Article Summary #1
For centuries, the native population in the Western Hemisphere during the pre-Columbian era and after has been long debated. In a published article, Charles C. Mann discusses the theories behind the change of numbers in populations in the New World, compared to that of the Old World. Native populations largely decreased as a result of colonization by Europeans in the Americas. This decline of population has not always been present. At a certain point of time, even, there were more people living in the Americas than in Europe. Upon arriving on the newfound land, Europeans brought with them deadly diseases that the natives were not immune to. Colonizers destroying and taking over many large empires also was detrimental to native society. As native population declined, population of the Eastern Hemisphere flourished. The most significant findings from historians over the …show more content…
Invented traditions are traditions that are generally accepted and known to be old but are actually recently created and sometimes invented. A significant invented tradition Parks discusses is the myth of Thanksgiving. Kids are taught that the first Thanksgiving was a celebration where Pilgrims feasted with natives to celebrate their perseverance during their first year at Plymouth. In reality, the Pilgrims did not even celebrate Thanksgiving. This holiday came about during the Civil War in order to bring unity to the country going to desperate times. Although people may not know this to be true, it is what is generally accepted because it is the way students are taught through textbooks. According to the article, “…the representation of events in this nation’s past in textbooks is key to students’ perception of those events”. These invented traditions discussed in textbooks play a major role in the way students inside a classroom think and view the history of