Discuss the relations between the Native Americans and the Colonists from the early 1700s through the Revolutionary War and its aftermath by drawing upon the information from your American Pageant textbook (chapters 6, 7, and 8) and from your Norton Anthology (pp. 206-218) with special focus on Pontiac's Speech at Detroit and Red Jacket's Speech to the U.S. Senate and the Declaration of Independence (pp.342-346 Norton Anthology). I am looking to see that you Assert, Prove, and Explain a position on this relationship (was it postive, was it negative, was it inevitable, was it avoidable, etc.). Begin your response with a complex-split introductory thesis.
DUE DATE: Friday, September 21, 2012 by midnight
Word Count: 300 words minimum
49 comments:
Olivia Brophy
Period 3 & 4
Relations between the natives of eastern North America and the British colonists in the same area were tense throughout all of the 1700s, but grew more strained as the Revolutionary War picked up in the latter half of the century. The actions and beliefs of the colonists were the main aggravators in these affairs. First, the colonists, especially those of British descent, viewed the natives as savage and less than themselves; second, most colonists believed that it was part of their duty as a Christian to convert the natives to Christianity, which the natives, understandably, did not wholeheartedly support; thirdly, as the colonies grew in numbers and size, they consequently encroached on native land, which was beneficial to them economically, but not for the natives. Thus, for social, religious and economic reasons, the relations between natives and colonists spanning from pre- to post-Revolutionary War times were both negative and inevitable.
Due to their long-held social belief that the natives were below them, the relationship between the colonists and the natives was strained. Influenced by the British treatment of Irish natives, this belief caused the colonists, whose numbers eventually overwhelmed those of the natives, to treat them cruelly and unfairly. The Declaration of Independence, states as a point of contention, the king’s forcing them “…to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages…” This statement is important because it clearly shows that even the best educated of the colonists held onto this Old World view, essentially guaranteeing that the vast majority of common people believed it, since it was the only way they knew how to treat those they viewed as less than them. The religious dutifulness of the American colonists also played a key role in fueling the negative relations between colonists and natives.
Many colonists believed that, as a Christian, they were required to attempt to bring “lost souls” to God. The North American natives had been practicing their own faiths for thousands of years, and resisted this sudden change. Another issue that the natives had with the “white people” was perfectly stated by Red Jacket in his Speech to the U.S. Senate – “How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceived by the white people.” This statement shows that, because of previous interactions the natives were reluctant to automatically trust the colonists, especially concerning religion. Red Jacket goes on to make a critically important statement in regards to how the natives felt about the religious issue – “Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion, or take it from you; we only want to enjoy our own.” The religious issue was especially important in straining the relationship between the natives and the colonists, as were economics.
As the colonies grew in numbers, they expanded into the native’s territory for space as well as economic gain. Understandably, this angered the natives, because when they lost territory, their ability to make their own profits decreased. Acting on this anger, the natives, specifically Pontiac and the natives he led in rebellion, caused Parliament to pass the Proclamation of 1763, which in turn was hated by colonists. The colonists, defying the Proclamation, proceeded to move further into native territory. By doing this, the colonists piled more tension onto their strenuous relations with the natives.
The actions of both the colonists and natives, fueled either by social, religious, or economic reasoning, inevitably contributed to the negative relationships that developed between the two groups before, during and after the Revolutionary War.
Samantha Nicolas, Period 6
From the early 1700s and continuing on through the Revolutionary War’s aftermath, the relations between the Native Americans and the colonists in the New World have always been unstable. Riddled with the routine of initial “friendships” later followed by armed conflicts (such as what happened with the Wampanoags in 1676 and in the Pequot War in the late 17th century), the history between these two different groups was tainted with selfishness and fundamental freedoms. First, the natives’ tentativeness due to previous experiences with the white Europeans got tribal-colonial interactions off to a shaky start; second, conflicting economic interests never came to a head except in violence; third, religious freedom was questioned through European moral ethics. Therefore, for social, economic, and religious reasons, divisions between the Native Americans and the colonists widened, and a fall-out of both sides became imminent.
The natives were wary of the new white settlers by the time several European groups began permanently colonizing in the New World. One cause of this was their previous experience to European diseases that they had not developed any immunity to. Before any permanent settlements were established in the New World, European fishermen sailing along the eastern coast of America made brief contact with the natives through kidnapping. Due to these occasional visits, Old World diseases were introduced that cut off Native American population by a large percentage. This cautiousness among the natives was also due to the Europeans’ superior weapons and technology. The colonists came with instruments and tools that were very strange to the natives, who had never seen anything quite that sophisticated in their lives. Compared to themselves, the English regarded the natives as savages. The strain between the Native American peoples and the colonists was also generated by conflicting economic interests. As the Europeans pushed inward for more land to colonize, they continuously kept running into native tribal lands, and as their range of control widened, they began to expect natives to submit under their English law. Whereas the English believed that the land of North America was basically theirs for the taking (since they thought of the natives as less than human and inferior), the Native Americans believed that the land was made specifically for them only since the same land belonged to their ancestors. Especially in 1763 when all the colonists were moving westward, natives such as Pontiac believed that it was their duty to protect what was theirs, cast away all the European things that they had become so dependent upon, and drive out the English so they could return to their ancestor’s traditional ways (for the whites had been interfering with their hunting, among other things). The last contribution to this uneasy relationship was the religion factor. Seeking religious freedom, the English had sailed over to America, where the Indians had helped supply the colonists’ needs during their early years of settlement. However, in time, the Europeans’ “greed” for more and more of the New World eventually came to the point where they tried to impose their English religion on them. This didn’t sit well with the natives because what the Europeans had come in pursuit after, they were attempting to take away from the Native Americans, who only wanted the freedom to continue practicing their own religion. On the other hand, the Europeans’ were only following their religious beliefs, which prompted them to go out and save any “lost souls” from damnation.
During the 17th and 18th centuries the relationship between the natives and the colonists were strained and tenuous at best, but these quickly escalated with the fruition of the Revolutionary War. The aggressive and greedy tendencies of the colonists were major agitators for the hostility of the natives. Firstly, the land hungry and ever growing European colonies consumed large quantities of native land; secondly these colonists viewed the natives as wicked heathen savages, and they did to them as they pleased; thirdly the Europeans viewed the natives as part of a holy duty to be saved by missionaries. Thusly for economic, social, and religious reasons, the escalations of these conflicts were doomed to happen. With the natives and French decimated in the seven years war the colonists now saw no opposition to their claim to advancement. And even with the Proclamation of 1763 the colonists marched over the now feeble and helpless local tribes in a desperate grab for any profitable or habitable land. Stretching over the Appalachians and into Kentucky and Tennessee, the colonists with their birthrate and energy were on a collision course to consume the entirety of the continent. Heavily influenced by the British regulars recent experiences with the treatment and hostility of the Irish natives, used the same unfair and unjust treatment to the local natives. These settlers were based off of the Calvinist view that caused the belief that the natives were envoys of the devil that lived amongst them. The settlers purely saw the natives as a source and a detriment to their much desired land. During bacons rebellion they cared little to the lives of the natives and saw only the value of the land they lived upon. The British often used cruel tactics in the abolishment of the natives, such as waging biological warfare with smallpox laced blankets. Although largely unsuccessful the largely protestant christens viewed the natives as heathen sinners, and felt obligated to preach to the natives and save them from their ways. However the general native populace rejected these beliefs in favor of their common religions that had been practiced for as long as their oral histories could record. And feeling the pressure from these missionaries they did not like to have to lose all their traditions in favor of this foreign god. And as time went on and the missionaries became more demanding the pressure was bound to build up into violence.
Throughout the tumultuous period of the 1700’s through the termination of the Revolutionary War, the one thing that remained constant was the complex relationship between the colonists and Native Americans. The ongoing exchange between these two groups was primarily one of deception and usurpation by the Europeans, forcing the Native Americans into a way of life that went against years of tradition. First, the colonists’ unyielding and greedy demand for more land continually shouldered the existing tribes out of their ancestral lands; next, both parties engaged in trade that heavily benefitted the Europeans; lastly, although the settlers were in a foreign land, they took up the mission of forcing their Christianity upon the only people who had ensured their survival. Therefore, these actions taken by the colonists defined a situation in which the Native Americans were severely wronged.
As soon as the colonists found their footing in the New World, their desire for larger amounts of land knew no bound. In Red Jacket’s Speech to the U.S. Senate in 1805, the unbalanced distribution of land of the time is clearly illustrated. The settlers would often encroach upon or outwardly confiscate Native American heritage lands, in return, tribes could expect whatever was left over. The arrogance and superiority of the settlers in this type of situation is appalling as it displays an utter lack of respect for another people. When these two parties did interact cooperatively and engaged in trade, the colonists received the keys to survival in North America, while the Native Americans were seduced by the Europeans’ offers of liquor and fine clothes. Chief Pontiac’s Speech at Detroit calls for the tribes of North America to find their true selves once more and end the cycle of injustices thrust upon them by the foreigners in their land. His use of imagery portrays the clear message that the Native Americans will never be able to regain their powerful and peaceful life until they shed the lingering customs of Europe. In a perpetual pattern of history, as the colonists and Native Americans increasingly interacted, Christianity was forced upon the Native Americans. The settlers’ superiority complex and obdurate belief in Social Darwinist concepts gave them the audacity to declare the only people who had provided them with aid in their time of strife lost and utterly wrong. The colonists’ demand of Native American conversion is just another example of the extreme imbalance of freedom enjoyed by these two people groups.
Through the greedy usurpation of land, the inequity of beneficial trade, and the assertion that Christianity must be practiced by all those yet to be converted, the colonists created an extremely tense and unjust relationship with the Native Americans.
During the mid-17th century and beginning of the 18th century in America the founders of America were on a collision course with the natives. The natives occupied land they wanted; the natives were thought to be lesser beings; and the natives had a brewing hostility to the English men for a variety of injustices we put upon them. All of the injustices that we used on the Native Americans caused a inevitable clash.
