Native American Class Work- 11/09/16

In class, we read a text about Native Americans from the 1800’s. The text consisted of how the Indians lived, what they lived in, and what they looked like. The descriptions of the Native Americans made them seem like they were bad, inhumane people, that kept the scalps of their enemies. The words savage and savagery were used often in pair with the Native Americans. Savage is defined as an uncivilized person and savagery means being fierce and cruel as well as uncivilized. Although the text does refer to the Native Americans as Indians, when talking about them killing people and burning down things, they suddenly become savages.  If I were an American student reading this text as part of my schoolwork, it would greatly shape the way I viewed Native Americans. Assuming that I haven’t had any contact with them, after reading this text, I would fear them and think that all they wanted from my family, my town, and me was to fight and kill us all. Yes, there is the story of the Native American princess Pocahontas who saved John Smith, but even the text said that there was no affirmation that the story was true. Having no prior knowledge of Native Americans and their behavior, being assigned the reading would make me fear Native Americans and not want them around.