Month: August 2023

“Why do you think the information that I have covered in the first ten lessons is not covered in American history textbooks in high school or college?” This is my teacher talking to me, and the information that he has covered in the first ten lessons of my school subject is not located in any textbook and is not taught in high school or college, and he wants me to answer why I think that is. First I am going to give you a brief overview of what is in the first ten lessons:

I learned of the Oronteus Finaeus Map. This is a map of Antarctica with no ice, and it was said that the first maps of Antarctica was made in the early 1900s, but this map was made thousands of years earlier. Also the Los Lunas Stone, the Bat Creek Stone, and the West Virginia Cave Inscription. I am not going to go into much detail, but considering all the facts, such as the location, the language on the stone, and the people who lived there at that time, Barry Fell, a Professor of invertebrate biology at Harvard and an expert on ancient languages, deducted that people from Europe came to America thousands of years before Columbus. Now, this angered the guilds who believed “Columbus was first”, so they called Fell a fraud and said that the stones with markings on them were just scratches on a rock. But it turns out that the markings on the rocks found in America are found all over the world, even in Europe. European scholars even confirmed Fell’s suspicions about people coming to America before Columbus. These guild members were furious with Fell and the evidence was so widespread that the decided that if they kept silent about it and did not talk about it, then it would be forgotten. Fell wrote books about pre-Columbus visits to America, called America B. C., Saga America, and Bronze Age America. In these books he talks about rocks with ancient languages and uses them to prove that there were pre-Columbus visits.

Now that I have explained the background for the topic “Why do you think the information that I have covered in the first ten lessons is not covered in American history textbooks in high school or college?”, I think I am ready to give you my answer and opinion on this topic. I actually have three reasons why this happens. Number 1, I think that back then, people did not know that people came to America before Columbus, so they taught that Columbus was first to America, and number 2, this was taught for generation to generation for so long that people decided that Columbus was first, so they left out of the textbook the fact that people came to America before Columbus, and when people come up with proof that people were here before Columbus, people who believe “Columbus was first”, would counteract these suspicions, which is what happened with Barry Fell and these “Columbus was first” guild members. And number 3, people just read what is in the textbook and what is taught to them and they stop thinking for themselves and believe what they are told, and also, like these guild members, maybe they did think that Columbus was not first, but there was something that if it was proven that Columbus was not first, something could happen that could shut them down, I don’t know.

 According to Justia Law, “[I]t is well understood that the right of free speech is not absolute at all times and under all circumstances.” So the right of free speech can be in the abstract, but not all the time. According to Foundation for Economic Education, “Property rights then became the ac knowledged foundation upon which other constitutional freedoms rested, including freedom of speech.” So property rights became the knowledged foundation for which other constitutional freedoms rested, and this includes the freedom of speech. So is there a “right of free speech” in the abstract, or is the question of free speech at root a matter of property rights? There can be a right of free speech in the abstract, but it is rested upon property rights, the knowledged foundation for which other constitutional freedoms rested.

What is the difference between negative rights and positive rights? According to Tom Woods, “Negative rights do not require anything from anyone else except not interfering with you, and positive rights place some obligation on others to bestow certain benefits on you.” An example of negative rights is imagine someone is very sick  and the only cure is on Mars. That man cannot say “Go get it because I have a right to my life”, because negative rights means no one can interfere with him or his life, and a mission to Mars to find the only cure is interfering with that man’s life, so he can’t demand that they go to Mars to get the cure. It does not work that way. According to Saint Clara University, “Positive rights, therefore, are rights that provide something that people need to secure their well being, such as a right to an education, the right to food, the right to medical care, the right to housing, or the right to a job.“

