America, Misguided Pride

By Carlos Zamorano

Much has been written about America and what it has meant, not only to the North American region but to the world as well. We tend to focus on the positives of who we are and our accomplishments. Not everyone feels the same as there are many descendants of those who were displaced by the European settlers who came and ravaged the land in order to take over from the Native Americans and one-third of what used to be Mexico to the north of that country. Those descendants are with us and still struggling to make a living in what used to be their land, their country. Their struggle has been mostly ignored by the White man who came and, by sheer deadly force, ripped this country from their hands, leaving them with few options as a means to continue living in this country. The opinions expressed by some of those people are documented in this book, and they wait for answers to their plea for acceptance and inclusion as members of American society, the land their fathers willed to them for centuries past. They are not asking for but demanding inclusion into what used to be their land and their right to make a living here.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638744498

Book preview

cover.jpg

America, Misguided Pride

Carlos Zamorano

Copyright © 2021 by Carlos Zamorano

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

The Beginning

Early Development of America

Native Americans

The Mexican Perspective

Native Americans in the US Military

The Code Talkers

PTSD

Organization of American States

Central America

Guatemala

Honduras

Let’s Get Real

Chapter 1

The Beginning

Iwould like to start this book by looking at the history of how America came into being—why the settlers came, their reasons for leaving their home countries, and why they chose this area in which to settle.

I also want to delve into the mentality of the American people when it comes to immigration, their reasons for closing our borders, and what some foreign people view as hypocrisy of the American people when it comes to Mexicans and other foreign citizens doing to this country what the settlers initially did to this country when they arrived. Nothing from the 1500s to the present day has changed except time.

The initial reasons why people left Europe were mainly to escape religious persecution. Others stated they were leaving their home countries because of political persecution. At least that is what they originally claimed. Many came for the purpose of acquiring land, which was impossible where they lived. After the first settlers arrived and word worked its way back to Europe, many others from England, Scotland, and Scandinavian countries followed suit.

Once word got out concerning this new land, many people decided that this was their only opportunity to own land and become better off than where they were. Many in European countries were poor without any possible chance of upward mobility. The journey of over four thousand miles seemed minor against the potential windfall of land and money that could be made by ownership of vast amounts of an overabundance of free or cheap land.

Spain was one of the countries that sought to gain wealth and proselytize the New World. They also felt they would gain international prestige if they were to settle into the Americas as an extension of their home country. They saw this as an opportunity to expand not only their culture but also their way of life to all of what is now Mexico and all of Central America.

Between 1620 and 1640, over fifty thousand English immigrants came to America, which led to the establishment of the first thirteen colonies. Those were Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

As people began to arrive and word returned to Europe, they invited their families and coworkers to come and either purchase what they considered cheap land or claim open land. They used their knowledge of commerce and began businesses here and developed their businesses with cheap labor found with the slaves and local natives who were uneducated and extremely ignorant of their salary for work involved.

As time went on, more and more immigrants arrived at the new land, many of whom named their new land with the same name they had in Europe. The Dutch named their new land New Amsterdam, and others received their names from wherever they came. Germans named their town Frankfurt or New Berlin.

For many, they could not believe the amount of undeveloped land they found upon arrival. That caused many to come just to own land as land where they came from was nonexistent.

As more and more Europeans arrived, they expanded their way West, taking land that belonged to the natives. Although the American Indians were nomadic, they felt this was their land and did not give it up easily. There were many fights for the land, and many were killed in the process of this country becoming a mainly White land.

They brought Black slaves, but they were not counted as they were not considered people or immigrants; they were considered possessions. The slaves were tasked with the heavy labor and advancement of the plantations, mainly in the South.

With time, there was a continuing need for more and more land as people continued coming from Europe and other parts of the world.

While most of the settlers and first immigrants were from England, Scotland, and Ireland, there were many who came from other parts of Europe such as France who took over the Louisiana territory. We had to purchase that part of the country from France. When it came to the southwest, we had to deal with the fact that the land encompassing what is now Arizona, New Mexico, California, Texas, and parts of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado were part of another established country, Mexico.

