The collision of the Native American, European, and African cultures greatly influenced the shaping of the American society.

        Another important culture present is the European American culture. The main themes of European American culture are religious devotion and materialistic beliefs. For example, in “Plymouth Plantation,” by Bradford, God is mentioned over ten times in the short passage. This was due to the fact that the first Europeans to come to America were Puritans who were people fleeing religious persecution. The materialistic inclinations of European American culture are presented in the “Soul of the Indians.” In the chapter, it is mentioned that as soon as the Europeans landed in the Americas they sought to generate profit from everything they saw. They even put price tags on Native Americans and subjugated them into lives of forced labor. With this labor force, the Europeans sought wealth by searching for gold mines and establishing large plantations. The strong religious devotion of the Europeans is similar to the Native Americans as the Native Americans also had great interest in their Gods. However, the materialistic inclinations of European culture are not present in most of the Native American and African Cultures.

        Finally, the African American culture also had a great influence in the Americas. The main themes of the African Americans are family, love, and the importance of language. For example, in “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,”when Olaudah is separated from his sister after getting captured by slave traders, he feels great sadness. He states, “I have lost something to rely on…” This quote proves the importance of family to the African American culture. When he eventually reunites with his sister, he is overwhelmed with joy. Another example is in “Drawing the Color Line,” by Zinn. In this chapter, the African slaves are split up and coalesced with people from different regions, with different languages and traditions. By doing this, the Africans were unable to communicate with each other and attempt a rebellion. Both of the themes are also present in the European and Native American cultures. Europeans and Native Americans love their families and are in great trouble when they are not able to communicate with each other. However, these themes are more clearly depicted in the unique African American culture of slaves.

        In conclusion, the Native American, European, and African cultures have influenced in shaping the American culture. The Americans have created a melting pot in the soil of the New World. With these diverse cultures, America was able to propel itself forward and distinguish itself as the most influential nation in the world politically, economically, and socially. Throughout history, there have been other incidents of cultural collision and mixing. Many times, the outcomes were negative. As cultures collide, it is inevitable that one culture will try to dominate another one, but in American society, this clash of cultures was healthy and incorporated the stronger aspects of many cultures.