Would you rather sit in first class, or have the choice between the first-class fare and the coach fare? This is a very difficult decision for some people, but not for me. First-class fares in America cost around $1,300, which is pretty expensive. Another thing is is the first-class fare worth it? According to Business Class Experts, “First class is great, and can make long flights luxurious and enjoyable. However, the price that comes along with all the fabulous amenities is a lot of the time, less than desirable. The truly luxurious first class cabins are available only on limited routes.” The coach fare is slightly less expensive than the first-class fare, but is more expensive than the regular ticket. According to Longman Business Dictionary, “coach fare American English a standard air fare that costs less than the first class fare but is more expensive than the cheapest fares. Most business fliers travel on full coach fares that are readily acceptable for travel on any available flight.” So which fare would you chose? Most people would chose the first-class fare, and I would also chose the first-class fare, if it was free. If I had to pay for it, then I would simply chose the cheaper fare. I would not care if the first-class plane ride is enjoyable, I would not want to use my money on something that will last only a few hours like a plane ride. Plus, it is just not that big of a deal if a get a coach fare instead of a first-class fare.

Cabeza de Vaca’s book Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America Is what this title is talking about. Here is a brief summary of his book:

The story begins 49 years after Columbus found the New World, and there were huge interests in the New World. The story begins after a hurricane flattened Trinidad’s port town. Four ships arrive and 400 men and 80 horses set sail. Two more storms hit them, and they landed in a Florida bay. The governor was on one of the ships, and said that they would march further inland. Vaca advised against leaving the ships, but was overruled by the governor, and 300 men marched. on the way they met Indians. They also spent 25 days in empty land and were attacked by different Indians. Later, one third of their party became sick. They needed to build boats, so they built 32-foot barges. The river current took them farther inland where a storm hit. They encountered more Indians with which they traded with. They reached the Mississippi river and the water current was so strong that they could not reach land. The barge that had the governor got separated and another barge sank in a storm.Vaca’s boat was left and they finally reached land at Galveston Island. There were Indians who lived on the Island and the Indians feed them and gave them drinkable water. A wave capsized the barge so they went home with the Indians. They later came upon another crew of a different barge which had also capsized. Men began to die from the cold and disease. At this point there were 15 men left. Half the Indians got sick and died and the Indians blamed the Spaniards, so they enslaved them and killed three of them. He was there from 1528-1532. Then they escaped and a different tribe helped them. The Spaniards also healed people, and they healed the Indians who were sick, they even preformed surgeries. Lots of Indians were healed by the very few Spaniards. They moved west and along the way, they were welcomed by all Indian tribes because of there healing skills. The tribes even paid them to heal people from their tribe. In one tribe, they met an Indian wearing a Spaniard belt buckle. Vaca asked were he got it, and the Indian said that he took the belt buckle from a Spaniard who killed two of the Natives. The Spaniards were enslaving Indians, so the Indians, along with Vaca and his group, fled to the mountains. There, 600 Indians showed up with food, and Vaca convinced them to go to the governor. The captain of the ship who was acting for the governor treated the men well and preached to the Indians, and the Indians agreed to become Christians. The captain swore he would not invade. Vaca then went to Mexico City, and from there, Veracruz City to get a ship to Spain. Only 4 out of 300 men survived.

Las Casas’ book A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies is more of an account of all the horrific things that went on in the New World, like murdering Indians, enslaving them, taking them to Europe to serve as slaves, and other just horrific things that went on. It summarizes all of the mistreatment’s of the Indians that went on after the discovery of the New World.

So which book was more memorable, Cabeza de Vaca’s or Las Casas’s? I think that Cadeza de Vaca’s book is more memorable because I like survival stories and it is just a very interesting book that I think you should read if you haven’t already.

