Intersectionality of Race, Class, and Gender in Precolonial America

This essay examines the transformations in race, class, and gender dynamics in precolonial America up to the mid-1700s, following European colonization. It discusses how the arrival of Europeans introduced racial hierarchies, contrasting with the tribal structures of the native populations. The essay highlights the imposition of European values, the emergence of class divisions through private property, and the alteration of gender roles, including the decline of matrilineal practices. While native resistance was evident against Christianization, the acceptance of new social structures largely stemmed from the power imbalance favoring the Europeans, leading to the internalization of the colonizers' ideology.

Running head: PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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

2PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
European values and the vehement opposition to Christianization by brutalizing the Jesuit priests
bear testimony to it (Lindo et al., 2016).
However, with the introduction of the concept of private property and ownership the
system of class became an integral part of the way of life of the native people. The class disparity
between the Europeans and the Natives was on the basis of the intellectual and racial superiority
of the former. The system of class domination had also percolated among the Natives, and that
can proven from the slave trade boom that had occurred between 1670 to 1715 whereby native
Americans had traded in slaves and war captives with the colonizers (Sokolow, 2016). Estimates
show that the trade of native slaves had been more in number than the import of Negro slaves.
The culture of slave keeping was also adopted by the natives from the Europeans and the slaves
were supposed to manage the farms of the native lords. The class division was however
naturalized and no resistance was put up against it. Rather, the natives had voluntarily engaged in
offering of slaves or war captives to the Europeans to reach at an agreement with them (Easterly
& Levine, 2016).
By and large the natives were matrilineal and equality among the sexes prevailed, except
in few tribes like the Omaha, Osage and Ponca which were patrilineal. The women played
important role in the choosing of the tribe chieftain, in choosing of the bride, in matters of
divorce and property. Gender variant persons, whom in modern parlance are referred to as
transgenders were considered as people born with two spirits as they could perform the role of
the opposite sex and were highly esteemed as God. Homosexuality was tolerated. However the
women and the gender variant persons were rendered second class citizens by the European
colonization. That no sexism prevailed in pre-colonial period would be an understatement as
women did not go to war, they were in charge of domestic labour and agriculture was the only

3PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
activity that they indulged in along with men outside the domain of household chores (Sokolow,
2016). However, gender equality prevailed by and large, and to be precisely correct the
domination of the women in certain affairs like the moving of the groom to the bride’s house and
the children taking the family name of their mothers were signs of the natives being matriarchal.
Post colonization, the natives had adopted patriarchy, and that too with little or no resistance
(Cameron, Kelton & Swedlund, 2015).
The changes that were brought about in the societal structure of the native Americans
were thus accepted without much resistance excepting the case when the colonizers tried to
impose Christianity on them. The acquiescence of the natives was a result of the power dynamics
which favoured the Europeans and they were rendered powerless. It is thus the materialization of
the rule that ideology of the ruling class becomes the ideology of all the people.

4PRECOLONIAL AMERICA TO MID 1700S
References
Cameron, C. M., Kelton, P., & Swedlund, A. C. (Eds.). (2015). Beyond Germs: Native
Depopulation in North America. University of Arizona Press.
Easterly, W., & Levine, R. (2016). The European origins of economic development. Journal of
Economic Growth, 21(3), 225-257.
Lindo, J., Huerta-Sánchez, E., Nakagome, S., Rasmussen, M., Petzelt, B., Mitchell, J., ... &
Malhi, R. S. (2016). A time transect of exomes from a Native American population
before and after European contact. Nature communications, 7, 13175.
Sokolow, J. A. (2016). The Great Encounter: Native Peoples and European Settlers in the
Americas, 1492-1800: Native Peoples and European Settlers in the Americas, 1492-
1800. Routledge.