by William Mcdougall

Created on: December 15, 2007   Last Updated: August 10, 2009

Clash of Civilizations-

This nation is facing a crisis because of illegal immigration and the Islamic intrusion. But Columbus Day points to an earlier clash of civilizations.

Having been in the Navy (in the sixties) and spent time in the Mediterranean, I saw a replica of the Santa Maria (Christopher Columbus's flag ship). Also being of Celtic extract and spent time in Ireland and Oban, Scotland (the home of my clan), I am aware of the English abuses of the Celtic peoples of the British Isles. I spent time on the Caribbean Islands of Nevis and Saint Kitts (named after Columbus). My wife worked on the Island of Saint Kitts. The two Islands are rich in the history of the colonization of the western world.

Columbus sighted Nevis in 1493 (on his second voyage to the New World). He called it Las Nieves, Spanish for snows, because its mountains reminded him of the snow-capped range in the Pyrenees. Thomas Jefferson's grandfather owned a sugar plantation on Saint Kitts. Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis. The last battles of the American Revolution were fought in the area; in 1782 Brimstone Hill fortress (on Saint Kitts) fell to the French. The Kalinago Indians allowed the first Europeans (English and French) to colonize Saint Kitts. Excerpts taken from: Saint Kitts and Nevis- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

All earlier attempts to settle other islands were met with immediate destruction of the colonies by the Indians. The Kalinagos (known as Caribs by the Europeans) were eventually completely wiped out on Saint Kitts, in the great Kalinago Genocide of 1626. I spent time walking through the ruins of 17th century sugar cane plantations on Saint Kitts, where Indian slaves labored before the introduction of African slaves. I also walked on the beaches of the eastern side of Nevis, possibly where the native people, first sighted the small wooden Spanish ships.

As bad as the Spanish treated the native populations in their colonies (South America, Central America and Mexico), not all English colonists were saints in North America. At first the Native Americans and the Pilgrims (of present day Plymouth, Massachusetts), worked together to till and plant the first successful crops. Excerpts taken from Duane A. Cline 2006 (The Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony: 1620).

The first feast of Thanksgiving (another national holiday now protested by Native Americans), in October of 1621, was a harvest festival filled with fellowship, good food and games. The Pilgrims had a deep

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