U.S. Wars

History With RCS: U.S. wars, there are a lot of them!

            We had no major wars from 1935 to 1940. 1897 was also a year with no major wars. I do not of any others. Including these years with no war we have averaged well over a war a year since 1776! 

            From 1899 to 1934 we had mostly just Banana Wars. Some of our tiny neighboring countries of Central America may object to my use of the word "just." We stepped on their labor movements hard. Those Banana Wars were among the most traumatic happenings in the entire history of  the people of the Central American Republics.

            When taking a close look at historic happenings it seems that we have hated the people of Haiti the most and for the longest time.  Still, that we have invaded Mexico 13 times since 1875 does not seem loving, nor even a good neighbor policy.

            I have not posted much about our wars on Mago Bill. I do remember posting on one of our early Indian Wars some time ago. I have another war post in draft. The "Comment Section" at the foot of this post is for you and your participation.

            In the comments window you can also help me by correcting my errors or by telling us about American wars you have checked out. I would be interested in finding about that part of our Revolutionary War which took place in  Gibraltar: or what part Mysore played in that same war: why Sweden was our ally in the First Barbary War; or about the German Coast Uprising in the Territory of Orleans: or why the US invaded Canada; and like that.

                                                                                            by Richard 

 

The Calusa

 History With RCS: Calusa, a people we deserve to know more about. 

 

 

 

            In the 1500s the Calusa still controlled much of  the southwest of Florida. They defended their land against the aggression  of other peoples including European explorers.  The Spaniards knew them as fierce. The Calooshahtchee River, with its mouth on the southwest of  Florida, was theirs.

            They lived mostly along the inland water ways and developed them for transportation and food production. The sea was also a source of food for them. They left middens of seashells large enough in size to compete with their great mounds and other earthworks. The fished with nets and tapped fish.

            The Calusa had a strong influence on the tribes around them. That influence may be because of their wide trading. They typically used dugouts for use at sea and along their inland waterways. They also built  and used larger vessels. They visited Cuba regularly and probably sailed much farther into the Caribbean.

            Their homes were built on platforms on pilings over the water. Their buildings had particularly handsome roofing of palmetto leaves. It is said that some of their 'houses' were large enough to easily accommodate 2000 persons!

            They were excellent wood workers and they also did some fine wood carving. They were excellent farmers, sailors, fishermen, and traders, They are probably responsible for the construction of what we have called bayous.

            The apex of their culture probably dates well before 100 BC. Their middens and and earth works have been dated to that time.

            We have much to learn from and about the Calusa. Please feel free to extend and correct our knowledge of them.

            There is more of Native Americans on this blog and I hope to publish more.

            Tell us what you would like to see more of here. There is a place for your comments below.

            Thank you for reading. You are welcome to read more.



                                                                            by R.C.S.

 

Canada, Canada

History With RCS: O Canada, I trust that these notes are factual. I believe that they belong among those doings and happenings that are making Canada, Canada:

~ The Quiet  Revolution of the 1960s did much to effect modern Canada.

~ Canadians use the metric system.

~ Canadian arctic climate seems to be changing faster than the arctic climate elsewhere.

 
~ Canada is the fifth largest producer of energy in he world. It produces 6% of the energy use in the world.

~ It is the largest produce of natural uranium.

~ It is the world's lading producer of hydroelectric energy.

~ Canada's oil sands have been in the news.

~ Only Russia, the People's Republic of China, Saudi Arabia and the US produce more energy.

~ 98% of Canada's energy production goes to the US. US credit is still good among its closest friends.

~ The structure and function of the governmental affairs of Canadians continue to evolve. It seems that governmental budgetary information, at all levels, is more readily available to Canadian citizens than it is to US citizens.

~ "Canada" had its origin in the language of the Iroquois.  It meant something like villages and as once used as the name for Stadacona, an Iroquoian village that had stood where Quebec City now stands. 

~ Basque and Portuguese fishermen were early arrivals in Canada along with the French. I suspect that the Basque and the Portuguese were very early.

~ The War of 1812 greatly effected the development of Canada.



                                                                            by Richard Sheehan











 

Snake War: A short version

History With RCS: The people of the United States have warred a lot (as have other peoples). American Indians: Northern Paiute,Bannock, Western Shoshone.