First off the Native Americans when English men arrived lived on nearly all biomes of the Americas but when we saw this we being somewhat greedy started surrounding native American villages with our settlements slowly pushing them into smaller and smaller areas until either they fled or we discreetly dispatched them. This caused major fear and anger on the native Americans side and whenever they got a chance to lash out at us they took that chance, for example during the revolutionary war there was a famous native American chief who lead his fellow native Americans against the “Americans” who were on the revolutionaries side. The name of the Native American chief was Joseph Brant and his constant scalping raids gave him the name monster Brant.
The next reason the native Americans and the founders were on a crash course to nearly all out fighting was when Englishmen first came to the Americas they saw fur clothed men running around and none of the “civilization” that they were used to. In hind sight I believe that if we had left the Americas undiscovered for maybe one hundred years there would be no America or at the least not one we would recognize. The men saw the natives as like “Yahoos” from Jonathan Swift’s novel “Gulliver’s travels”. Creatures to be controlled we were trying to put ourselves up higher than the native Americans as if acting like the “Houyhnhnms”. When in reality the civilizations we had were almost equal besides the technology difference.
The last reason the Native Americans and founders were on a crash course was we had in the beginning, kidnapped them and sold them into slavery or to circuses and also we killed off near 50% of them with our diseases. Also we tried to convert them to whatever religion that we believed in when I believe we should have just left them alone.
Missy Smith
Period 1 and 4
Colonist and Native American relations became strained in the early 1700s to the revolutionary war, where it grew worse. The actions of the colonist were the main reason why the Natives became hostile. First, most of the Colonists believed it were their holy duty to convert anyone, including Native Americans, to Christianity; second, the Colonist wanted to obtain the land the Natives “owned”; and thirdly, most Colonist saw the Natives savage heathens and less than dirt. Therefore, due to religious, social and economic reasons the tension that was so tightly woven together burst.
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 which should have been a stabilizer between the Natives and the Colonist was for the most part ignored. The colonists marched over the now delicate and vulnerable local tribes in a desperate attempt for any lucrative or fit for human habitation land. The Colonist were attempting to take the land from Maine to Tennessee, which was easier considering the fertileness of the Colonist, and on their way to taking the whole northern side of America. The Colonist strongly believed in Christianity and wanted to share their religion with everyone else, especially the Natives. To share ones religion but to force it down someone’s throat that is perfectly happy with their own is not giving them the right to choose their own. The problem of religion leads to another problem between the Colonist and Natives which was the way the Colonist saw the Natives overall. The Colonist looked upon the Natives as Savages who needed to be shown the light and be taught how to be “civilized”. To be treated as you are not even better than the flys, you might become irritated and irate. This was the main reason for the split between Natives and the Colonist; the Colonist could not wrap their head around the fact that Natives were people too.
Most of the problems between the Colonist and the Natives were started by the Colonists close-mindedness; so to say their relationship was strained is a slight understatement.
It was in 1492 that the Native Americans experienced their first interaction with Europeans (disregarding the Norse, as there is no definite knowledge of any contact made between them and the natives) and vice versa. And even from that very first moment of contact, the shadow of the Europeans and their intentions began to slowly but surely consume the unsuspecting indigenous population of America, despite the majority of them originally offering no hostility. However, those tribes located in the north-eastern region did not gain the bittersweet pleasure of meeting the English until a little over a century later in the early years of the 1600’s. At the start, the interactions between these two civilizations were not so violent and bitter since the colonists were significantly outnumbered and unfamiliar with the New World; but when their population numbers finally permitted it, the settlers began to start the process of establishing themselves as the superior race; and it was when the settlements evolved, even further, into colonies that the crippled remains of the tribes were forced from their homelands in order for the colonists to suck the last drops of the benefits – economic opportunities offered by the land – that they could grasp from the native population. Therefore, Native Americans, at first, attempted peaceful relations but the colonists’ continuous enforcement of their beliefs and abuse of the Native’s natural human rights only added fuel to the fire of disdain between the two civilizations.
It is here that an emphasis should be made on the fact that peace was offered by the Natives in the beginning. Whilst the Colonists continued to treat the race as if they were ants beneath their boots caked with the mud of misplaced superiority, this does not mean that the Natives had simply lain down and taken such harsh abuse without question. In fact, it did not take many opposing acts by the Colonists for the Natives to realize that no such placid relationship was in the foreigner’s plans. So, time and time again, the Natives rallied together and resisted, as exemplified by Chief Pontiac’s Speech at Detroit where the man calls for the tribes of North America to throw off their chains, unite, and take up arms against the common enemy. If opposition was not shown through physical resistance, it was shown through words. It was in this method that Red Jacket presented the inequality of land distribution for the U.S. Senate. It is possible that, had equality been established early on, that such tense feelings for each other would not be shared between the two races. But physical resistance was met with even more physical opposition and oral opposition was met with further dismissals, increasing the Native’s resentment towards those who abused them and decreasing the chance of reconciliation closer and closer to nothing. So, while the Natives’ attempts at defiance are the most historically noted, it was the colonists’ own resistance to what was right that created such a tentative and delicate relationship between the two.
From the early 1700s all the way to the Revolutionary War, the affairs between white colonists and Native Americans became strained and tense. This worrisome relationship was only to be expected after Europeans demoralized and displaced Native Americans time and time again. First, the trade between colonists and Native Americans introduced new items to Natives that ruined their traditional way of life; second, the colonists were constantly pushing west onto Native Americans' lands in order to claim it for themselves; and third, Americans still had a European mindset in which they viewed Native Americans as savages that could easily be exterminated without guilt. Therefore, for these specific reasons, the strong hatred between the white colonists and the Native Americans had been determined the moment that Europeans stepped foot upon American soil.
Ever since colonists came over from Europe, they possessed a variety of technology that was foreign to the Natives. Native Americans immediately seized the chance to purchase items such as guns, knives, blankets, and especially liquor. This trade was frowned upon by Chief Pontiac in his "Speech at Detroit" because he claimed that it turned them into fools and made them dependent on Europeans and their intoxicating goods. He scolded the Natives betraying their traditional culture and letting Europeans dominate so easily, but his speech was made too late since colonists had already taken over the Americas. Although Native Americans might have enjoyed the European's traded items, as colonists pushed farther into the Native Americans' homelands, anger flared up as these two groups both believed the land belonged to them. This anger came to a head in Pontiac's Uprising in which a group of Native Americans led by Chief Pontiac attacked British posts killing 2,000 colonists. This was not the first such uprising, but Native Americans were so weak compared to the colonists that they really stood no chance in defending the lands they had roamed over for thousands of years. Colonists wrongly took advantage of their superiority and shoved the Native Americans off these lands, displaying their greed for land and hunger for profit. European colonists felt a sense of predominance due to their religion and technology. The Native Americans, who lived a completely different lifestyle than them, were instantly viewed as savage. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson described Native American as a people who know only warfare and bring slaughter on all people, no matter age or gender. This arrogant statement shows the high and mighty mindset and colonists at the time, who believed they were so much better than anyone around them who was just slightly different. The inability for colonists to accept a lifestyle different from their own was ultimately why Native Americans and colonists could never live peacefully. Because of selfish and greedy acts of colonists, relationships between Native Americans and white colonists were doomed from the start.
In the 1700s, relationships between that of the natives and the British colonists were rigid, and grew even more so in that fashion as the Revolutionary War progressed. First, the "Brits" looked at the Native Americans as "potentials" to purge; next, they didn't quite see them to be as "human" as them and therefore viewed them as mere "ruffians;" and lastly, they were quite "hungry" for the native's land and devoured it to their leisure in order to prove their economy, despite it not being good for the natives. Hence, the relationship was not enjoyed by both parties and this resulted in a negative propinquity before and during the war. When you have look upon another, it tends to show and create hostile feelings, which is exactly how the "Brits" made the native americans feel. The colonists also made sure to take advantage of their sheer numbers and overwhelmed the natives, followed by mistreatment and cruelty. Natives were also lured into buying the exotic wares the colonists had to offer such as guns and knives that could be used for hunting and such, which in turn was frowned upon by Chief Pontiac whom Jessica earlier mentioned with his "Speech at Detroit." Sadly, it wasn't just the British colonists that gazed upon the Indians and saw only savage beasts. The Declaration of Indepence declared Native Americans to be a people who only knew warfare and brought slaughter with them wherever they went. Of course it wasn't enough to "nudge" the native americans off their land, they were also "required" to show them the "light of christanity" and convert them so they would no longer be lost souls in search of God.
Subsequently, the British Colonists along with the natives were fueled by religious, economic, and social reasons, in turn leading to a repugnant relationship that occuring before, amid, and after the Revolutionary War.
Beckett Lee
Periods 3 and 4
Throughout the 1700’s and over the course of the Revolutionary War, many conflicts erupted between the Native Americans and the colonial Americans. These inevitable conflicts stemmed from a deep rivalry over land, resources, and previous debacles that originated with the first arrival of the English settlers that could only end in European victory for several reasons. First, the colonists had incredible technological superiority which no amount of Native American resistance could withstand; second, the colonial American political structure was far more unified and cohesive than the native one which could never arrange a strong resistance; third, the colonial Americans had a driving need for the Native American’s land and resources to fuel their driving economic needs and expansion. All of these factors led to the inevitable wars and European victories over the Native Americans.
From the first European incursions into Native American lands, the technological superiority of the Europeans allowed them to defeat the Native Americans soundly. Colonial Americans in the 1700’s and after the Revolutionary War had muskets, cannons, cavalry, ships-of-the-line, pistols, swords, forts, walled cities and towns, and disciplined militias and armies. This contrasts strongly with the Native Americans who had only stolen firearms, tomahawks, bows, arrows, primitive melee weapons, and loosely organized tribal warriors who had little knowledge of strategy. Other technologies such as advanced agriculture, metallurgy, and seafaring navigation also allowed the Americans to acquire the population, weapons and tools, and sea power necessary to thoroughly obliterate the Native Americans.
