1.

What are the major themes in the assigned chapters of your American
Yawp readings?

This chapter focuses on two major themes. Chapter 1 mainly discussed how the Native

American society was before to European arrived. The chapter emphasizes the

customs, traditions, and agricultural techniques unique to the Native Americans. It

later transitioned into the effects of European immigration into the Americas, such as

sickness, cultural conflicts, and transformational encounters. Later in chapter, it

discussed the colonization efforts and techniques employed by the Spanish, French,

Dutch, and Portuguese. It talks about the changing motives for English colonization,

Indigenous interactions, racial hierarchies, and the effect of Puritan ideas. The

overriding topic is the Columbian Exchange's significance, influence, and the rise of

the Atlantic economy, which helped shaped cultural identities across numerous

continents.

2. Select one of the primary source documents and address the following
information and answer the following questions:

• Briefly summarize the content of the source (what is it about?).

• Author’s status in society (including gender, ethnic background,
and class), the date on which the source was written/created, the
type of document (for example, is the source a diary entry, letter,
speech, etc.), and finally its intended audience.
• What is the author saying and what does the source tell us about the
times during which it was created, or to put it another way, how
does the source enrich our understanding of the themes discussed in
class or the reading?

The Journal of Christopher Columbus is a major document written by Christopher

Columbus during his epic voyage to the Americas. His experiences with native

Americans are depicted in his journal. Columbus highlighted their looks, manners, and
amicable interactions with his men. He talks on their lack of weapons, how they may be

persuaded to convert to Christianity, and their potential to be servants for European

interests. The Journal sheds light on Columbus' first views of the indigenous peoples

during his expedition of the Americas. The journal entry was written by Italian adventurer

Christopher Columbus in 1942. Colombus was an accomplished Italian navigator and

explorer. The primary source document is from some of his journal entries. His journal

provides a firsthand point of view to his experiences during his travels to the Americas.

The journal spans between multiple dates such as October 11, October 14 and November

4, 1492. The main audience was those who were Columbus's sponsors and those who

were intrigued by the exploration of the New World. Ultimately, the author's sought to

inform and enrich his audience understanding of early colonial motives and the cultural

dynamics in the age of exploration through his encounters with the indigenous people,

their potential conversion and their role as labor.