Mary Rowlandson And Franklin 's Views On Western Society 's View Of The Natives

After reading “Second Thoughts of Colonial Historians and American Indians” by James H. Merrell, it is important to acknowledge the symbolicism of the language used by so many Colonial Historians as they recount significant instances throughout our Indigenous American History. In many comparisons, word selection used to describe the Native peoples, tend to simplify their existence as merely hunters and gatherers.

This section highlights that history has created a false narrative depicting the natives as a victimized people, which they were to some extent but only in the fashion that they did not possess the same technology for warfare, immunity of communal diseases transmitted, and they were not anticipating combat. All other factors considered, the natives stood to be a potential threat. In regards to knowledge obtained by Spaniards prior to arrival and knowledge gained from observation, it would be remiss had they not prepared for battle. This argument is not to be misconstrued in approving their actions; I do recognize colonization as an evil for both the reasons employed and its damaging effects, but rather to change the narrative surrounding that of the native people. While they did experience a tragedy, I feel that it is erroneous to write them into history as being incompetent resulting from their

Colonies.12 The long standing approach to American History tends to provide a glorious triumph in a civilization conquering a ‘wild’ and ‘savage’ world. This understanding of history allows America to ignore the oppression of their history, while the Native populations remain profoundly impacted. According to Rebecca Tsosie, in her essay, The BIA Apology to Native Americans: An Essay of Collective Memory and Collective

Mary Rowlandson's “The Account of Mary Rowlandson and Other Indian Captivity Narratives” shows two different sides of the Indian people. This narrative describes Rowlandson's experience as a captive of an Indian tribe that raided the town of Lancaster in 1676. Following her capture Rowlandson is treated no better than an animal, and has no type of freedom what so ever. Even so, after living with the Indians for some time, they start to treat her more like a person by trading and giving her time to see her family. Neither the whites or Indians are completely at fault for the death of so many people, it is the clash of two completely different cultures. Although after learning a little bit about each others

During the time of American colonization, tensions between the English and the Native Americans rose exponentially. The New World was newly formed, and both Englishmen and Native Americans found themselves in unfavorable positions while drastic transformations occurred in their relative societies. The land and livelihood which once belonged to the Native Americans, became dominated by these foreign Englishmen. The Englishmen left all that was known to them across the Atlantic and embarked on a journey to establish a New World from nothing, in a land called America. Nevertheless, Pocahontas, a young Native American, and Benjamin Franklin, a young American, found ways to turn their individual hardships into fortune.

The colonists, by saying that the Native Americans were primitive and savage because of their differing and seemingly illogical attitudes, were able to do things that they could never have done to people they believed to be equals. Whether this was a conscious or subconscious method on the part of the

When the first colonists landed in the territories of the new world, they encountered a people and a culture that no European before them had ever seen. As the first of the settlers attempted to survive in a truly foreign part of the world, their written accounts would soon become popular with those curious of this “new” world, and those who already lived and survived in this seemingly inhospitable environment, Native American Indian. Through these personal accounts, the Native Indian soon became cemented in the American narrative, playing an important role in much of the literature of the era. As one would expect though, the representation of the Native Americans and their relationship with European Americans varies in the written works of the people of the time, with the defining difference in these works being the motives behind the writing. These differences and similarities can be seen in two similar works from two rather different authors, John Smith, and Mary Rowlandson.

