Beyond 1492-Native Reactions to InvasionThe author begins the chapter by briefly introducing the source on which this chapter is based. He introduces the essay he wrote for the lecture given at Vanderbilt University. This essay is based on the events and problems that Native Americans and Europeans have had to encounter and experience since the discovery of America. The essay begins with the “Colombian Encounter between the Cultures of Two Old Worlds” (98). These two old worlds were America and Europe. This discovery indicates that Native Americans contributed to the development and evolution of American history and culture. This gives the fact that the Indians only acted against the Europeans to defend their food, their territory and themselves. “[They] spent much of the periods of conquest and colonization reacting and responding to foreigners and European invaders” (99). The two sides were different in many ways; Their communication, their means of transportation, their culture and their mode of survival differentiate Europeans from Native Americans. They both acted as wisely as possible when these meetings began after the discovery. “[Tribes] worked powerfully and often intelligently to maximize their political sovereignty, cultural autonomy, territorial integrity, power of self-identification, and physical nobility” (100). The Europeans were stronger, had better technology, better weapons, and had a lot of experience fighting people like the Native Americans. They could have easily defeated them, but they had a problem with resources, reinforcements and survival. Native Americans were numerous but lacked knowledge and experience in warfare and evolution. Europeans were technologically advanced and experienced in warfare, but they...... middle of paper...... "the majority of [Native Americans] looked to the cultures and religions of the invaders to obtain more power, knowledge and skills with which to support indigenous identities and values ​​in other forms", many of them always called themselves "real people" keeping their original names (116- 117).In conclusion, Native Americans were brought to the brink of extinction after the discovery of the New World. They suffered damage from diseases and injuries brought by Europeans. to European demands as well as changing their beliefs to those that Europeans brought with them in order to survive and avoid the risk of extinction. Axtell, James. North”. Beyond 1492: Encounters in Colonial North America. New York: Oxford UP, 1992. 97-121. Print.