Friday, May 10, 2019
The representation of savagery and civilization Term Paper
The representation of savagery and civilization - Term written report ExampleThe American civilization for example, was a combination of European immigrant new technology in toll of superior weaponry farming and international trade technology. It therefore easily overpowered that native technology of bows, arrows and unvarying migration of Native American tribes. This paper sets out to distinguish between the concepts of savagery and civilization with reference to the component part of a number of primary sources who have tackled this topic in the past. Perspectives of Primary Sources on Savagery and elaboration In the Descent of man, Darwin describes as native the communities that were to be found in the Western Frontier during the working out of American rule. He makes the assertion that reproductive power is turn down in barbarons or savages than in down people (Darwin 45). This was an attempt to compare a purely biological process reproduction in people who had succeed different levels of civilization. It is clear from the argument in the paper that Darwin is actually talking about mortality assess or reproductive rate. This is because he goes further to argue that because of the poor living conditions, the barbarons have a lower rate of survival. However he goes further to allege that savages appear to be less prolific that cultivated people (Darwin, 46). Among the reasons given for the low population levels among the savages are wars with neighbors, a tendency to wander from erupt to place that endangers the lives of infants, diseases, famine and lack of water. Darwin also states that infanticide is a major cause of depopulation since the savages would rather kill children, especially girls, in an attempt to keep down the population levels (Darwin, 46). Another great blight of colonialism was slavery. Arguments that some cultures were superior to others and civilized persons were much more superior to native savages fuelled the slave trade. T his trade ensured that some people were subhuman as they had not undergone the full extent of development in the process of natural selection. According to Darwin certain man were a sub species of the human species (Darwin 175). Humans therefore shamelessly traded in other humans alike(p) commodities. They owned them, made them work and then sold them up to other owners. However, Darwins allegations have since been challenged by later day scholars who termed some of Darwins assertions as inadequate, presumptive and not supported by convinced(p) evidence. Among the scholars who disagree is Fredrick Jackson Turner who refers to the civilization of America as meeting of minds between the European settlers and the American native life (Turner, 3). He goes further to describe how the European had to adjust to the American life by planting corn, using the birch canoe to travel and even adopting the native Indian war bitch in order to survive. He acknowledges that the European brought with him some superior technology including the gun and train, but these only were not enough for his survival as the environment proved too tough unless he familiarized (Turner, 4). According to him, therefore, it is the combination of cultures that brings about civilization rather than a single purist culture (Turner, 4). The contribution of these arguments towards colonialism was that colonists unceasingly argued that they were bringing forth a new
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