these activities
were a farewell to the winter by the natives. Herein, the contribution of the peasants is a crucial
factor for projecting the celebration of winter solstice. Shearing of the wool was the main
occupation of the men peasants, whereas the women were involved in washing and spunning the
sheared wool into yarn. Their occupation underwent changes according to the seasons. The
peasants possessed strong religious beliefs, which ignited hope in their existentialist struggles
(Hollinger, 2013). The major drive behind this was the presence of church in every village. Here,
the shrines connected the villagers with the sacred world.
The Native American peasants entered into collaborations and partnerships with the
European societies for expanding their trade network (Brown et al., 2015). One of the
characteristic features of the trades was slaughtering the animals for feasting in events. This
animism added a new and different connotation to the aspect of worshipping. According to
animism, the faith of the villagers on objects is projected. This activity affirms the existence of
God in every object.

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AMERICAN HISTORY
The emergence of Islam was a threat for Christianity. The dominance of Islam compelled
the Christian rulers to fight for overpowering the Islam followers. This struggle can be
considered as the strive of the Christians to establish a New World. The reality of the previous
sentence lies in spreading the Muslim faith in the sub-Saharan Africa by the newly converted
Arabs. In response to these protests, the Christian indulged in crusades, to restore Betheleham
from the Muslims (Wright, 2017). The guidance and support of Pope helped the Christian armies
in combating the power and authority of the Muslim invaders. Mentionable names in this
direction are Knight Templar and Teutonic Knights.
Conclusion
The practice of animism nullifies the traditional notion of worship. Worshipping the
objects is also an affirmation to the belief that God exists everywhere. Viewing this from the
perspective of peasants reflects an appeal for adding meaning to their struggles of existence.
However, the battles between the religions destroy the faith of the people over God. This
destruction is a distortion to the aspect of creation. Animism enhances the existence of the
objects. This practice adds value to the God’s creation. In this perspective, the life of the
peasants gets entrapped into traditionalism. These practices merges the identities of the societies
aligning with the concept of New and Old World.

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AMERICAN HISTORY
References
Brown, V., Cañizares-Esguerra, J., Dubois, L., & Kupperman, K. O. (2015). The Princeton
Companion to Atlantic History. Princeton University Press.
Hollinger, D. A. (2013). After Cloven Tongues of Fire: Protestant Liberalism in Modern
American History. Princeton University Press.
Littell, F. (2017). From State Church to Pluralism: A Protestant Interpretation of Religion in
American History. Routledge.
Wright, B. F. (2017). American Interpretations of Natural Law: A Study in the History of
Political Thought. Routledge.