America, Becoming A Country Through Invasion.
Steele, is the book I chose to read for my book report. "Warpaths" discusses the invasions of North America and the struggles that went on so that Europeans could gain control of the "New Land." The book is broken into three main sections; Bases for Invasion, 1565-1684,Colonies and Tribes, 1687-1748, and finally Empires, Colonies, and Tribes, 1784-1765. In the course of my essay I will go through and discuss the strengths and weaknesses in each section. I will talk about the use of maps, illustrations and the references notes that are used through out the text. Ian K. Steele has the main objective in this book of creating a new image of how America was "created." Steele takes an Ethno historic and military, perspective on the invasions of America. He presents a new and radical view of how things took place and the reasoning behind the events that took place. The lay out of the book is similar to that of a common textbook, which creates a strong structurally persuasive book. The multitude of sources used by Steele forms a feeling of security in the readers mind, as to the authenticity of his argument. .
Before even getting into Part 1 of the book, Steele, has a chapter on Arms in Arcadia, this chapter talks about the beginning of it all, he touches on Columbus, Cabot, and Cortez's roles in the new world. Also talking about the Countries that gave power to these mere "men." Steele successfully creates and idea of what life was like for the early inhabitants of North America. Showing pictures of the distribution of tribes in and around the Florida area of America, and describing life styles, he creates an understanding for his readers. As Steele begins in Part 1, he speaks of the lifestyles that the Europeans have made for themselves in America by 1565. Clearly explaining the incorporation of natives" styles of living. The Maps that are used in this chapter help's to give the reader a better understanding of how the invasions took place and the location that was most active during the time frame.