     

            They seemed to have been easily led to it. During their Civil War(1861 to 1865)they found time and resources to drive a lot of Indians off their lands. At the end of that Civil War they began to "pacify" Indians from the Mississippi river to the Pacific Coast.

By 1850 powerful and influential men  from around the world became interested in the American West. We might blame that on the Fortyniners and gold fever. The name, California became a sort of magnet which drew men from from east of the the Mississippi and the Pacific coast. That same magnet drew men around the Horn and through the Straights of Magellan: some crossed the Pacific ocean from the Far East to get to California. That magnet drew men and their capital and during the Civil War and drew them even more strongly after that war of Americans against Americans.

            In 1864 the Snake War began and then continued until 1868. Their were other U.S. wars (from about 1861 to 1868) during this same time. There were: Texas-Indian wars, a Colorado war, Apache wars, California Indian wars, and a Cheyenne Campaign! Many were sure that "good Indians were dead Indians." Indians were to put their heads down, in a dirty corner of what had once been their America the Beautiful, or die.

Historians called the Snake War an irregular war which Americans fought against the Northern Paiute, the Bannock,
and the Western Shoshone. Some of that fighting was done along the Snake river. When historians used the word "irregular" they were being diplomatic. This war took place in what became the states of Oregon, Nevada, California, and Idaho. The U.S. Won.

            The war began when many small bands of the tribes mentioned above were disturbed by the activities of people of the mining interests and the new road building interests digging in the lands from which those Indians were accustomed to take their sustenance. Significant numbers of those Indians were made "good." Some Indians were able to make a few interlopers "good" too.

            Powerful and influential persons were interested in the undeveloped lands of the U.S. Monied people in California,  on the US. East Coast. and elsewhere were interested in the lead, copper, gold, and silver. They were interested in the prime lands of the Far west of what was becoming the U.S.
The were interested in the resources the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean. They saw an access to a toad to greater wealth.

            There were those who had the the resources to apply pressure where needed to see that the natives of the land did not hinder their plans. California interests brought pressure to bear on' general George Wright, commander of the department of the Pacific, to provide better protection for those building the new roads from from Red Bluff and Chico to Silver City and Boise. "Do something about those Indians," they were demanding. It would take a book to cover all the powerful pressures brought to bear to clear the way to wealth. Still we can stay that much of those pressures had to do with money, wealth, power, and the growing craft of Public Relations, the selling of ideas which move the public.

            In the States, a growing number of strong pressures were being felt by men in positions to act on the will of the men with the power to put effective power on them. Pressures acted on Congressmen, large contractors, railroad men, world wide mining interests: capitalists from the
East Coast, the West Coast, and around our world. There were high hopes and a great deal of pushing and shoving. The people felt these activities. 

            The War consisted mostly of hunting Indians. Volunteers hunted Indians, interested citizens hunted Indians, immigrants hunted Indians, the Army hunted Indians. Some said that the Indians were in the way of destiny.     




                                                by Richard Sheehan



Should I start to think of learning to copyright my work?

I look forward to your comments, questions, additions corrections, criticisms, and praise. 

 

Not Yet

History With RCS: There is a lot to learn about the people in North America  before 1,400 AD. In this blog there is some that has been learned, but not by many.

 

                I do not know of anyone who has seen a red American Indian recently. Do you?

                The Red Paint People were probably in North America in 9000 BP.
                Does Iron Oxide People sound stranger than Red Paint People?

                Red Paint People were active in North America at least until 1000 AD. Some have called them Red Ocher People. 

                The peak of the RPP culture in N.A. was probably from 3000 BC to 1000 AD.

                Might these red people, natives of N.A., be the source of the appellation red Indian?

 

 

                                                                        rcs 

Make History

History With RCS:  Not just the past. The past is not just.    

 

                Who might be interested in "maritime" disasters. A shipping company executive?

                Who might be interested in histories of civil war? A citizen of a divided country?

                What is the record for the number of deaths in the sinking of a 'ship?' During the time of the US Civil War the vessel Sultan went don in the Mississippi on way from Vicksburg to Memphis. It is said that 1800 died when she sank. Is that a record?

                Vicksburg is a well known Southern city of of Civil War days and of today. That once Confederate city, was occupied by Union troops from 1863 to 1877. Is that a record?                  