In 1836, the area called the Republic of Texas seceded from Mexico. Mexico did not recognize that action and demanded its territory back. That caused President Polk to send troops to that area in an effort to protect the citizens that occupied that territory. Mexican forces attacked Texas, and that started the Mexican–American War.

The most famous of all battles during this war and most documented was the Battle of the Alamo, which lasted for approximately two weeks. There were some minor skirmishes along the way, but nothing before the actual battle where the Mexican Army commanded by General Santa Anna led the final assault on the Alamo and killed all the occupants in that facility. Two famous Americans were killed in that action, James Bowie and William B. Travis.

The Texas Legislature purchased the land and buildings in the early part of the twentieth century and designated the Alamo chapel as an official Texas State Shrine. The Alamo is now the most popular tourist attraction in Texas. The popularity of the Alamo is because of the actual war that took place in that area as well as the loss of two of America’s most famous figures.

In 1846, we decided we wanted that land—not part, but all of it—to include the area known as Texas. This military conflict lasted for two years. After many conflicts, which included the American forces entering into Mexico City, the war ended.

Under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico agreed that the land that it called the northern territories of Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo México would be released to the United States.

The United States agreed to pay $15 million compensation for the physical damage of the war. In addition, the United States assumed $3.25 million in ancillary damages. Mexico acknowledged the loss of their province, at the time known as the Republic of Texas, and now the State of Texas. The treaty called for a new border between Mexico and the United States and acknowledged the river known as the Rio Grande as its future northern national border with the United States. Mexico had lost over one-third of its original territory from its 1821 independence from Spain.

The taking of the land from the original thirteen colonies to the rest of the land encompassing over three thousand miles in the United States was not taken lightly by the Native American Indians that lived in the various areas of the country.

The land was their source of livelihood. They were nomadic and followed the bison and beaver as their source of food. For every acre of land the settlers took, that lessened the ability of the Indians to survive.

There is reason to believe the settlers did not know the names or number of Native Indians in the country nor does it appear they cared. They were after the land and proceeded to do whatever it took to obtain it.

Some of the known names of Indian tribes in America were the Apache, Papago, Navajo, Osage, Cheyenne, Ute, and Shoshone. However, there were many other tribes that the people have never heard of. Some are Lakota, Ho-Chunk, Ponca, Otoe, and Modoc people. There are quite a few others. As one can see, this was not a country devoid of people or inhabitants when the settlers arrived. The land was already fully taken with people.

As the settlers pushed their way West, there were major skirmishes with the local natives with some major conflicts where many people lost their lives in the process. That did not deter the settlers to continue their path westward, to the North, and to the South.

From those local wars came the names of people who became legendary for their bravery or their dedication toward their mission. There were people who became famous on both sides of the spectrum. On the American Indian side, there were the following:

Tecumseh. He was a famous Shawnee Indian chief who fought in Tecumseh’s War and the War of 1812. He fought to unite Native Indian tribes in resistance against US encroachment. That campaign failed with the defeat of his brother, Tenskwatawa the Prophet, at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

Pocahontas. Pocahontas was born in the late 1500s and died in the early 1600s. She was famous as the daughter of Chief Powhatan who was an Algonquian chief when the lands known as Virginia were first colonized. Pocahontas befriended the English at Jamestown, and according to Captain John Smith, she rescued him from death at the hands of her father.

Tuscarora Native Indian Warrior King Hancock. He was a famous leader of the Tuscarora tribe of North Carolina. The tradition of crowning a Native American Indian chief as a king started in 1608 when Chief Powhatan was crowned as a king. He resisted the encroachment of settlers on his land, and a series of disputes led to the outbreak of the Tuscarora War, the early 1700s. King Hancock was captured by a rival called Chief Tom Blunt and was executed by the British.

Geronimo. He was a famous chief and shaman of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States during the Apache Wars. The conflicts were over the settlers’ expansion into Apache tribal lands. Geronimo was captured in 1886 and confined to a reservation. He died on February 17, 1909. Before he was captured and sent to a reservation, he was the most famous or infamous, depending upon which side you were on. He was a furious warrior on behalf of his people. He became a legend before he was captured and sent to the reservation.

