Livestock is the most important thing humans have acquired. Livestock provides humans with food, transportation, defense against others, labor, and germs. This was the advantage of people with livestock compared to people who didn’t have livestock. The people without livestock were inferior to those who did have livestock; those with livestock came from a more complex society that allowed them to acquire complex weapons and epidemics.
If the natives of North America acquired the extensive use of livestock before the Europeans did, the natives would have won in a match against the Europeans. Instead of the Europeans defeating the natives, the result would be the other way around. The reason for this is that the natives would have had horses for combat. “Horses permitted people possessing them to cover far greater distances than was possible on foot, to attack by surprise, and to flee before a superior defending force could be gathered” (pg.77). The horses were today’s battle tanks that could destroy anything in its way. A person on foot stood no match against someone on horse heading towards him. Horses were the ultimate weapon that guaranteed victory against the adverse force without them.
Another advantage the natives could have was disease. As Europeans infected and weaken natives in the actual course of history, the natives could have done the same to the Europeans if they acquired livestock first. The natives could have killed many of the Europeans with diseases originating from livestock; those who didn’t die were weakened by diseases and later killed in combat.
This is how the natives of North America would have won against the Europeans if they had acquired livestock first.
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The title should be changed to "Natives would have won"
ReplyDeleteI also wrote on the same topic but I believe that you need to elaborate more on the importance of livestock and what it brought to civilization.
Richard I like how you use horses as one of the reasons that led to Europeans conquering America. I know that natives many times thought that people in horses were Gods or something because of the horses. Also it made it easier for the Europeans to exterminate Indian populations. For example when The Spaniards came to the Inca empire their horses were an extremely helpful weapon. Also the the disease was also a weapon that Europeans have, but I believe that Mesoamaerica would not been able to develop diseases because they did not have many animals. Also because of the north south alignment. Dude if mesoamerica was west to east then they would been able to interact with other civilizations and developed disease so that then they would of later grow immune to them.I think you have a great point you know just food for thought you look into the west and east alignment.
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