Question

Smedley: How does she argue race needs to be studied? Which cultural groups were often considered "savages" by the English colonists? Which indentured cultural groups were considered more "civilized"?

Answer 1

The English colonists considered certain cultural groups as 'savages' and others as more 'civilized' based on their own subjective and ethnocentric views. Studying race helps challenge the divisions between the colonizers and the colonized.

Step-by-step explanation:

Race needs to be studied because it is an important aspect of history and understanding how different cultural groups were treated and perceived by English colonists can help us analyze and challenge the divisions between the colonizers and the colonized. However, it is important to note that the concept of civilization and savagery was a subjective and ethnocentric view held by the colonists. Native American tribes, for example, had their own complex social structures and cultures that were deemed as 'savage' by the English colonists. On the other hand, indentured cultural groups, such as Europeans, were considered more 'civilized' by the English colonists. These cultural biases shaped the interactions and power dynamics between different groups during colonization.