The American colonists had strong political organization when compared to the Native Americans. As disunited as they were, the American colonies still had the ability to organize militias and town watches that could take and protect the Native American lands. This political strength increased even more when the colonies became the United States after the Revolutionary War. Their ability to organize themselves and strike the Native Americans in a coordinated fashion allowed them to continue their encroachment on native lands. This is important because the Native Americans needed an equally strong and unified political structure to effectively defend their lands. They were unsuccessful in doing this despite repeated attempts. This spelled their doom. While some natives, like Pontiac and Red Jacket, tried to unify the tribes against the Americans by encouraging Native ways or warning of further encroachment, they ultimately failed to develop a unified governing body quickly enough to match the Americans’. These political differences allowed the Americans to succeed and exclude the natives from the Declaration of Independence’s “All men are created equal.”
The Americans also had the advantage of an economic drive to suppress the Native Americans. The Americans were motivated by wealth to take the Native Americans’ land and resources so they could develop their economy. Because the natives had never had many reasons to conquer neighbors for money or claim land, primarily because they did not have developed economies, they had little possessiveness over the land taken by the Americans. In contrast, population pressures in Europe caused many people to emigrate to the colonies, and later the U.S., to make their fortunes or acquire more wealth than they had. The inevitable conflicts between the natives and the Americans were in large part due to the demand of Americans for native lands. These demands for economic prosperity gave the Americans an enormous advantage in terms of motivation for conquest over the Native Americans. The technological, political, and economic motivators for the American colonists and the United States gave them a huge advantage over the Native Americans and made the wars and subjugation of the native peoples an inevitable and fixed part of the historical future of America.
During the 17th and 18th centuries the relationship between the natives and the colonists were strained and tenuous at best, but these quickly escalated with the fruition of the Revolutionary War. The aggressive and greedy tendencies of the colonists were major agitators for the hostility of the natives. Firstly, the land hungry and ever growing European colonies consumed large quantities of native land; secondly, they saw them to be not as "human" like as them and therefore viewed them as mere "ruffians; thirdly, as the colonies grew in numbers and size, they consequently encroached on native land, which was beneficial to them economically, but not for the natives.
First off the Native Americans when English men arrived lived on nearly all biomes of the Americas but when we saw this we being somewhat greedy started surrounding native American villages with our settlements slowly pushing them into smaller and smaller areas until either they fled or we discreetly dispatched them. This caused major fear and anger on the native Americans side and whenever they got a chance to lash out at us they took that chance, for example during the revolutionary war there was a famous native American chief who lead his fellow native Americans against the “Americans” who were on the revolutionaries side. The name of the Native American chief was Joseph Brant and his constant scalping raids gave him the name monster Brant.
Next off, The settlers had a Calvinist view that caused the belief that the natives were servants of the devil that lived amongst them. The settlers purely saw the natives as a source and a detriment to their much desired land. During bacons rebellion they cared little to the lives of the natives and saw only the value of the land they lived upon. The British often used cruel tactics in the abolishment of the natives, such as waging biological warfare with smallpox laced blankets.
Lastly, as the numbers of the colonists grew so did their need for new land. As more of them were coming into the world they became more and more in need of land. As a result of this they ended up taking over lots of the Indian land trying to make more for themselves. Though part of their reason for taking over more of the land was as well to try and bring more “lost souls” to god. For this reason what they were doing seemed to be a good idea and not bad at all.
Steven Fraser
Period 6
Relation's between the Native Americans and the colonists in the New World had been unstable though the 1700's but only grew more tense as the Revolutionary war began in the later half of the century. The main instigators in these conflicts were the beliefs and actions of the colonists. First the colonists saw the native Americans as beneath them; Second the trade between colonists and Native Americans introduced new items to the Natives that ruined their traditional way of life; Third as the colonies population increased they began to claim native American land, which helped the economical but led to conflicts with Indian tribes. Therefore for social, and economical reasons the conflicts between the native Americans and the colonists were inevitable.
The relationship between the colonists and natives were strained because of the colonists view that the natives were "less" than them. Encouraged by the British example of their treatment of the Irish and unconsciously influenced by the world view at the time the colonists treated the natives cruelly and unjustly. an example of this is Thomas Jefferson In the Declaration of Independence described the Native Americans as a people who know only warfare and bring slaughter on all people, no matter what age or gender. This statement shows the Arrogant attitude of the colonists at the time who believed anyone not like them was beneath them. Since they first landed on the shores of America the colonists had a wide selection of technology that had never been seen by the natives before. Native Americans soon started heavily buying items like guns, knives, blankets, and liquor. In Chief Pontiac's "Speech at Detroit" he discouraged this trade because he claimed that it turned them into fools(likely referring to the effects of liquor) and made them dependent on the Europeans for the continued supply of these goods. He chided the natives for betraying their traditional culture and for letting the colonists control them so easily. By the time of this speech it was to late has the colonists had already established themselves. the colonists constant demands for more land and the natives refusal to give up what they saw as their rightful land led to more and more conflicts. These conflicts reached a breaking point in Pontiac's Uprising in which a alliance of Native Americans led by Chief Pontiac attacked settlements killing 2,000 colonists. This was not the first revolt of it's kind but none had a hope of succeeding due to the massive differences of strength between the two peoples. the colonists abused their power to serve their own self interest which only served to highlight their greed and never ending hunger for more. The colonists inability to share with the Native Americans doomed any chances of peaceful coexistence
Steven Fraser
In the 1700’s to the Revolutionary War the Native Americans and colonists had struggled against each other in a mad dash for land and resources. This relationship was a negative one; however, it was inevitable because of three main factors. First, the Native Americans had now become economically dependent on the colonists; second, the Europeans socially shunned the natives and believed them to be savages; and thirdly, the political situation was strained between these two peoples because the Native Americans were in land that the colonists believed to be theirs, given by God. Because of the economical, social, and political factors, the Native Americans and colonists relationship was negative, and inevitable.
Since the Mayflower landed in Plymouth in the early 1600’s, the colonists had viewed the Native Americans as below them, however the natives soon became dependent on the guns and horses, as well as other goods of the colonists. These many commodities that the natives purchased from the colonists made the colonists feel like they had power over the natives. Chief Pontiac warned his people in his “Speech at Detroit.” In this he warned the natives of being self reliant on the Europeans, however by this time the natives were already self reliant. Most native tribes had hunted traditionally with a bow for centuries; however they became dependent on the guns of the colonists. This brought the natives and colonists in contact and strained relations as the overwhelmed natives would sometimes turn on the colonists and slay them with their own guns. Also the colonists suggested unfair prices from the natives, for example in the 1600’s colonists bought land for trinkets. Because of this the natives did not trust the colonists. The colonists were also oppressive to the natives because of their culture, from the time when the new world discovered the old the Europeans had taken advantage of the natives and sold them as slaves and curiosities. The Native Americans were viewed as animals, and because of this they were at odds with the Europeans who believed that because they were animals that North America was not the natives land but the Europeans. The Europeans believed that North America was theirs and the natives believed it was theirs, and for good reasons. The Europeans and the Natives relationship because of the situation was inevitable and negative, and since the Europeans were superior in “Guns, Germs, and Steel,” they “brusquely brushed aside the Natives.”
-Christian Filbrun
Brynn Villa
Period 1&4
In the 1700s, the relationship between the natives and the colonists in America was like a roller coaster. The colonists and the Indians had their days of being kind to one another and their days of war. Intellectually the Indians had their own education but to the colonists, they were stupid; technically, the Indians weren’t as complex as the colonists; and finally in the sense of religion, the colonists were trying to convert the Indians to Christianity. Therefore, intellectually, religiously and technologically, the relationship between the natives and the colonists was a giant roller coaster of friendship and hatred.
For the most part, the relations that were established between the colonists and the Native Americans were poor. This is mainly because of the colonists’ behavior toward the Natives. The colonists often treated the Natives very badly and kidnapped them to bring them to, ultimately, their death in Great Britain because of the disease ridden British that the Natives had no defense against. Plus, matters such as religion came into play eventually. The colonists pushed Christianity into the Natives lives as they saw it as doing the will of God. Often times the Native Americans rejected Christianity and suffered the consequences dealt by the colonists who believed that the Natives were savages who possessed not the power or will to save themselves from themselves. Although, in colonies like Jamestown, the relationship between the Natives and colonists was far better than others. This is because the Native Americans took care of the colonists as they were too eager to find riches and did not waste the time to plant food necessary for their own lives. This relation brought about peace and fairness to the Native Americans and colonists. But as the colonists pushed constantly west bound, the Native Americans attacked and attacked to prevent the inevitability of the “White Devils” to spread further and further. As Americans approached the 17th and 18th centuries, a mutual beneficial relationship had taken the place of the hatred between the two. Americans began to trade with the Native Americans, rather than taking their valuables by force. Treaties were signed that prohibited the spreading of the Colonists toward the west. When the Revolution came about, some Nations, such as the Iroquois and Cherokee, fought alongside with the British against the Americans because they saw the Colonists as people who had no right to come to their land and take what did not belong to them, reasons of which they had every right to act upon.
will be posted by the end of the weekend
I will re-do this. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Annika Newman
Periods 1 & 4
Throughout the boisterous years of the 1700s and the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, intricate relations between the Native Americans and the Colonists grew increasingly tense and negative. The inferior treatment of natives by the colonists caused much conflict and agitation among the nation. First, the colonists were convinced that it was their Christian duty to convert the natives; second, the greedy colonists displaced many natives to quench their thirst for more land; and third, the natives were seen as “savage” and inferior to the ever-civilized colonists. Thus, for religious, economic, and social reasons, negative relations between the natives and colonists were utterly inevitable.