Europeans tore through America in the 1700s and destroyed the lives of Native Americans, and yet their culture remained principled with a high level of respect and honor. This is shown in a meeting that was held by the six nations of the Iroquois, where Chief Red Jacket gave a speech on the Native Americans view on missionary stations that the Europeans wanted to set up. Red Jacket explained their past with the first settlers, “We gave them corn and meat; they gave us poison in return” (1). These first Europeans set the tone for how these new colonist treated the natives. They took what they wanted and left a trail of death and destruction in their path. However, the natives acted in return with upstanding respect and treated these missionaries

“My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain...There was a time when our people covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor, but that time long since passed away with the greatness of tribes that are now but a mournful memory.” (Chief Seattle, Chief Seattle’s Speech). Lethal Encounters Englishmen and Indians in Colonial Virginia by Alfred Cave is a book that extensively describe Britain’s and Spain’s initial colonization of America. The book mainly focuses on the facts and primary entries of Native Americans and pioneers, and their initial thoughts thoughts about each other. Albert Caves book, Lethal Encounters Englishmen and Indians in Colonial Virginia, discussed many issues between those indigenous to America and the pioneers, including; racism, imperialism, culture clash, religion, and war.

In, A Severe and Proud Dame She Was, Mary Rowlandson recounts the treatment she received as prisoner of war from Natives in the Wampanoags and Nipmuck tribes written in her perspective. In 1675, Mary Rowlandson found herself and children held captive in the hands of Massachusetts Native Americans. Mary writes with a bias that seems to paint the Native Americans as a species different than her own, but her tone suggests she tried her best to understand their tribe. The purpose of this article appears to be written with the intent of persuading the masses on account of personal experience; that is the interaction among Natives and their customs to be seen in a light of hypocritical behavior. Through the lens of the captured author, she details the experience of her captivity with merciful gestures on the Native’s behalf, despite them keeping her for ransom. Rowlandson suggests traditional Native warfare surrounds a central recurring theme of manipulating mind-games; psychological warfare.

The Sioux Native Americans have a profound respect for their faith and hold true to their beliefs shown by the sacredness of the Great Mystery’s creations such as nature shown in Standing Bear’s “Nature” as well as Zitkala-Ša’s American Indian Stories, Legends, and Other Writings. Differing from the Native Americans, the European settlers show a variation of different levels of reverence for Christianity and it’s beliefs. The European’s demonstrate a lack of respect for Native American religion shown by the tactical attempts to convert Native American culture to converge with their belief system and practices. However, Native Americans show a lack of respect for Christianity and its beliefs within Mary Rowlandson’s experience as a captive. She uses the Bible to pull her through heart-wrenching and painful experiences from being shot to loosing her daughter against the wishes of her master and mistress. Although the experiences within Native American literature display the importance of religion and devotion to the Native American beliefs and ceremonies, it also shows the presence and effect of religion among the European settlers both respectable and corrupt.

Rowlandson writes, “Now away we must go with those barbarous creatures, with our bodies wounded and bleeding and our hearts no less than our bodies.” This shows that the Indians did not care about the physical condition of the settlers. Also, the Indians treated the settlers poorly by not feeding or treating to their needs. This is shown through the quote, “There remained nothing to me but one poor wounded babe, and it seemed at present worse than death.” This shows that the settler had lost all hope in surviving and thought it would be better to die than go on living. The cruelty towards the settlers was only one of many example showing how the Indians were

From the speech of “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America”, Franklin expresses his tough attitudes and foresight knowledge. In this speech, Franklin give his point about how to treat Indian and why he thought that white people are savages in North America. One example of Franklin gives in this speech. When a white person comes to Indian area, Indian give him food, drink, a pipe and soft fur to sleep on. However, when one Indian comes to white person’s area, the white person would say “get out! Your Indian dog!” unless Indian pay for something (234-247). There is a direct example to help me know the confliction in initial period between native American and outsiders from Europe. It looks the acid conflict made by the colonialism and

Benjamin Franklin’s opinion of the North American’s being labeled savages was a reflection of the white men. North American’s were polite and welcomed individuals who came to visit their village.

The day the Indians invaded their town they used hatchets, arrows, and guns to scare and harm the colonists. Rowlandson herself was shot in the side from a raining cloud of bullets. Her sister’s eldest son gave word to her about them being wounded and she in return says “And Lord, let me die with them” (258). When her sister spoke these words, almost immediately