Changes in the Land by William Cronon

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land, it might have been granted to the by the crown. Because of that the Europeans decided to improve the land, they did a greater use of agriculture than the Indians. When the Crown would give them land they put in practice what the Indians did which was the agricultural practices and it gave more value to the land they had.

One of the most impacts that the Europeans cause the Indian populations and society were diseases. The first disease that was recorded as epidemic in New England was is the south in 1616. This diseases made the population become less mobile and eventually caused the poverty of the land that they once avoided by the seasonal migrations. As the population diminished, edges returned to the forests and further harming the animal population. The invasion of the animals from Europe took the Indians to build fences to protect their crops. It was an environment more similar to the one that was in Europe than to the one they had already established.

The Europeans alter the environment very dramatically they change the whole ecosystem and everything they could. The burning of firewood was a very important example described in the book, “an incredible amount of wood is really squandered in this country for fuel: day and night all winter” (Cronon120). The damage became very enormous leasing to more issues; the temperature was very inconsistent and caused some rivers to dry and other to flood. The working agriculture and the browsing of livestock even further were increased by the problems. “The removal of the forest, the increase in destructive floods, the soil compaction and close-cropping wrought by grazing animals, plowing-all served to increase erosion” (Cronon 147). Those problems were eventually led to the soil problem; the soil became entirely useless at a rate for number of reasons for example the growing of a single repeatedly in the area or relocating to another area. The land that was once peacefully and quiet, who was respected and loved by their people was extremely irreparably changed.

This book was very informative and very detailed on how did the Europeans made their way through and how little by little they change the land. I think that Cronon did a great job on making sure to have proof and the way he wrote this book on how the Europeans came and change everything making them think it was for good in some ways. I would recommended to someone else to read it because it gives all the information on the different ways each the Europeans and the Indians performed certain things and what their beliefs were. The book is very straight to the point and Cronon findings on how the new world change when the Europeans got there.