The colonists, especially those of British decent, were determined to convert the natives to Christianity, in order to fulfill their Christian duties. The Native Americans, seen as iconoclastic sinners by the colonists, refused these new religious ideas, choosing to practice native traditional religions instead. Over time, the missionaries became frustrated with their lack of success, and evolved into more forceful beings, preaching consistently to the natives. The excerpt “You have got our country, but are not satisfied; you want to force your religion upon us” from the Red Jackets Speech to the U.S. Senate shows the frustration among the natives who had originally inhabited the nation. Although relations among the colonists and natives were negatively shaped by religious missionary attempts, social inferiority played a large role in the development of pessimistic connections as well.
The colonists viewed the natives as savage beings, unworthy of common rights and benefits. Because the forrest, home of many Native Americans, was associated with the devil, natives were seen as barbaric by the colonists. The excerpt “the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions of existence” from The Declaration of Independence shows how the general populous of the colonies believed this unfair view of the natives. Since the arrival of the first settlers, natives were viewed as below the colonists, inferior, and undeserving of the majority of freedoms. Although social interactions had a great role in escalating built-up conflict, economic domination was certainly more pertinent in the advancement of controversy.
Land hungry colonists lusted after the Native American's land, displacing natives left and right. The Red Jackets Speech to the U.S. Senate in 1805 showcases the unequal land distribution amongst the natives and colonists. The excerpt “at first, they only asked for land sufficient for a wigwam; now, nothing will satisfy them...” shows how greedy the colonists were for more land, knowing that it would economically benefit them, though it would hurt the Native American's economy and disrespect their original property. Even after the Proclamation of 1763, natives were treated poorly, left in helpless poverty, and desperate for any form of land that might give them some profit or a home.
With the biased opinion among the general populous of the colonists that the natives were savage beasts, unfair land distribution and native displacement, and forced missionary attempts at native conversion, conflicting relations between the two groups was inevitable. For social, economic, and religious reasons, the Native Americans and Colonists became increasingly intolerant of each other throughout the 1700s and end of the Revolutionary War.
From the early 1700’s to the aftermath of the Revolutionary War both the Native Americans and the English colonists have been fighting for the same thing, Civil Rights. The Natives and the Colonists wanted the same thing but because of the social norms of the time they did not see it that way. First, the Natives were not looking for a peaceful solution to the tyrannical oppression of the colonists; secondly, the colonists did not view the natives as their equals; and third the it was the mindset of the British and all of Europe that the Native Americans were worthless and so the way that the colonists thought of them was inevitable. Therefore, because of the Natives’ point of view, the colonists’ point of view and all of Europe’s view of America and the people inside it, the relationship of the English Colonists and the Native Americans was very negative and inevitable.
The Native Americans did not try and strengthen their relationship with the colonists, and that is one of the reasons that they were so brutally treated. As Red Jacket’s Speech Says, they have every right to refuse peace with the colonists because they were the ones that welcomed them in the first place. The Natives did not antagonize the colonists and yet the colonist intentionally gave the Natives blankets with the smallpox virus in it. According to the speech delivered by Pontiac, the brutality of their treatment is truly an act of war and therefore the Natives must rally together and fight back. They just realize this too late and are crushed even more by the colonists and Britain. Thus, it was not their fault that they didn’t continue to offer peace with the colonists because the outcome was inevitable given the circumstances.
The colonists did not ever view the Natives as their equals and that is what caused the Native-English relationship to be so negative. Despite what the colonists wrote in the Declaration of Independence about how they have been oppressed and despite all of their efforts to “petition” peacefully have been shot down by the government and how that is very wrong, the colonists refuse to grant that “God Given Right” to the Native Americans. Even though they pleaded and pleaded (Red Jacket) the colonists just did not see their situations being even remotely similar and it all began with the Empirical mindset of Europe.
During the end of the Age of Exploration Europe still had the mindset that it was supposed to civilize the uncivilized and forcibly “educate” the Natives of the America’s on their philosophies and religions. This was what the colonists of the time grew up in and this had been the idea in Europe for many generations. No one even questioned that what they were doing was wrong because it is what they had been doing for so long. So when the colonists moved over to America it was inevitable that they would have a negative relationship with America because it was how they were raised and it was ingrained in their minds that the Natives were less than human.
From the early 1700's up until the Post-Revolutionary War period, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans were unfriendly and strained. Even though a few Native American tribes attempted for peaceful relations with the colonists, the European hunger for more land and resources was insatiable, and three factors explain why. First, the Europeans felt a sense of superiority over the natives who they considered inferior, and they believed they had the right to take their land; second the colonists had technological advancements that crushed any resistance, making expansion into Native territory less risky; third the natives relied on the Europeans for commodities, and the colonists wanted more land and resources to fuel their economy. Thus, for social, technological, and economic reasons the colonists and the Native Americans had a negative relationship that led to inevitable conflicts.
Amanda Jerd
Periods 3 and 6
Since the 1700’s, before and after the American Revolution, the relationship between the Native Americans and the colonists has been tumultuous to say the least. The relationship between the colonists and Native Americans was negative – full of mistrust, theft, and religion pushing. First, for social reasons and the greed of the colonists, tribal lands and rights were infringed upon; next, politically, the colonists believed themselves to be above the Native Americans; finally, because of the colonists religious beliefs, they forced Christianity on the Natives surrounding them. Thus, for political, social, and religious beliefs, the relationship between the colonists and Natives was negative but also unavoidable.
Many colonists originally came to the Americas for religious freedom but also, they had a lust for new land, space, and gold. They had no qualms about pushing and shoving for what they desired, even at the cost of the Natives who had the misfortune to be caught in the midst of the fraud and greed. The relationship shared by these two extremely different peoples was marked by disaster from the beginning; the expansion West of the Appalachian Mountains increased the unavoidable tension. The stereotypical “haughty” English mindset carried over to the Americas. Just as slaves were originally counted as 3/5ths of a person as well as property, so the Natives were thought of a savages who could be exterminated and inconsequential to the “progress” of the colonists. Finally, the Puritanical religious and world views of the colonists taught them that it was their job as a “city on a hill” to convert the Natives. This relationship could have blossomed had the colonists not exploited the Natives.
Therefore, for political, social, and religious reasons, the relationship between the Native Americans and colonists was strained and not used to the potential it could have been. Had precautions and boundaries been set before the Natives were taken advantage of, relationships could have formed that would have altered the course of history.
The relationship shared between the Native Americans and the colonists was tested, from the beginning of the 17th century all the way to the verdict of the revolutionary war. Although both, the Native Americans and the colonists were fighting for Civil Rights, they never formed a coalition against the British. First, the unequal treatment of the Natives, by the colonists did not help smooth out their already decrepit relationship; Second, as the population of the colonies expanded, so did their need for land, forcing them to push further and further west into the Native’s land; Third, the Native American’s way of life, and their lack of “modern” religion, made the colonists impose their own religion, Christianity, upon them. Thus, the dilapidated relationship between the Native Americans and the colonists reframed them from helping one another oppose the British’s imposition…
Starting in the early 1700s and throughout the Revolutionary War in addition to its aftermath, the Natives and Colonists in the midst of their frequent communication found that a permanent affiliation with each other was crucial. Red Jacket and the Iroquois made separate speeches to their own people as well as their counterparts, establishing a unique view on the current state of the land and its inhabitants. Socially, divergent numbers, times of settlement, and recurrent interaction amplified the conflict; politically, there was an air of superiority over the contradictory Colonists and Iroquois in either discourse; and religiously, their positions were so set in stone that none could fathom any other notion aside from their own. Therefore, for social, political, and religious motives the Revolutionary War was exclusively forthcoming. First off, the social aspect specifically reflects a vast difference in numbers within groups, the location, and the amount of collaboration. At the time there was a significantly larger quantity of Natives than there were Colonists, and as mentioned in Chief Pontiac’s Speech numbers were a part of what allowed them to lean more towards the end result of war (as King Louis XV of the French had allegedly suggested before). The locality of each alliance played a part in the inevitable outcome as well, for instance, as exemplified in another portion of Chief Pontiac’s speech, there was a definite sense of unfairness going on seeing as they had previously been willing to lend a helping hand to the Colonists, while it currently appeared as if they were blatantly giving them the cold shoulder if they asked for something in return. However, Chief Pontiac(leader of the Ottawa’s) was relentless in his belief that it was time to lay claim to what was rightfully theirs after being treated in such an unjust manner, and in his mind rightfully so. Also, the total time that each assemblage spent in collaboration with one another contributed to the clashing of ideals. At first the Iroquois and colonists were completely satisfied with the continuous trading system they had implemented, until the amount of Colonists that unceasingly poured in left and right proved to be too much to ignore, and the take-over began. As a result, the alterations in each society demonstrated the fact that at that point there was no other way to compensate for the huge bridge between the new Colonists and the trying Natives. Next, the general air of preeminence as flaunted by the Colonists in particular relayed a deliberate message. Red Jacket’s Speech to the U.S (a member of the Iroquois) shows a hint of resentment concerning the practices of Colonists, though he claims to remain open-minded. He states that there was they were showing nothing but kindness, and was appalled that they had the nerve to disregard them as human beings, forcing their politics upon them. Because the Iroquois held the belief that there was not a single perspective meant for all people, their lifestyle was the exact opposite of everything the Colonists held firm. There was no room for this strong hostility in one universal land. So to wrap it up, Red Jacket conveyed a final word of mutual recompense, in hopes that it would not lead to further antagonism. Conversely, one final flame had yet to be put out. Lastly, the religious detonation set off another bomb in the already shattered exterior of peace. The religious outlooks were so immeasurably dissimilar that it was nearly impossible for any barrier to be breached. The white man’s Declaration of Independence was the end of any sort of prior unification with the Natives, despite attempts at reconciliation before the Revolutionary War. Overall, the opposing social standpoints, the politically discriminatory feelings, and the preceding collective unity, left the Natives in the dust as they seethed with betrayal while Americans infested their race with arrogant foreigners.