What is the most memorable story or moment in Cabeza de Vaca’s book, Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America, and why? Before I reveale my answer, I would like to lay some ground work about the author and his book. Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer of the new world and his book Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America, is a kind of autobiography of his adventures in the New World. Now, he spent years in the New World, and all this time he did not have a notebook, or paper, or pen even to keep track of his adventures, and he only wrote about it after he returned to Spain, so this man had an amazing memory. Here is a summary of his adventures:

The story begins 49 years after Columbus found the New World, and there were huge interests in the New World. The story begins after a hurricane flattened Trinidad’s port town. Four ships arrive and 400 men and 80 horses set sail. Two more storms hit them, and they landed in a Florida bay. The governor was on one of the ships, and said that they would march further inland. Vaca advised against leaving the ships, but was overruled by the governor, and 300 men marched. on the way they met Indians. They also spent 25 days in empty land and were attacked by different Indians. Later, one third of their party became sick. They needed to build boats, so they built 32-foot barges. The river current took them farther inland where a storm hit. They encountered more Indians with which they traded with. They reached the Mississippi river and the water current was so strong that they could not reach land. The barge that had the governor got separated and another barge sank in a storm.Vaca’s boat was left and they finally reached land at Galveston Island. There were Indians who lived on the Island and the Indians feed them and gave them drinkable water. A wave capsized the barge so they went home with the Indians. They later came upon another crew of a different barge which had also capsized. Men began to die from the cold and disease. At this point there were 15 men left. Half the Indians got sick and died and the Indians blamed the Spaniards, so they enslaved them and killed three of them. He was there from 1528-1532. Then they escaped and a different tribe helped them. The Spaniards also healed people, and they healed the Indians who were sick, they even preformed surgeries. Lots of Indians were  healed by the very few Spaniards. They moved west and along the way, they were welcomed by all Indian tribes because of there healing skills. The tribes even paid them to heal people from their tribe. In one tribe, they met an Indian wearing a Spaniard belt buckle. Vaca asked were he got it, and the Indian said that he took the belt buckle from a Spaniard who killed two of the Natives. The Spaniards were enslaving Indians, so the Indians, along with Vaca and his group, fled to the mountains. There, 600 Indians showed up with food, and Vaca convinced them to go to the governor. The captain of the ship who was acting for the governor treated the men well and preached to the Indians, and the Indians agreed to become Christians. The captain swore he would not invade. Vaca then went to Mexico City, and from there, Veracruz City to get a ship to Spain. Only 4 out of 300 men survived.

What is the most memorable story or moment in Cabeza de Vaca’s book, Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America, and why? I think that the most memorable part of the book is them healing the Indians because they were not only being kind to the Indians, but they were also saving lives. Also, if it were not for their popularity that had spread among the Indians, they probably would not have survived.

How does the Age of Discovery provide an opportunity for Spanish thinkers to reflect on the idea of rights? First, what are rights? Rights give you the ability to do things and nobody is allowed to stop you. Your rights are your Life, Liberty, and Property. Your right to life means you can live, even if lots of people don’t want you to (for example). Your right to liberty means that you can say or do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t violate anyone else’s rights. Your right to property means that no one can take your stuff, which is why stealing is not allowed. Now, I don’t know a lot about how the Age of Discovery provide an opportunity for Spanish thinkers to reflect on the idea of rights, except for this one example. The Age of Discovery was when people from Europe came to America to explore it and discover new things. Along the way, they discovered the Natives. The Europeans thought that the Natives were savages and were not civilized enough to live among them, when in fact, some of the Natives were more civilized than some Europeans.. So they killed and enslaved numerous amounts of them. They also stole from them and destroyed there villages. The Europeans were violating the Native’s rights to life, liberty, and property! So how does the Age of Discovery provide an opportunity for Spanish thinkers to reflect on the idea of rights? Well, these wrongdoings of the Natives forced many prominent thinkers to reconsider the idea of rights. They realized that it doesn’t matter if these Natives have a different religion, or belief, or that they look different. They deserve the rights that anyone else in the world has.

 What does John Locke mean by self-ownership? John Locke was a English philosopher and physician. He is considered one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. What does John Locke mean by self-ownership? According to Cambridge University Press and Assessment, “For Locke, initial full self-ownership thus expresses absolute original independence from human authority as well as rights of civil and political self-determination. It is not expressive of unlimited rights in our life or body—the ultimate owner of which is God.“