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Conclusion
Oriental Bittersweet and Other Invasive Species: Americans in North America is a critique of history that seeks to invoke contemplation. I look back at the history of colonial New England and I re-examine it through 21st century theories of post-colonial, race, ethnic and American studies, philosophy, anthropology, ethnobotany and contemporary art criticismamong other fields. Despite relying on these theories, however, I have not arrived at any truth in my critique. At twenty-one years of age, Thomas Miner gazed longingly toward the setting sun like many of his fellow Englishmen. He heard of a land of green forests and unpolluted waterways, exotic flora and fauna and he yearned for a new beginning. He took a step that is perhaps unimaginable today: He departed for a New World, completely unknown and unseen, to make a new life for himself. Nevertheless, Thomas did well: He married a woman, fathered children, raised crops and livestock for a livelihood, served in the military and worked in the government. Indeed, an active, bourgeois life by both historical and contemporary standards. So why do I criticize Thomas Miner so harshly? Because historical distance permits me to see the consequences that his actions have resulted in today. But Thomas merely did what he thought was acceptable and made sense at the time. Am I contributing to changing weather patterns by heating my house with coal and driving a petroleum-fueled automobile? Do I kill organisms that could hold the cure for cancer when I wash my hands