All during the 1700s colonists did not get well along at all with the Native Americans. First, the colonists believed that it was their christian duty to convert the natives to christianity; second, the Native Americans stated that they had helped the first colonists settle into the land and survive; thirdly, both desired land, the natives wanted it back and the colonists wanted more.
Obviously, the two different nations had two different religions. The colonists, who were mostly protestant, believed that they had to christianize the “pagans” the Native Americans. This was one of the major complaints of the Native Americans. After believing their own religion for thousands of years, the Natives were not eager to change. Even though Native American tribes fought over hunting grounds, there were no disputes over religion. It was all the same to them. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the colonists. You either joined their religion, died or be “Damned.” The famous speech made by Red Jacket to the American congress said this: “ We do not want to destroy your religion, or take it from you. We just want to enjoy our own.” Religious issues were certainly a major factor in the tense relations the two groups of people had. It was not the only reason though, Natives felt betrayed by the colonists.
Back when the pilgrims first came to America, they were slowly dying. Feeling the need to help “Other children of the great spirit,” the Natives decided to help them. Sowing them the three sisters of crops, maize, squash, and beans. Providing them with blankets during the harsh winter months. Even providing them with land on which to build houses. The Pilgrims in Plymouth were very thankful and even had good relations with the Natives. However, as more and more people showed up, the Natives did not realize until too late that the colonists would not stop coming and taking land. Eventually the remaining tribes, those that had not been wiped out by disease or war, decided to band together to drive the colonists out of America. When Tecumesh of the Osages tribe gave his speech to other tribes and fellow Osages, he probably single-handedly rallied those tribes for a revolution. So two forces were pushing fircly back at one another. One pushing west, the other pushing east. One wanting land to be returned, the other desiring more land to house its people.
Therefore, both Native Americans and Colonists alike had complaints about land religion, and rights. (though I did not talk about the rights) If only they had worked together instead of fight, I wonder how America would have improved...
Since the first contact between Europeans and Native Americans on the east coast of North America in the very late 1600s through to results of the American Revolution, relations were on edge. The interactions with the European colonists would usually result in negative feelings and effect on each side, as the colonists wished to settle and expand on the Native tribe’s land, promoting a long lasting feeling of distrust and caution between the two peoples. First, through unfair actions the colonists deprived the nearby tribes of their lands and their rights in the Americans’ pursuit for their own rights; second, the only actions that remained peaceful between peoples were during trade for goods; third, other the constant oppressions and harsh treatment by the colonists resulted in bitter rivalry as the Native tribes tried to justify their own rights and beliefs. Through political, economical, and social factors were the relations between colonist and native eventually soured, resulting from wars to peace agreements.
The earliest of meetings between the English colonists and their new Native American neighbors would not commence on the most respectful terms. When the first colony of Jamestown was established for England, they knew that they would be colonizing lands already owned by the nearby tribes, as did the Spanish when they started arriving in the 1490s to 1500s, and would continue to do. This shows that the English possessed a lack of respect for the Natives, just as they treated the Irish as separate animals for rebelling. A feeling of superiority and disregard for their actions deprived anyone of their rights if they got in the way. By confiscating of both land and natural rights, relations between the peoples would continue to chafe future interactions. Some of the most positive exchanges would be for economic benefit for both sides, if any would occur.
As some colonies expanded, the first steps that carried each one (especially those that carried homes to the Appalachians) to stability were through the small exchanges of English goods for Native American crops or farming techniques. To prevent starvation, the Wampanoag tribe taught the Pilgrims of Plymouth how to survive almost certain death from combined sickness and starvation; other tribes also traded with French and British fur trappers to gain money and goods. However, once the tribes served their purpose, they were forced out or slaughtered by the colonists from their homelands to expand their colonies. The pursuit of a better life and society for the colonies resulted with the destruction and discrimination of the tribes. Any social communications would also result in bitter results that would grow upon each other until extreme measures were made.
In the midst of trying to expand territorially and economically, the Protestant churches established in the Thirteen Colonies tried to gaining new converts in the nearby tribes, but trying to convince someone to follow a belief that was not represented well did not easily ensue. Through the constant mistreatment of the Indian peoples and their beliefs, and ways of life, great differences existed between the two sides; not to mention that the new arrivals were also trying to drive them out. Mistrust would remain and then spread from before the Revolution to the last Native American tribe existed. All the colonists did not recognize any justification by the natives, and it would not be for a few centuries nationally later.
Overall, any meetings between native and colonists were usually for gain for either side economically, or to drive or convert the other. Constant tension arose, and the pattern of forced submission or retreat was inevitable for the Native Tribes because of the political, social, and economic factors that influenced each interactions. Through an actual understanding of each side are Indians finally able to achieve their place as equal people, but this would not arise until the growing, forming nation of the United States would realize it nationally.
Edith Chavez
Period 1+6
During the especially chaotic time of the early 1700’s up until the Revolutionary War, the relationship between the Native Americans and the Colonists remained tense though shifting between uneasy peace and warfare. Many of the Native American leaders felt they had taken enough abuse at the hands of the British colonists and were calling upon their brethren to rise up against the oppression. The Native American leaders were asking for an end to the dispossession of land; to return to their old traditions; and to have their religion respected. The tense relationship and maltreatment the Native Americans received from the British was, unfortunately, inevitable.
The Natives are angry at the colonists for taking away their land. In Red Jacket’s speech to the U.S. Senate, he states that the Natives were friendly with the colonists at first and let them farm on their land and take the goods overseas but soon realized the colonists would keep on taking land and constantly wanted more as they were continuously expanding and caused wars to break out. Red Jacket’s is stating this as a way to express his desire for peace and to keep some land for the Natives. At this point, even in the Declaration of Independence, the Natives are referred to as savages that don’t deserve the same treatment as Europeans, let alone the same amount of land. As the Europeans took their land, they would trade with them and let the Natives get guns, ammunition, European clothes, and liquor. Pontiac was especially concerned with the poisonous “fire-water” in his Speech at Detroit; he disapproved of how stupid and foolish the Natives got when under the influence of alcohol. He implied that the trade goods the Europeans had to offer were horrible and it was sin to take and use such items as he mentioned the “Great Spirit” would be happy after things went back to how they were. The colonists were determined to keep the Natives from their traditions though. Samson Occom was from a branch of the Pequot tribe and was converted to Christianity like other Natives though others wanted to stay free from European religion. Red Jacket wanted the white colonists to respect Native American language and to not have any people impose their beliefs on others. This of cry for peace and respect of culture of course didn’t happen, by then it was too late. The English had come over ready to treat Native Americans the way they treated the Irish: unruly beasts of burden. With this mentality and the goal of making money in the New World, the vast majority wouldn’t have the capability to make peace with the Natives, many of which were already wary and had right to be since the Spanish slaughtered Natives in the South and then using religion made them obedient and had forced many into missions and other institutions.
Despite the brutality the Natives experienced, the dispossession of land; change of culture; and imposition of Christianity, was inevitable.
In America, from the early eighteenth century to the civil war there was certain tension between the natives and the British settlers. From the moment the early British set foot in the Americas the paths of them and the natives would inevitably cross. The relationship between the Natives and the Settlers were complicated by technological, social, and religious differences. Therefore, because of technological, social, and religious reasons the relationship between Natives and the Europeans was mostly negative. Technologically, the British were more advanced than the Natives which would cause the Natives to be less than trusting towards the British. Socially, The British believed in an order to things, that they were superior and the Natives were inferior, which led to many kidnappings, forced labor, and theft. The Natives were unfamiliar with the British and their culture which lead them to be suspicious but also curious of their new “neighbors.” Religiously, the British were already experiencing tension between each other and the addition of the natives just caused more tension.
Cammie Gelbuda
Period 1 & 4
Mr. Korling
From the 1700s through to the Revolutionary War the relationships between the Native Americans and the Colonist became more intense. The Native Americans were treated very poorly, badly and they were also known as the “savages.” First, the relationships between the natives and colonist started off badly, when most of the Natives died from the diseases that the Colonists had brought to the “New World”; second; the Colonist tried to do anything in their power to convert the Natives to Christianity; third the colonist came over to the Natives land, to claim some land, the Natives were not going to let that happen without doing something about it. Therefore, the relationship between the Natives and Colonist was inevitable.
Most of the Natives were killed or ill from the disease that the colonist brought to the New World. About 90 to 95% of the Natives were killed by smallpox, measles, influenza, and malaria, smallpox’s affected the Natives the most. Since the Natives were not immune to these different types of diseases, they either died or they became really ill. Ever since the Colonist came to the New World, diseases were being spread, but when it was just the Natives they did not have smallpox, measles, etc. The Natives were being very careful to stay away from the Colonist because they did not want the Native population to go down. Therefore, the relationship started off badly, and got worse as time went on.
The Colonist tried to do anything to convert the Natives to Christianity, because they believe that since they the Colonist are above the Natives, they want anyone lower than them to believe in Christianity. Because of the misfortune of the indentured servants many of the Natives became slaves to the Colonist known as “white devils.” Since the Colonist moved forward to the west any Native American that would go against slavery would be killed, or never be able to have a free life again. This takes us to our last topic, the Colonist come to the Native land, and tries to take it over.
The Colonist began to become more violent when it came to the land, and the farmland. The Natives would not let the Colonist just walk right up and take their land from them. The Native and the Colonist had war going on between them for many years. These wars were happening because the Colonist were trying to take over the Natives land. As more land was being taken by the Colonist, different Indian tribes, helped the Natives fight off the Colonist, and push them back to the west.
Therefore, for social, economic, and political reasons, the Native Americans and Colonist became unaccepting of each other through the 1700s and until the end of the Revolutionary War.