Manuelito was an important Navajo chief who led his people against the white encroachment on the Navajo territory. The US Army led to his surrender and the forced relocation and terrible journey to the Bosque Redondo Reservation known as the Long Walk. That walk was a 350-mile trail of death known as the infamous Long Walk of the Navajo to Bosque Redondo Reservation. Manuelito died shortly after he reached his destination.

Sitting Bull (ca. 1831–1890) was the famous Sioux war chief who led the Sioux in the fight to retain their lands against settlers in the northern Great Plains. He was a major figure in the fight against settlers and the US Army troops. He was present at the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876, against the US troops led by Gen. George Custer. Sitting Bull was killed in 1890 during the Ghost Dance turmoil.

Victorio was born in the Chihenne tribe of the Apache Indians. Chihenne tribe means Red Painted People and were known as the Warm Springs Apache or the Eastern Chiricahua Apaches. He lived and grew up in Warm Springs before foreigners invaded their land. He rose to warrior chief status as a military strategist by leading small groups of warriors. His homeland was first encroached on by the Mexicans. Later, Americans also started to invade Apache territory, which prompted the start of the Apache Wars (1850–1900). These and other wars were fought by other famous Apache chiefs such as Cochise and Geronimo.

Cochise. He was one of the Apache Indian chiefs who resisted the invasion of both Americans and Mexicans to Apache lands. Cochise was born in the year 1804 and lived in the county of Chiricahua. Cochise’s name meant having the qualities or the strength of oak. Cochise was part of a tribe known as the Chiricahua Apache Indians who lived in what is now Mexico and Arizona after Arizona became a US state. They never really liked being ruled over by foreigners to their land. During these times, the Apache continuously won over their opponents in skirmishes with both Mexicans and Americans.

Red Cloud. His mother was Walks as She Thinks who came from the Oglala Sioux, also known as Oglala Lakota. His father, on the other hand, was a warrior from Brule Lakota named Lone Man. When his father died, the custody of Red Cloud was assumed by his uncle from the mother’s side, a chief of the Oglala Sioux named Smoke. He showed immense promise as a warrior even at a young age, and his uncle played a huge role in his development especially when his mother died.

Red Cloud was the war chief during a two-year conflict that was forever known as Red Cloud’s War. The main objective of Red Cloud was to prevent the White invaders from invading the lands of the Native Americans in Wyoming and Montana. The American military, discouraged by its efforts to control Red Cloud, attempted to have him sign a treaty. Because he did not accept the conditions of the treaty, Red Cloud refused to sign and stormed out during the negotiations. He continued to show his superiority over the American troops that were dispatched within their region.

Santana (1830–1878). He was also known as Set-tainte or White Bear Person and was a famous chief of the Kiowa tribe in Oklahoma. The Native American Plains Indians had to witness the slaughter of buffalo as a White man’s sport. Buffalo was extremely important to his people. It was the main source of food and clothing. Buffalo hide was used to make their teepees. The killing of the buffalo also served as a weapon against the Great Plains Indians. This was a tactic used by the US government and military to starve the Native Indians into submission as a first step toward the near-genocide and subjugation of a free people.

Crazy Horse (ca. 1849–1877). He was a famous chief and war leader of the Sioux tribe. Crazy Horse fought with the Indian tribe confederation that defeated General Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. Crazy Horse was one of the greatest and most ferocious leaders of the Sioux Native Americans when it came to preserving their culture.

Crazy Horse went to join the forces of Sitting Bull. On June 26, 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn took place. The combined force of Native American Indians rode to attack Gen. George Custer killing all of his 231 men. That included Custer, his two brothers, his brother-in-law, and his nephew. The Battle of Little Bighorn became known as the greatest victory of the Native Americans against US soldiers.

Had it not been for the invasion of the settlers into the various parts of what is now the United States, those people would never have been known by anyone other than their own people. There were many others, but suffice for this book, that is enough to get a picture of some of the Native people who became famous for their role in the development of what the Indians called the invaders or White men with forked tongues of this nation.

