Race, Class, and Gender in Precolonial America to Mid 1700s

Running head: PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
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1PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
The race, class and gender dimensions had undergone drastic changes ever since the
arrival and colonization of the Europeans on the continent of North America. The natives had
gradually started adopting the practices and ways of the Europeans as a result of colonial
domination and the changes in the societal structure and the level of economic production
brought about by it. Nascent signs of European colonization had began in the 15th century when
Columbus had discovered North America (Sokolow, 2016). Ever since then gradually people
from Europe started settling in America and the process of displacement and full-fledged
colonization had been possible by mid 1600s in the 17th century (Sokolow, 2016). In this essay
the focus of discussion shall be upon the race, class and gender intersectionality in pre colonial
America to the mid 1700s, and the methods of resisting and overcoming the oppression used by
the various groups.
The system of race was something which was absent among the native Indians, however
they were divided into small groups on the basis of tribes. The superordination and subordination
on the basis of race had begun with the arrival of the Europeans. The civilizing mission
conducted by the Europeans on the native people through Christianization and making them give
up on their traditional practices to adopt the European lifestyle proves the fact that the Europeans
asserted their superiority over the natives (Sokolow, 2016). The factor of racial superiority and
inferiority is much more applicable in the relationship of the Europeans vis-à-vis the Natives, not
within the community of the Native Americans as such. The Natives had their own system of
hierarchy within their community and that was of slaves and the masters, however the slaves
were neither meted out with ill treatment nor exploitation. The in-group and out-group division
that existed was more applicable among the various tribes and the basis of claiming superiority
was power and not race. The native had put up resistance against the colonizers from imposing