Tristan Mauricio
Periods 1&6
The complex relationship between the Native Americans and Colonists during the late 1600’s and throughout the 1700’s would continue to be worse and conflict would soon happen. The meetings between the two groups were usually one sided in the Colonists favor and the Native Americans would never be able to have a say in anything. First of all the Native Americans weren’t people to the Colonists but savages and therefore the deserved to be treated as such out; second from what little contact the Natives had with the British traders and fisherman led to the disappearance of entire villages and half of the Native population; and third the Colonists had a tendency to sell the remaining Native Americans into slavery. Therefore, if the Colonists had treated the Natives with a little bit more respect and regard, maybe the outcome of the Revolution could have been different.
The relationship between the Colonists and the Native Americans was always strained because the Colonists regarded themselves as the superior of the two but in reality the Native Americans could have beat them back at any time if the odds were in their favor. In Pontiac’s speech at Detroit it was clear that the Natives felt that they were oppressed, they needed to revert to their old ways and cast out their new neighbor the English. In retaliation they attacked the forts of the Western front and sent out a message that they would never back down and although no profound changes would happen after this event the Colonists had a newfound respect for their Natives. During the Revolution the American Patriots sought out any support they can get since supplies were limited to them and to no surprise most of the Iroquois Confederacy took the British side. All the Natives wanted was simply to be heard and to have some respect as the original inhabitants of the continent. The conflicts between the two groups could have never been avoided because of the Colonists’ stubbornness and pride but perhaps if the relationship had been better the situation would have been different.
From the first discovery of the Americas through the Revolutionary Way the relationships between the colonists and the Native Americans were anything but good. The formerly known as “savage” Natives were treated with extreme cruelty. First, the fight over land between them caused man problems; second, the colonists viewed themselves as above the natives, and were compelled to “teach” them the right ways; and third, the colonists believed that it was their duty to convert the Indians to Christianity. Therefore, for these economic, social, and religious reasons, the relationship between the Native Americans and the Colonists was destined for hardships.
Although one of the main reasons Europeans came to the New World was religious freedom, many came to expand into new lands. There was only one problem: there were others living on it. The colonists felt that since they were superior, they were able to simply take the land and the natives would be fine. However, they were mistaken, for many battles over land occurred. The expansion West drove the Natives out of their hometowns, where they had lived for hundreds of years. They natives were thought of as savages, just like the future slaves were (3/5 of a person). The colonists felt it was their duty to enlighten these natives with new ways of life, against their will. The colonists themselves had trouble staying alive and well, but they still felt superior. They also tried to convert many to Christianity, forcing it upon them. They tried to make the natives forget their ancestry and religious beliefs that had been practiced for hundreds of years, trying to take away and change apart of their culture.
For these economic, social, and religious reasons, the relationship between the Natives and the Colonists were destined to fail. If, perhaps, better kindness and togetherness had been shown, the outcome could have been a much more peaceful and economically, socially, and religiously better.
The arrogance of European colonizers cultivated volatile relations with the Native Americans in 18th century America. The Europeans, fueled by the vast technical and economic forces of Western Europe, sought to impose their culture on the indigenous population but the attempts by Europeans were generally futile. The volatile and detrimental relationship between the colonist and the Native Americans is attributed to the facts that European saw the Natives as an inferior people; they believed that natives squatting on their land across the Appalachians; and the fact the European colonists destroyed sacred tribes. The colonist’s intentions of modernizing and streamlining the natives to make them profitable resulted with negative consequences. Red Jacket’s speech to the U.S Senate makes the case that imposition of Christianity on non-white indigenous people is inappropriate because they already hold their own religious convictions. The native’s refutation of Christianity shows that the Natives unaffected by the Europeans attempt to enfranchise them. The Europeans attempts to enfranchise the natives were insulting at best because it showed that Europeans did not respect their culture nor appreciate it. The European’s abrasive motive to save the natives from their false idols only pushed the natives further away from them because it reaffirms the European’s racist and patronizing intentions. After the Seven Years War the land on the other side of the Appalachians opened up to the eager English colonizers and Chief Pontiac staged an uprising that caused great carnage on threshold of the English colonies. The uprising prompted the British government to issue the Proclamation of 1763, which bans colonization past the Appalachians until the Indian issue is resolved. The volatile action of Chief Pontiac was merely a preemptive measure to rebuff colonial. The precedents that earlier colonist set behooved Chief Pontiac to act because the fates of his people were at risk of being decimated. The colonist land hungry polices ultimately are what cause the tumultuous colonist -Indian relationship in the mid 1700’s. The European’s brought with them to America diseases, liquor, and currency and all these destroyed the native’s way of life. The diseases Europeans brought killed of 90% of the native’s population and this prompted Indians to harbor negative feelings towards the colonist. Liquor was a commodity that destroyed native’s culture because it harmed it’s debauched the natives morals. The introduction of currency killed the thousand year old barter system which was a major blow to how the natives conducted business. The destruction of the native’s culture and way of life only made them resent the Europeans even more and this resistance caused many conflicts 18th century America including Pontiac’s Uprising. The European attempts at modernizing the Natives will be responsible for the bloodshed in 1700’s between colonist and natives.
Over the course of the eighteenth century, the Native Americans and the new Colonials of the Americas participated in many quarrels and altercations. During the years between the 1700 and the Revolutionary War, the relationship of the Natives and Americans became very diverse because they were either sharing ideas or fighting in wars. First, the colonials were at a higher economic standpoint than the Native Americans; second, America held a sturdier supply of resources; third, the Americas established a much more organized political structure. Thus for economic, technological and political reasons, the Natives and Americans engaged in a rough relationship. Back in the eighteenth century, the native Americans did not include much of an economy in their way of life. The huge problem the natives had was that the Colonies thrived for land and they would stop at nothing to get it. In 1763, the Ottawa chief Pontiac led many revolts to keep the British out of the Ohio Country, but did not prevail. This upraising led to many deaths of Native Americans because one of the British commanders sent blankets full of small pox to the Native American tribes. The Colonies also had a much better supply of resources, such as weapons, cavalry, and a working militia. If one were to ponder it, the British and the American colonies had the capability to completely destroy the Native Americans because they had weapons such as cannons, muskets, and swords, while the Natives only had what they could make with the minimal resources nature supplied them with. The American colonies also were in a high political standpoint. They had the ability to station their armies and keep all of their people in line, something the Natives had trouble doing. The British had the ability to attack the Natives and win. The Natives could not organize their men enough to keep up much of a resistance. In conclusion, The British and the colonies clearly had total dominance over the Native Americans during the time from the beginning of the 1700's to the Revolution. The British kept a higher standard in their economy, technology, and politics. It is for these reasons that the relationship between the Americans and the Native Americans was clearly one sided and heavily favored on the British.
Krizelle DeGuzman
Period 1&4
During the 1700’s the relations between the colonists and the Natives were rigid but the tension became more strained during the Revolutionary War. Almost all of the encounters that the Natives ever had with the Europeans end up with the Natives, understandably, having added feelings of animosity and inferiority towards the Europeans. First, the colonists were always displacing the natives in an attempt to satisfy their insatiable thirst for more land; Second, they were viewed as savages and uncivilized so they were therefore inferior; Third, the Europeans thought it was their Christian duty to Christianize these savages. Therefore, because of economic, social, and religious reasons a violent relationship lingered between the natives and the colonists.
The colonists believed that it was necessary to displace the natives because in their eyes, the natives weren’t making use of all the abundant land properly and so the colonists figured that they would for them. One can imagine the unbalanced land distribution at the time through Red Jacket’s Speech to the US Senate in 1805. Although the natives and the colonists were both fighting for civil rights, the Natives were always seen as savages and therefore treated poorly because they weren’t even close to being considered the equals of Europeans much less colonists. Unfortunately, the natives were seen as savages that needed to be exterminated. But many colonists still felt the need to educate these savages in order to fulfill their Christian duties that they grew up with. Since the Christian faith wasn’t questioned ever (doing such things would be ridiculous) the natives were obviously sinners in their eyes and it was necessary to force Christianity upon those that were deprived from the Word of God. Therefore, the unsteady relationship that natives and colonists shared was caused by economic, social, and religious reasons.
Cori Brunet
From the early 1700’s to before and after the Revolutionary War in America, the Native American Indians and the colonists had tense relations. The innocence of the unknown between the two people groups had faded by this time and they were being forced to address some of the issues between with each other and the negative effects the Europeans wreaked on their way of life. First, the Indians and colonists disagreed on the issue of land rights and borders; second, when the French colonists had recruited Indians into the fur business, the Indians were debauched by their liquor; third, the English colonists continually tried to convert the Indians from their native religion to Christianity.
New France contained the valuable asset of the beaver. This animal’s fur was in high demand because of its warmth as well as the fashion trends of the time. French fur-trappers pursued beavers in the woods and waterways throughout North America. The Indians were recruited into this business, but unfortunately were corrupted by the hard liquor and drinking habits of the French. The French Catholic missionaries, especially the Jesuits, as well as other European colonists were zealous in their attempts to convert the Indians to their own personal religion. Missions sprung up and missionaries spread out through the New World. In Red Jacket’s Speech to the U.S. Senate, he addressed the issue of religious conversion between the two groups. Peacefully and respectfully Red Jacket argued that each side should have the right to the religion that suits them best. He also made clear that they would not change their stance based on the colonists’ word. Red Jacket also stated that their beliefs were in fact quite similar, they just had different names for different things, and both sides believed in a divine Creator. Red Jacket argued it was morally (and spiritually) wrong for the European settlers to see the Indians as “savages” when they had been nothing but kind and helpful to the oblivious colonists when they first settled the land. In return, the Indians received the white men’s disease, alcohol, and the effects of their greed as they continued to encroach on the Natives’ land. Making a very good point, Red Jacket pointed out that the colonists’ actions certainly did not encourage the Indians to want to convert to their religion. Thus, for these political, religious, and economic reasons, tensions were tight between the Native Americans and the colonists of the New World.