                When did Grant received Lee's sword at Appomattox? Why might this question be appropriate at this time?

                Everything on the WWW is history. Not all history is on the WWW. Not all the past is history. Why not? 

                                                                                        rcs

       

Archaic Mound-Building Tradition: Beginning in the midst of what there is to know of Indians

 History With RCS, archaeology: Dig into Mississippi, USA

                Archaeologists are doing fruitful fieldwork around the world and that includes the Mound Builder Tradition sites of North America. These field workers continue to bring us fine, well organized information about North American prehistory from 1492 AD to about 5,000 BC, with glimpses into the more distant past. 

                An Archaeologist by the name of Dr. Joe Sanders ("Call me Joe") is one who has led us to look more closely at the evidence of a key part of the Mound Building  tradition in the lower Mississippi River drainage area. A productive focus while leaving out much of the area and time of ancient North American earthwork cultures. I hope to post about them.

                This post will reach toward 6,000 years ago. Here we start with the careful work of Sanders. He was reviewed work on the lower Mississippi and done much original work on known sites there. His work has validated and extended earlier work. 

                I'll start by saying that he obtained calibrated radio carbon datings of 3,700 BC and 3,000 BC at Hedgpeth and Frenchman's Bend as well as at Watson Break sites, according with my notes. That takes us back to more than 5,700 years ago. Pretty good, but that limits our excursion into the past. However, from this point looking into the past some of us can catch a glimpse of long distant commerce and of men hunting giant animals some call mega fauna or mega mammals.

                The sites I have mentioned are proving, through Sanders and others, to be representative of widespread construction of similar mounds and other earthworks in what are now the U.S. states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. The main site at Watson Break was begun about 4,000 BC and abandoned about 2,800 BC. That is, it appears to be a culture which lasted about 1,000 years longer than has the United States. Sanders dating seems sound. Others have dated this group of sites to about between 4,500 BC to 2,400 BC. 

 

About the nature of these "Mound Builders"                

                Some have said that they were well organized chiefdoms. They had no pottery, but did have baked clay objects. They also had stone receptacles which may have been used for cooking. They were excellent hunters, fishermen, and harvesters of nature. They also left some clues that they may have practiced the beginnings of horticulture. These are kinds of information that are gathered  by archaeologists.

                Most of the sites of this tradition were on, or very near wetlands. The warmer dryer interval from about 7,000 BC to 2,500 BC may well have resulted in population concentrating in wet lands. Bones at Watson Break showed signs of butchering and cooking, so meat seems to have been on the menu. The bones of deer, opossum, squirrels, turkey, and raccoon were common. Could these have been leavings of later visitors?  

                These Mound Builders did take fresh water fish, probably with net and hook. They seem to have avoided crawfish! There is evidence that the processed an ate hickory nuts, black walnuts, and hazelnuts. We are learning more about these people who lived as much as 6,000 years ago. 

                Found in these specific mounds were vessels of soft stone, such as soap stone, which may have been used for cooking. However, ground roasting and steaming were probably more common. Domesticated cultigens may have been eaten. The cultivated may have included squash, maygrass, sunflower, sump-weed, and more.   

                The many fire cracked rocks found at the sites suggest that they may have been heated and used for cooking. I have heard of early native Americans using this rock cookery with water in tightly woven baskets. We no not have evidence of our mound people using woven basketry. I have head of ancient Europeans cooking a large animal in a sort of wood lined earthen bath filled with water. Well heated rocks were added over time to do the cooking.

                At the Watson Break site a very large number of unbroken snail shells were found, suggesting that they hand been steamed and the flesh removed without breaking the shell. Similar shells were used to make necklaces. Not Sanders nor anyone I know of was shown evidence of trade from these specific sites, but other mound sites in the area have. Shells and shell jewelry were often a trade item, so we may yet find evidence of trade, even long range trade from the Watson Break sites.  

                Around "our" three sites and other similar earthworks sites, articles such as small stone tools for cutting, drilling, scraping, as well as Middle Archaic points were also found. The points were probably used for hunting and possibly for weapons.

                At WB site, fired earthen objects were found, as well as bifaced stone of local materials. "Bifaced" usually refers knives or points sharpened from both sides. "Points" usually refers to arrow heads and spear points.Now burials  were found at the sites. It is significant that many mounds were not originally meant to be places for burial.

