Red, White, Black by Gary Nash

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The book Red, White, Black, written by Gary Nash, is devoted to the depiction of American history of cultural development. It highlights strong contradictions between European Americans, Afro-Americans, and Native Americans observed on the basis of religious affiliations, geographical origin, and race. The author reflected the period of the Revolutionary War ending and managed to disclose its influence on national conflicts. Gary Nash followed the idea that sophisticated cultural interactions between the three nations observed in America could have been the strong cultural power, but instead, they formed obstacles on the national way to unity.

Africans, Indians, and Americans were presented as the three powerful nations being completely equal as to their position and perception on the international arena. Nash concentrated on the point that all the people contributed to the destruction of North America. The book highlighted the aspects leading to national conflicts containing such factors as labor, trade, and money. The period of colonial America was covered by the power of money; the financial aspect played a crucial role in war and voyages.

“Once the Spanish found gold and silver, a wholesome rush of enterprising young men from the lesser nobility in Spain began the transatlantic adventure.” (Nash, 27)

The money helped to establish communication in trade and, at the same time, was the background for national conflicts. Besides, there was the problem of racial discrimination among the nationalities; it was connected with the fact that whites had better opportunities and abilities to make money. The problems of prejudices against Indians were especially stressed; nevertheless, the French and Dutch tried to maintain relationships with them for the purpose of effective trading and need in women.

Nash devoted a special place to the role of women in colonial America. He stated that they were few in number and need in them was very high.

”…intermarriage was so common that one authority believes that …all French families had Indian blood in their veins” (Nash, 43)

The book disclosed the facts that together with international conflicts, some nationalities such as Spanish interacted with Americans. People were united by common labor and desire to find out new sources of gold. It was shown that the most spread professions in the colonial period were missionaries and soldiers; such positions were taken by the representatives of other nations living in America. The Spanish strived to get the gold of South and Central America through friendship contacts with natives. Their labor positions allowed controlling the actions of the natives indirectly and cooperating with their personal intentions.

“Reaching the Indian’s soul the Spanish friar proved more effective than the Spanish soldier” (Nash, 37)

Gary Nash stressed the significant role of the Americans, to be more exact the native representatives of the nation. The national resistance to constant transformations within international society allowed American to fight the problems of religion and slavery.

The author stressed the sharp conflicts between the Indians and Europeans facing constant wars. There was a tendency to believe that weakness of Indian tribes could not allow them to win strong Europeans though the chance of victory really existed. The author showed that Indians were unable to understand the strategies used by Europeans in battles; for example, genocide was one of the successful tools used by the European nation in war being the part of their welfare. Together with this method they used to stick to the labor force and the level of trading development within the country.

Global interactions between the three major cultures were also connected with the problem of slavery, stressing how its different forms influenced social and national welfare.

“Slavery in the North was onerous to be sure, but its harshest features were mitigated by the absence of death-dealing gang laboring the fields…” (Nash, 177)

Slavery and sexual contacts were highlighted by the author on one level. He stated that sex between the masters and the slaves resulted in the mixture of blood, predominantly Africans and Indians.

“…privileges that slaves gradually wrung from the master class…” (Nash, 177)

So, the problem of slavery took one of the important places in the national interactions and social formation.

Thus, the analysis of the book Red, White, Black by Gary Nash disclosed the life in the colonial America and interactions between the strongest nationalities of Americans, Africans, and Indians. The author managed to stress that the principle issues for conflict relationships appeared to be war, labor, money, religion, and slavery. The author underlined the peculiarities of colonial America, stating the principal problems faced by its people. The book disclosed the power of the three nations which could have form the strongest national society instead of constant interactions breaking the rules and standards of American society in the period of colonial wars.

References

Nash, Gary. Red, White, Black: The Peoples of Early America. Prentice-Hall, pp. 362, 1999.

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Red, White, Black by Gary Nash

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