During the rigid period of the 1700's, throughout the ending of the Revolutionary war, one thing never changed and that was the relationship between Native Americans and the colonists. The colonists' and the Native American's relationship was very deceiving do to the interaction with Europeans. Any encounter the that Native Americans had with the Europeans, only added to the hatred towards the European's. First, the colonists removed the natives from land that they desired; Second, the natives were discriminated against and stereo-typed as savages so therefore inferior; and third, the Europeans sought that it was their "Christian duty" to Christianize these peasants. Therefore, the relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans suffered do to economic, social, and religious differences.
The colonists found it necessary to remove the Natives from their beloved land because of the European thought that the Natives weren’t good enough for the land. The Europeans also believed that the Natives were not using the land for it’s full abilities. The Europeans though that the land would be put to much better use in their own hands; so they removed the Natives from their home.
During the time period of the Red Jacket Speech to the U.S. Senate in 1805, natives and colonists were viciously fighting for civil rights. The natives had an unfair chance because of the way they were seen to the Europeans and the government. Because of the discrimination, it was almost impossible for the natives to receive the rights that they deserved.
Instead of granting the natives civil rights, as thought by the colonists, they needed to be demolished.. Despite these thoughts, colonists unwillingly felt the need to help educate these savages in order to fulfill their Christian duties. The colonists viewed the natives as sinners deprived from the faith that God had to offer.
Because of the economic issues of land ownership; political issues of the vision of the Native Americans; and the “Christian duty” to convert the natives into God’s arms, the natives and the colonists had many issues that caused disruption to the people.
From the early 1700s up until the Post-Revolutionary War period, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans were unfriendly and strained. Even though a few Native American tribes attempted for peaceful relations with the colonists, the European hunger for more land and resources was insatiable, and three factors explain why. First, the Europeans felt a sense of superiority over the natives who they considered inferior, and they believed they had the right to take their land; second the colonists had technological advancements that crushed any resistance, making expansion into Native territory less risky; third the natives relied on the Europeans for commodities, and the colonists wanted more land and resources to fuel their economy. Thus, for social, technological, and economic reasons the colonists and the Native Americans had a negative relationship that led to inevitable conflicts.
The Native Americans were uncivilized savages in the eyes of the colonists. The Declaration of Independence even reflects this viewpoint when it states “the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions of existence.” Although the Native Americans may have earned this reputation, the colonists had wrong ideas concerning the cause of the violence. The real reason was because the colonists treated the Natives as inferior beings, and they constantly marched in and claimed their territory. This was made easy due to technological superiority.
When conflicts arose between the Native Americans and colonists, the odds were very much in the favor of the colonists because of their superior technology. Economically, the colonists had advanced agriculture, which gave them a huge population advantage. Militarily, the colonists had gunpowder weapons, naval vessels, and organized militias that crushed any Native American resistance. These factors made expansion into Native American territory an easy solution to land scarcity. This also helped fuel economic desires for new land and desires for European products among the Natives.
The Native Americans quickly realized the value of European commodities, while the colonists realized the economic value of the Natives’ land. When horses, guns, and other goods came to America, the Native Americans saw power in possessing them, because of competition with other Indian tribes. After decades of trading with the colonists, the Natives became dependent on their goods, and this made the colonists feel a sense of power over them. In Chief Pontiac’s “Speech at Detroit,” complaints were made that the Natives were being to self-reliant on Europeans. This, combined with a European desire for more land because of land scarcity, economic competition, and greed, led to inevitable conflicts which resulted in the Native Americans being displaced from their land.
Thus, social, technological, and economic conflicts shaped the relationship between the Native Americans and colonists in North America.
Brynn Villa
Period 1&4
In the 1700s, the relationship between the natives and the colonists in America was like a roller coaster. The colonists and the Indians had their days of being kind to one another and their days of war. Intellectually the Indians had their own education but to the colonists, they were stupid; technically, the Indians weren’t as complex as the colonists; and socially, The colonists were more barbaric than the Indians were. Therefore, intellectually, religiously and technologically, the relationship between the natives and the colonists was a giant roller coaster of friendship and hatred.
The colonists saw themselves as civilized “men” while they saw the Indians as savages. However, during the relationships between the Indians and the colonists, it’s hard to tell who was truly the savage. Sure, the colonists had education, but so did the Indians. They may have taught math and writing, but the Indians taught more skills than brain. The Indians taught others how to grow crops, hunt, how to make weapons, and how to defend yourself. That sounds smarter than some savage.
The colonists had newer and fancier technologies such as the rifle, while the only new invention for the Indians was the spear. This also caused the colonists to believe the Indians were savages. The Indians may not have had that technology, but the did have enough to keep them alive and well. The colonists used their technologies for the good of war, which sounds more savage than not owning technologies. Therefore, seeing this quality of the colonists, they seem to be more of the savage ones rather than the Indians.
Socially, both seemed to be equal. They both cared for their families and did whatever they could do to protect them. They worked long and hard days to provide for their families and made friends along the way. One difference though would have to be their sociality with each other. When the colonists came upon the Indians territory, the Indians were a dumbstruck. Some were so shocked that they acted in violence, while others were more gracious and merciful and decided to give them a chance. Those who acted in violence, died. The others who showed mercy, were abused and taken advantage of, and often killed or kidnapped for the fun of it.
The colonists were quite similar to the Indians, but it seems as though the only difference is that the colonists acted more savagely than the Indians. Colonists called the Indians savages, but really to find the savages, they needed to look into the mirror.
During the years between the early 1700s through the Revolutionary War, the relationship between the native Americans and the colonists became more and more strained. The religious, technological, and economic motivators for the American colonists and the United States gave them a huge advantage over the Native Americans and made the wars and subjugation of the native peoples an inevitable and fixed part of the historical future of America. First, as in the Crusades, the native Americans were seen as pagans by the colonists and they saw themselves engaged in religious warfare and desired only to see the Church spread the Gospel throughout the colony; Second, with the colonists came a dramatically different milieu for the native Americans, demanding basic changes in their ways of life; Third, the colonist's invasion of territory controlled and settled for centuries by Native Americans put increasing pressure on Native American lands, resulting in warfare between the groups.
During the years between the early 1700s through the Revolutionary War, the relationship between the native Americans and the colonists became more and more strained, as the colonist found the native Americans to be, in their words, “barbarians”. Although there was democracy in these colonies and they were rules to protect human rights, the Natives were not allowed the same privileges as the colonist, like voting, because of how the colonists looked at the natives as savages and how they were upset about their presence in ‘their’ New World. In their previous political treatment of Ireland, the English pattern of "Othering" had been set, and a pattern for treating those “Others” cruelly. An example of this can be found in Thomas Jefferson’s writings, in which he described the Native Americans as a people who know only warfare and bring slaughter on all people, no matter what age or gender. In a similar pattern of friendly while hostile relations among the colonists and Native Americans, colonists and Native Americans, colonists worked hard to convert the Indians. Red Jacket goes on to make a critically important statement in regards to how the natives felt about the religious issue – “Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion, or take it from you;...
...we only want to enjoy our own. ” Relations between the colonists and the native Americans became increasingly strained, as the native Americans pursued personal religious freedom, while still being closely tied to the colonies for economic reasons. While many native Americans were attracted to Christianity because it offered a chance to free themselves, there were many who did not, and of those who rejected Christianity, colonists often sold them into slavery, or forced them into converting, believing that those who were not Christians were “deprived of their liberty.”
Natives were also lured into buying the exotic wares the colonists had to offer such as guns and knives that could be used for hunting and such, which in turn was frowned upon by Chief Pontiac with his "Speech at Detroit. " It wasn't just English colonists that saw the native Americans and saw them “only as beasts of burden”. The Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth in 1620 would not have survived if were not for the Wampanoag, however the native Americans soon became dependent on the colonists as well, as they traded their goods for the guns, swords, knives, and horses of the colonists. This had a dramatic effect on the colonists, who from then on preached various methods of “winning over” the natives . The relatively positive relations that characterized early trade relations between English traders and Native Americans quickly deteriorated, as cultural clashes and disputes over land escalated as English towns grew and population pressures intensified colonists' demand for more land.
The colonists believed that it was necessary to displace the natives because in their eyes, the natives weren’t making use of the land, so the colonists acquired the land for their own use. This caused major fear and anger on the native Americans side, and whenever they got a chance to lash out at us would arise, they would take it, for example during the American Revolution, a famous native American chief lead his fellow native Americans against the “Americans” who were on the revolutionaries side.
With a history shaped by prejudice, unfair land distribution, native displacement, and forced missionary attempts at converting the natives, inevitably conflicting relations between the two groups came about.
The Native Americans and the colonists had a tempestuous relationship from the colonial arrival in the 1600s, defining interactions and collaborations between the two cultures. The strained relations created unnecessary dilemmas, morally, religiously and otherwise. Firstly, the colonists invaded and conquered the Native’s land, generating resentment by the Natives towards the colonists; Secondly, tensions spurred when the colonists thought of themselves superior to the Natives Americans and disrespected their culture; Thirdly, the colonists, platforming on religious- themed idealisms, required the Natives to become followers of the Christian faith. Therefore, antipathy emerged between the two societies, encumbering the potential relationships that could have been tremendously advantageous to both parties.
American settlers seized what they sought after, the Native Americans right in the crossfire. This mostly pertained to land, but the settlers would not hesitate to also collect other wealths that already belonged to the Natives. Agitation and frustration sprouted in both parties, setting a tone for the relationship thereafter.
As colonial populations continued to rise, the colonists had no problem with abrasively inaugurating themselves as superior to the Natives Americans, whom they thought of as essentially worthless savages. This also exploited their affiliations, further developing already-present impediments within the relationship.
As the settlers observed Puritan idealisms and already thought of themselves as superior to the Native Americans, they began to mandate Native participation, an idea their religion emphasized. This was an attempt to “civilize” these savage men, as God could be their “savior” too, but the Native Americans did not feel that they needed to be saved by anyone or anything, and the conflict caused tremendous amounts of ferocity and rage among the two cultures.