                An article found at the WB site which has been considered as defining of the tradition. That article is a micro-drill. They were small, with tapered ends; many showing rotary ware markings. Drilled chert beads were found. Red Ocher was present. Also 30 kilograms of fired earth objects were found shaped as cubes, spheres, tablets, and cylinders; game markers? Some of the info here leads me to suspect that these were trading people, but no evidence of goods traded from far has been found to impress anyone that I have heard of.

                    When you consider what you have read so far, I believe that you are likely to have learned  things new to you about archaeology.

                I am a bit surprised that no good evidence of trade or exchange has been yet found. At some other mound sites I believe there is much much evidence of trade before and after 4,000 BC has been found. But I am willing to be corrected.

                These Watson break people, still mostly unknown to us, appear to have kept the area enclosed by the mounds clear of debris. That they built in spurts gives us some hints about their thinking. It seems that the timing of their building spurts coincided with El Nino happenings. "El Nino happenings" are a certain repeated climate effect. El Nino and La Nina are climate patterns which cause changes in rainfall and temperature sometimes lasting for more than a year and causing other environmental changes. They seem to have their start in the Pacific ocean. 

                When we begin to say that we see a cultural continuance back to the last Ice Age and suggestions of advanced culture flourishing in those times, that we see Watson Break people as descendants of Ice Age people and even of a pre-Ice-Age culture! our listeners deserve to see very convincing evidence! Some such evidence is beginning to gather, but not enough to convince many. There is a lot to learn, believing that a seeker may find and ab asker may be answered keeps us searching.

                Amateurs can still bring tentatively productive sites to the attention of experts. Intelligent and practiced experts bring us useful interpretations of the available facts and evidence. There is a lot to learn and there are many will to do so. There are many who believe that the better we understand our past the better our chances of thriving in the future.

                Thank you for reading and many thanks to those who are organizing and interpreting the available information in useful ways.

                                                                            RCS

Red Indians: not in Europe!

 History With RCS, archaeology, prehistory, history, and a little conjecture

                Why did newcomers to to the east coast of North America, years before and after 1500 AD, often speak of red Indians? I have seen many Indians from coast to coast in the U.S. and  none looked red to me. Once I did see a Navajo "medicine man" painted red for a purification ceremony.

                Painted.

                My questions, as to why east coast Indians were so often called red, have not been answered. So, I have looked around a bit and trying to make an 'educated' guess.

                So far, I have discovered that professionals have written about a Red Paint People on the northeast coast of North America known mostly by their burial remains. Burial sites found all over the east coast of Canada and the U.S. The east coast where the term Red Indian was most used. Those Red Paint People used what looked to be red paint to color their grave sites and their dead red. It has been said that those sites were dated from about 4500 BP to about 1000 AD.

                Could ancestors of the Red Paint People have been painting themselves red when some of our ancestors arrived

                Red.

                Then, in the literature, I found discussion of a Red Ochre People having lived in much the same area. They have been dated back to 5000 BC or earlier. They too spread red coloring around their dwellings, burial sites, and over their dead. May they not have colored their living red? May the not have had some family colored red around 1500?

                I observed, not so long ago, Indians who passed their days at Santo Domingo do los Colorados, Ecuador with their skin colored red.

                So then, could it be that in those early days of discovery and exploration our ancestors were not color blind, but that rather they actually observed native peoples colored red?

                Maybe later, words about the Ancient Maritime People of all around the North Atlantic who liked the iron oxide red coloring greatly may be an appropriate.

by Richard

Cow Head

History With RCS: Forty years exploring the the New World in the 1500s   

                 Most Americans know Cabeza de Vaca as one of the four survivors of a three hundred man expedition to Florida in 1583. H e wandered eight years in North America a a naked, unarmed healer of  Indians and probably the first European to describe thundering herds of buffalo.

                In 1541 the same Alvero Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was penetrating southern Brazil by canoe near what is now the riverine intersection of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. When in the distance, he saw a cloud of spray "two spear throws or more above the treetops." He had to beach the expedition before it plunged over the brink of an enormous waterfall. He ha discovered Iguazú Catarata. Iguazu is as wide as three Niagras and one hundred feet higher.

                Let me know when you want more of this or more like this.

                                                                                                                RCS