Words Of Wisdom said:
tarheel91 said:
Words Of Wisdom said:
Parokki said:
I remember reading that the climatic balance of a good deal of southern North America got turned upside down when settlers came and turned huge expanses of woodlands into farmland. Is there any truth in this? |
Yes and no. The cutting down of woodlands for farmlands did increase the ground's water supply which in turn enlarged any nearby aquifers but resulted in no largescale climactic changes. Indeed, any rumors you hear of such changes likely find their origins with the Native American culture which blamed the settlers when their rain dances failed, their hunting season was poor, and pretty much everything else. |
You make it seem like the European settlers did nothing to cause the Indians' demise. In fact, it was the opposite. The diseases were what really killed them. They had no antibodies against European diseases and were royally screwed in the blink of an eye. Europeans did try to convert them to Christianity, and when they did and the deaths from disease continued, they did blame that on the Europeans and kill their missionaries and such. Then there was also the Europeans' constant encroachment on their land and waging war to take that land. No such climate change that I've heard of, Parokki. I'm taking both AP Environmental Science and AP US History (you're in Finland, right? AP = College level in highschool) this year and I've heard nothing about a major climate change in NA during that time. |
How did I make it seem like that by commenting on the climate? |
That part right there portrays Native Americans as people ignorantly blaming Europeans for all their problems. Oh, and hunting seasons WERE poor because of Europeans. Besides outright killing populations of large mammals, they encouraged Native Americans to kill more than they needed and normally killed for trade. Ever wonder what happened to the gigantic buffalo population in the Great Plains?