The turbulent relationships of the American settlers and the American Indians resonated deep within society for a long time, and absolutely changed American history. But, if the settlers who ventured into an unknown, untainted land had arrived with open minds and avoided exploitation of the Natives, our history would unquestionably be radically different.
The relationship shared between the Native Americans and the colonists was tested, from the beginning of the 17th century all the way to the verdict, being the revolutionary war. Although both, the Native Americans and the colonists were fighting for Civil Rights, they never formed a coalition against the British. First, the unequal treatment of the Natives, by the colonists did not help smooth out their already decrepit relationship; Second, as the population of the colonies expanded, so did their need for land, forcing them to push further and further west into the Native’s land; Third, the Native American’s way of life, and their lack of “modern” religion, made the colonists impose their own religion, Christianity, upon them. Thus, the dilapidated relationship between the Native Americans and the colonists reframed them from helping one another oppose the British’s imposition.
The colonists were in search of one goal when going into the revolutionary war, Civil Rights, this goal was also shared by their Native American neighbors to some extent. Although both the colonists and Native Americans both wanted civil rights, they did not form a coalition because the colonists were the ones depriving the natives of their rights. Another reason for the lack of cooperation between the natives and the colonists was the continual need of land. As the colonies population expanded, so did the need for land, but since the only land within a close proximity of the colonies was occupied by the native Americans, the colonists began pushing the natives farther and farther west in order to quench the never ending hunger for land, thus destroying any possibility for cooperation between the colonists and the natives. Finally, the colonists and the Native Americans may have lived on the same continent, technologically they lived in to distinctly separate worlds, proving difficult later on to establish any kind of coalition against the British. Due to the fact that these to civilizations were so different from one another, the colonists had a continual need to try and “help” the Native Americans by imposing their own culture upon them. Although the colonists and the Native Americans were in some ways both fighting for Civil Rights, who they needed to fight in order to gain those rights were stopping them from forming an alliance against the British.
The relations between the Native Americans and the colonists was negative and inevitable. From the early 1700's through the revolutionary war and its aftermath, what started out on a positive note when the Indian’s befriended the colonists, ended in disaster for the Indians when the colonists eventually turned against them and took their land.
When the Europeans/colonists came to America, they viewed the natives as savages, and subhuman. The effect the Europeans had on the Natives is what led to Pontiacs (a Delaware Indian) speech in Detroit. His speech greatly defined the Natives relationship with the Europeans. In his speech, Pontiac discussed how his "children have forgotten the customs and traditions" and how the Europeans/Colonists had changed their ways. In his speech Pontiac told a story of a dream he had(where he heard from the Great Spirit) and explained that his belief was that his people were to honor their customs and live as their forefathers lived before them. The colonists had learned how to survive from the Indians but as they grew in numbers and started new colonies their need for the Indian’s help was no longer needed. As the colonist grew they took over their land. Pontiac believed that the English had come to rob them of their hunting-grounds and that they needed to go to war to reclaim their land. He also told of the “Great Spirit” giving them laws of morality such as not marrying more than one wife, warning them against the practice of magic and worshipping the devil.
As Red Jacket, an Indian who was a message runner during the Revolutionary War explained in his speech to the U.S. Senate - when the white man first came their numbers were small and they were friends and not enemies. The Indians felt sorry for them because the white people told them how they fled from their own country for fear of wicked men. The Indians gave them food and helped them survive and in return the white man “gave them poison”. Red Jacket explained how wars had taken place as Indians were hired to fight against Indians, how their lands were taken and the white peoples religion was forced upon them. The White people deceived the Indians then tried to get them to believe that their religion was the only way. He explained that we all have been made by the Great Spirit and that we should all be united and not quarrel about religion.
I believe this was inevitable and unavoidable because the colonists were from a civilized nation and wanted the best that life had offered in England only in their new land where they had freedom of speech and religion. The Indians were uncivilized and that made the colonists look down on them and treat them with no respect. They felt superior to them and felt the right to push them aside and take their land.
The relationship between the Native Americans and the Colonists in the 1700s through the Revolutionary War was inevitable. There are many reasons as to why they didn't get along, starting with the bottomless greed for land and power. The Native Americans were physically and ethically mistreated by the Colonists; physically because the Colonists brought disease such as small pox onto the Native's turf, and purposely laced their blankets with the disease. The abuse of the Native's by the Colonists is proven by historical records. Wars broke out due to the colonists acting superior to the Natives, treating them as less important people. Wars exemplify the Colonists acting superior due to fight break outs and the Native Americans land being taken over by the white settlers. The Natives were angry because they were being driven out of their own land, I mean they were the Indigenous people anyway! On the other hand, the Natives were required to follow the Christian faith. Not given a chance to choose their religion, the Natives grew more bitter towards the Colonists and Christian missionaries, who forced foreign religion upon them. These feuds soon caused the French Indian War, where the French and Native Americans joined forces against the Colonists due to all the trouble they had been put through because of the Colonists. The Colonists were greedy people who caused so much disaster because of selfish behavior, the time they spent fighting over the land belonging to the Natives, heck they could have found their own land! The stubbornness goes to show how the relationship between these two parties was not ignorable. It was the Colonist's way, or the highway, which is not fair in any way.
From the 1700's through the revolutionary war the colonists and natives have had many disagreements even though they could have been avoided. They wanted similar things but were unaware of it. First off, the native Americans were not trying to find a simple way to deal with the terrible treatment of the colonists; secondly, the colonists did not see the natives as their equal; and thirdly, because the colonists thought of the natives as someone who is not equal they treated them in such a way.
First off the Native Americans were not as welcoming to the colonists as they could have been. The colonists were “guests” on their land and because of this there were misunderstandings about each other on both sides. Misunderstandings or not even in the red jackets speech it states how the Natives had the right to refuse peace seeing as how they did welcome the colonists but were still unfairly mistreated. There were no quarrels between the two groups and the natives were not in the mood to create any. The fact that the colonists were not friendly to the natives and unwillingly to come to an agreement gave the natives no choice for peace.
Secondly, the fact that the colonists did not see the natives as their equals didn’t help to calm down the disagreements with the natives. By seeing them as less then a human they treated them that way, treated them like garbage and wanted only to use them for their benefit. Some of the colonist have even said that it says in the declaration of independence that the natives have rights because all men are created equal, but the colonists still refuse to see the natives that way.
Lastly, the colonists were raised in a way that made them feel like they had to educate the uneducated in both religion and philosophy. Because they were raised this way they thought that what they were doing was right and that they were just trying to help out. No one took a second thought about what might happen when they moved to America and the differences that might come there way.
Native Americans were quite reluctant to let the American colonists expand in 1700's. The natives were trying to convince colonists that they had claim to their land, while the colonists wanted all the land they could get. The relationship was negative due to the colonist's land lust. First, the English colonists for the most part thought of the Natives as savages, who didn’t ever know how to use their land creating a racist thinking throughout many colonist communities; Second, the 7-Year war had eliminated the French presence in the Americas, which left the Indians without guns and ammunition that they had previously bought from the French, allowing colonists to push farther west than the British and the Natives would be comfortable with. Relations with Native Americans and the Colonists were existent, but they were going downhill fast.
Ever since people had arrived to North America, mostly fishermen, they had taken Indians back to Britain as “curiosities”. When the colonists built towns like Jamestown, they eventually started stealing their land. They described the Natives as savages, and they were even considered to be in cahoots with the Devil at times like shown in the stories ”The Devil and Tom Walker” and ”Goodman Brown”. Later, even after a few decades, the Cherokees would be forced out of their homeland due to the Indian Removal Act because many people saw them as savages, when in reality they were assimilating to white culture, creating farms and converting to Christianity. This shows how racist some people were to the Natives; treating them almost as badly as Black Slaves (they weren’t considered property, however).
The 7-Year War was one of the longest wars during pre-revolution times. After the defeat of the French, the Native Americans no longer had someone to buy guns, ammunition, and supplies from. Without the superior power of guns to help them, the North American colonists started pushing farther in west. Resistance after this point was futile without a way to counter the guns of the Future Americans. This also led the more independent society the colonies became, which was the exact opposite thing the country of Britain wanted. This sense of Independence was probably another leading factor to the Revolution, since Britain’s control was beginning to loosen. Independence wasn’t a good thing for the natives either, since Britain would no longer be able to restrain the Colonists at all at that point.
In America, from the early eighteenth century to the civil war there was certain tension between the natives and the British settlers. From the moment the early British set foot in the Americas the paths of them and the natives would inevitably cross. The relationship between the Natives and the Settlers were complicated by technological, social, and religious differences. Therefore, because of technological, social, and religious reasons the relationship between Natives and the Europeans was mostly negative. Technologically, the British were more advanced than the Natives which would cause the Natives to be less than trusting towards the British. Socially, The British believed in an order to things, that they were superior and the Natives were inferior, which led to many kidnappings, forced labor, and theft. The Natives were unfamiliar with the British and their culture which lead them to be suspicious but also curious of their new “neighbors.” Religiously, the British were already experiencing tension between each other and the addition of the natives just caused more tension.
When the early settlers began to colonize the Americas, the relationship between the natives and the settlers was at times, uneasy and hostile, due to the major differences in culture. At first the natives considered the settlers to be allies, but then wars began to break out between native tribes and the puritans mostly due to disputes over land. Hostility rose higher when the settlers began to steal resources from the natives. Eventually war was declared on the natives in the Jamestown area by Lord De La Warr. This led to the use of the “Irish Tactics” of burning houses and crops and taking the natives as prisoners. This was known as the first Anglo-Powhatan War and later a peace treaty was signed but it only lasted 8 years. The conflicts between the early settlers and the Native Americans seemed inevitable because of the sense of superiority and the negative view of the natives (the settlers saw them as savages).
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