Early Encounters Between the American Indians and European Colonists

Beginning in the sixteenth century, Europeans made the voyage to a “new world” in order to achieve dreams of opportunity and riches. In this other world the Europeans came upon another people, which naturally led to a cultural exchange between different groups of people. Although we commonly refer to European and Indian relations as being between just two very different groups of people, it is important to recognize this is not entirely true. Although the settlers of the new world are singularly referred to as Europeans, each group of people came from a different nation and with different motives and expectations of the new world. Similarly, the Indians were neither a united group nor necessarily friendly with each other. Due to the

America has come a long way since Columbus began his voyage in 1492. In “Beyond 1492: Encounter in Colonial North America,” James Axtell explains that when it comes to the Indian-European encounter, there’s more to the story than what the average person grasps. Most people know of how the Natives were mistreated and killed off by the Europeans with biological warfare and that a couple thousands of years later the Pilgrims and Natives had their first feast together known as “Thanksgiving”. However, in chapter four, Axtell’s essay describes that surprisingly, there was a “variety of ways Indians responded to the Europeans that invaded their lands in the wake of Columbus.” Axtell chronologically recapitulates the history of the Indian reactions to the European encounters up until the 1700’s and categorizes them into 5 strategies.

As the Europeans came to the New World in the 1600s, relationships with Native Americans were unstable in some places and secure in others. In the Chesapeake region, every colony had a different relationship with the Native Americans but overtime both groups became distanced from each other as wars erupted. Furthermore, in the New England colonies there were a few places that had close relationships with them and others that opposed the Native Americans. During the colonization periods, although the Europeans may have been disruptive to a few Native American tribes, they continued to trade and have alliances with a few tribes, which contributed to their survival in the New World. Throughout the time of colonization, as more people

Throughout the course of history there have been numerous accounts regarding Native American and European interaction. From first contact to Indian removal, the interaction was somewhat of a roller coaster ride, leading from times of peace to mini wars and rebellions staged by the Native American tribes. The first part of this essay will briefly discuss the pre-Columbian Indian civilizations in North America and provide simple awareness of their cultures, while the second part of this essay will explore all major Native American contact leading up to, and through, the American Revolution while emphasizing the impact of Spanish, French, and English explorers and colonies on Native American culture and vice versa. The third, and final, part of this essay will explore Native American interaction after the American Revolution with emphasis on westward expansion and the Jacksonian Era leading into Indian removal. Furthermore, this essay will attempt to provide insight into aspects of Native American/European interaction that are often ignored such as: gender relations between European men and Native American women, slavery and captivity of native peoples, trade between Native Americans and European colonists, and the effects of religion on Native American tribes.

Beginning in the Sixteenth Century, Europeans sought to escape religious and class persecution by engaging on a journey to the New World. However, they were unaware that this “New World” was already inhabited by many groups of Native Americans, who had been established on the continent for thousands of years. At first, the two ethnic groups lived in relative peace. The colonists of Jamestown survived due to Powhatan’s tribe teaching them how to cultivate the land. However, things took a twisted turn as the colonists grew greedy. Due to cultural differences, there was stark tension between the Indian groups and European settlers in New England prior to 1750, which tremendously influenced early political means, social life, and the economy.

From the very first interaction, the social and political relations between the Native Americans and the Europeans had begun with much tension. Many Europeans came to the Americas with the intention of discovery. However, when it became apparent that these new lands were inhibited the motives changed, and then the natives were colonized, abused, and in many cases killed. From then and throughout the impending periods of time, the relations between the natives and the Europeans had a few points of mutual peacefulness, but were overall negative.

The European immigrants were welcomed with open arms by the Native Americans. Native tribes provided food and shelter for the Europeans and thought them how to survive on their land. Tensions were elevated between English settlers and Native Americans as more immigrants came to the US. The Native Americans were not willing to give up their land and this lead to many battles and wars, almost every colony in New England encountered a conflict with Native Americans. By the end of the 17th century, Native Americans were essentially eliminated from the Atlantic coast (Hirschfelder & Flynn,

Europeans came to the Americas for many different reasons. Religious freedom, adventure, gold, new opportunity, and land are a few of them. Perhaps the most serious was the different way that Europeans and Native Americans thought about land. Land was extremely important to European settlers because land meant wealth, in which they established many communities where they lived and worked. Many of the settlers in the new country could have never owned land in Europe because they were too poor. The Native Americans believed that no one could own land. They

Native Americans lived on the North American continent centuries before the arrival of Europeans. These native groups developed and preserved cultural traditions. Many European explorers traveled to the New World around the 1500s in search for God, gold, and glory. This brought them into contact with the Native Americans, and led to a complete change in their lifestyle. Europeans brought the Natives diseases, forced them to relocate, and altered their cultures. All in all, the Europeans left a devastating impact on the Native Americans.

Throughout United States history, various Native American tribes responded differently to the European colonization process. The various ways that the Native American tribes responded to the Europeans coming to their land resulted in different outcomes for each of the tribes as well. When the Europeans first came to America, they did not know how to interact with the various Native American groups that were spread out all over the United States, and the Native Americans also did not know how to respond to the new settlers trying to take over their land.

Before Europeans ever ventured to North America, the land had been populated by Native American nations that had their own distinct cultures and social structures. Native Americans had trade routes and established complex relationships between tribes. They were not merely heathens waiting to be civilized by the Europeans. Yet, Europeans would use those justifications to lay claim on their land.

Throughout history there has been a constant conflict between viewing the interactions of the Europeans and Native Americans as a moral question rather than historically. Many people view this topic as something that is very controversial due to the history between the two groups. The fact that the Europeans practically re-wrote history by arriving in North America is something that should be undisputed when mentioned as a historical matter, instead of the spreading of diseases being viewed as a moral matter. The Europeans coming in contact with Native Americans brought many changes to both Europe and North America that would have never happened if they did not set sail for North America. These changes include the spread of agriculture in both North America and Europe, new trade routes in both North America and Europe, and the spread of Christianity to the Native Americans. Although the treatment of the Native Americans by

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From around 1500 to 1700, the European people were constantly trying to confiscate the American lands, which left the Native Americans feeling ambushed. The Native Americans were caught off guard because for the longest time they saw the land as if no one owned it, and it was there for everyone to use. Native Americans were more into sharing the land, whereas the Europeans were just there to buy it and capture it from them. The four main groups that captured the lands from the Natives were the Spanish, Virginians, New Englanders, and Pennsylvania. Although some people had conflicts with the Native Americans, each group had a different interaction with them, some of them leading into honorable relationships.

The arrival of Europeans in America greatly disrupted the life of the Natives. The natives had their own culture in America with their own special beliefs. When Europeans arrived they tried to alter the way Native Americans lived their lives to resemble their way of living. The Natives did not respect this because they had previously built a lifestyle in America that they wish not to be transformed. The two cultures had different opinions about government, religion, land, and society. Due to the many differences between the Native and European people, it was unfeasible that there would be no conflicts between them.