I Have A Question

I Have A Question

One of the most important holidays in American history is celebrated on July 4th, every year. An influential group of men agreed to draft a document that would cause concern with their overseas sponsors.

 This decision led to war with England, severing all future supplies and aid from ‘The Mother Country". Truly, a revolutionary act! The ‘colonists’ landed in the 1600’s and struggled until they finally decided to split from England over a hundred years later. Why the delay and why did they come in the first place?

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For some, they had no choice. Other than the religion issue, several were indentured servants sent by English businessmen to "pay back a  debt", find the gold that earlier Spaniards claimed was available, and simply to help the English economy. European farmers had realized that England’s crop and dairy farms were not as profitable as raising sheep to sell the desired wool. Agriculture and food supplies dwindled. Besides, the English church system was being troublesome for English worshipers. Some left for Holland for religious freedom, but found that unfavorable and news of the ‘new world’ possibilities became a chance for a better future. English noblemen offered passage to America as a loan and the travelers were expected to repay the loan. The passenger manifest of military veterans, Scandinavians, Hollanders, Germans as well as citizens being excommunicated found most travelers unprepared for the tasks ahead.

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Workers seemed to lack farm and building skills while arrivals convinced others to search for the

fabled gold. Crops were planted too late and the long winters were unexpectedly fierce. Without the help of the native Americans who watched and aided the newcomers, the outcome was in jeopardy. Why were these people so unprepared? Where did they come from? Everyone knows Germans come from Germany, Swedes from Sweden, etc, but what was their background?

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American became known as a "Cultural Melting Pot". Europe is also a melting pot of genetic lineages from different prehistoric cultures that lived there at various periods of time. Europeans today are a genetic mixture of ancestral populations: hunter-gatherers, and farmers.Genetic science has come a long way! DNA and genomes are revealing much!.

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 Bones and relics have been carbon-analyzed and compared with those of other areas. Early specimens show signs of meat-eaters. These were the early ‘hunters for food’.
"The hunter-gatherers show the greatest similarity to modern-day Finns", says Geneticist Skoglund. "It was a surprise that the farmer and hunter-gatherers were so different. Scandinavia was clearly home to people of very different genetic backgrounds even 5,000 years ago," he says.

Early migratory movements in Europe.

 

 

 

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These ‘hunter-gatherer’ were joined by a group coming from the steppes of Russia!

Modern Europe was formed when a mass migration from southern Russia brought new languages, technology and dairy farming to the continent, according to a recent a study .  

 The hunter-gathering society had no tolerance for milk and ‘Lactose Intolerance’ was born! However, 'Time' created a mutation for the blended new group. With this in mind, modern day people may have Russia to blame for any problem with milk consumption. These migrating farmer-types with cows came from the Russian Causasus region and were called the Yamnaya People. The ‘white man’ became known as a Caucasian. Sounds familiar! But milk-drinking Russians?!
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They brought with them new skills and a language that became the basis of almost every other European language, including Greek and Latin, English and German, as well as spreading their DNA. The Hunters-gatherers remained in Norway, while the southern sections of Sweden became centers of the Yamnaya culture.So, when one claims " I’m all Norwegian, or Swede, or German", they may be omitting genes of Russia, Africa and even Asia in their DNA.

 Geneticists analyzing DNA from Neolithic burial sites in Sweden have made a surprising discovery. The genetic make-up of one individual exhibits a startling similarity to that of modern-day Mediterranean. Modern humans may have picked up key genes from extinct relatives.

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Every European region or country had it’s culture as opposed to that of their neighbor and each had their own customs. As an Army G.I. in Germany, it was common for us to start a car journey in Germany and be able to travel through 6 countries in one day. We would struggle through 6 languages while stopping in each country for gas or food. Here, in the US, we also can travel southerly from New York through a number of states. However, one language will be needed, albeit, with a number of different accents!.

Boston Tea Party

There were differences and arguments among the colonies. Rhode Island settlers had difference of opinions for 40 years. English taxation caused major problems. After months of colonist protests, plans to break from English rule found six colonies refusing to join the drive to independence. Finally. after months of debate, 12 voted to break away while New York voted to abstain.

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       The American Declaration of Independence was not issued until 15 months after the War of Independence had begun. In it, after 1,200 words of self-justification, at the very end of the document the colonists finally declared that these 'united colonies' were to be free and independent states; Even so, The thirteen colonies were not united until after the war was over . Many colonists had no desire to break away from Britain.

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The cultural melting-pot of Europe came to America with their many historical differences. These  differences in each colony were reflected in each colony’s cultural belief. Our Northern colonies and Southern colonies have continued their individual beliefs.Perhaps,even today, some of us would like to be hunter-gatherers while others tend the farms and  business lives.

July 4th, we celebrate, in unity, our Independence.