On the other side, there were many settlers who became famous for their role in the development of this land during the turbulent period of early discovery. We had many people whose names became known as heroes or, by legend, outlaws. Regardless, they became famous for their activity during the development of this country. Some of those are as follows:

Davie Crockett. David Crockett was born in 1786 to a pioneer family living on the Nolichucky River in east Tennessee. He was one of the most celebrated figures in American history. His life began as a frontiersman. He participated in several fights with Indians of different tribes during his life. He was also involved in politics. Stories about his life were embellished and caused his life to become legendary. He later became a bigger-than-life folk hero when he died fighting at the Alamo.

Calamity Jane. Calamity Jane was born Martha Jane Cannary, circa May 1, 1852, in Princeton, Missouri. She became famous for her ability to shoot. She was also famous as legend tells us she could drink any man under the table. She was also known for dressing as a man. She joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show performing sharpshooting skills astride a galloping horse. For several years, she toured the Midwest, and that cemented her fame.

Buffalo Bill. William Buffalo Bill F. Cody was born just west of the Mississippi River near Le Claire, Iowa. He served as a scout for the Union Army’s Seventh Kansas Cavalry during the last years of the American Civil War. Cody hunted buffalo for the Kansas Pacific Railroad work crews, earning his moniker Buffalo Bill and his reputation as an expert shot. He became one of only four civilian scouts to be awarded the US Congressional Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars for valor in action.

Billy the Kid. Billy the Kid was born William Henry McCarty Jr. on November 23, 1859. Billy the Kid was best known as an infamous thief and gunfighter. This started when he was a little boy. Because of his illegal activity, he was known by several aliases such as Henry Antrim and William Bonney. He stole horses and cattle until his arrest in 1880 for the killing of Sheriff Brady during the Lincoln County War. After being sentenced to death, he killed his two guards and escaped in 1881. He continued his life of crime until he was hunted down and shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881, in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

Sheriff Pat Garrett. Pat Garrett was a soft-spoken and modest man. When he tracked down and killed Billy the Kid, he instantly became famous. When he died, he was seen as the West’s greatest lawman. Garrett was elected sheriff of Lincoln County in November 1880. That began the story of his capture of Billy the Kid and subsequent killing him once Billy escaped jail and became a fugitive from justice.

Doc Holliday. Doc Holliday is a figure from the Old West. He was known as a gunman and a gambler who was part of the legendary shootout at the O. K. Corral. Holliday was born on August 14, 1851, in Griffin, Georgia.

In 1870, Holliday moved to Philadelphia to attend what is now called the University of Pennsylvania Dental School, where he graduated in 1872. Holliday returned to his home to begin his dental career. But at the age of twenty-three, he fled to Dallas, Texas. The reason for this move was not known, but historical research strongly suggests that he had contracted tuberculosis and wanted to move to where there was a better climate for his physical condition. He began drinking and gambling to the point where his gambling and drinking habits became the main focus of his life. He supported himself with gambling winnings and took alcohol as medicine for his lung condition.

Wyatt Earp. Wyatt Earp (1848–1929) became known first and foremost for his participation in a notorious gunfight at the O. K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1881. Earp joined that city’s police force (1875–1876) and later became deputy town marshal of Dodge City. It was in Dodge City that Earp would make the acquaintance of Doc Holliday, a well-known gunman and gambler. Wyatt was a rebellious teenager who ran away from home several times. When he was caught, he was returned to his home. He became interested in law enforcement when he joined his family in Lamar, Missouri, becoming the local constable, which was what his father was before his father retired.

Wyatt and his brothers moved to Tombstone, Arizona, where Virgil was working as the town marshal. Wyatt began working alongside him. In March 1881, while pursuing a group of cowboys who had robbed a stagecoach, Wyatt made a deal with a rancher Ike Clanton, who had ties to the cowboys who robbed the stagecoach. Clanton felt closer to the robbers than he did to Wyatt and soon turned