Native Americans And Explorers Essay

The Europeans were the first in the United States to express their hatred and racist behavior toward the Native Americans once they settled onto U.S. soil in 1609. Their actions and behavior follows the conflict perspective, considering the elite (Europeans) did everything in their power to dominate the weak and powerless (Native Americans), thus denying the Native American of any resources found in the United States. Even then, the

I am of the opinion that the Native Americans were treated badly by the Americans who came and took over their land. The Indians fought back because what they owned and the lifestyle that they were accustomed to were being stripped from them. Furthermore, I believe the assimilation forced upon the Native Americans fueled an even greater hatred for the white man. Instead of making quality relationships with them, the Americans forced the Natives to become like them or else face war. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of greed rearing its ugly head in the history of our country.

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 Spanish came to the New World with the idea that they were going to practically enslave, convert, or kill the natives. Because of this the Spanish’s treatment for the natives was terrible and very early on. They would use natives to help them find gold and do other manual labor activities. The missionaries would attempt to convert them to Christianity and because a lot would not comply they would end up killing them. Early on the British settlers’ relationship with the native Americans is very different. At first, they were friendly. The first British settlers in a way to live on the Native Americans. North America them was very different from Great Britain, and the Native Americans had lived there for very long time. So, the British settlers took advantage of that and began to trade with the Native Americans and use them in order to help their new settlement survive. Although the Spanish and British relationship with the natives differed at first eventually they both ended up doing the same exact thing. They both killed the Native Americans and cause their societies to be displaced. Even though there and goals were different they both used the exploitation of Native Americans in order to achieve these goals.

It is no secret that the Native Americans were treated unfairly. They were enslaved and forced to do horrid, dangerous tasks. Casas states how harshly the Indians were treated. One example being the dangers act of pearl diving. This was such a brutal task that Indians were forced to perform by the Spaniards. Pearl diving was known for its danger and severity. When fishing for pearls, the Indians were forced to stay underwater for extended amounts of time. Sometimes they were underwater for as long as hours at a time. Pearl divers typically did not survive long do you to the waters being so cold. They would go into hypothermia which made their lungs tighten. This caused them to cough up blood or cause them to have severe diarrhea which made them dehydrated and leading to death. The Spaniards basically murder the Indians in order to acquire these precious

Native Americans have been oppressed by numerous entities including the government, businesses, and white settlers

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed west and found himself on the shores of a new world. His mission was to secure new land for Spain. Other European countries heard of his findings, they too crossed the ocean in hopes of securing new opportunities in this newly discovered land such as fur trading and gold mining. Little did they know that a community of indigenous people had already settled in this land thousands of years before. The Europeans decided to negotiate with the natives in order to set up their own communities in the land but the Native Americans held beliefs about society and religion that were far different from their European peers. Europeans thought the Indians to be “Noble Savages, gentle and friendly, but uncivilized, brutal, and barbaric” (citation). They could not see past their own

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.

When the Europeans and Spaniards first “discovered” North America all was well. The Indians at first were truly intrigued with the white man as the brought all sorts of new stuff to trade. Matter a fact the first set of settlers would not been able to survive without the help of the Indians. Unfortunately, the settlers had very little respect for the land and resources. The Europeans then starting using violence to get what they wanted and as the number of settlers increased the Indians new that they were in over their heads. With all the new settlers came diseases such as small pox and measles. These diseases hurt the Indian tribes severely, and with the ignorance the settler’s wars began; the Indian Wars, the Indian Removal Act, Wounded knee, and the trail of tears are only a few of the many. The U.S. Government took it upon themselves to start relocation programs, with these programs the Indians were ripped from their homes, required to speak only the language of the settlers and robbed of their customs. The children of the tribes were taken away and sent to special schools to Americanize them and forget about their heritage. Then in the late 1800’s the government started

Spain, England, and France led the colonization of the Americas having distinct missions, and using different approach. By the mid 1960’s, all these great nations were in a race to establish American colonies. Like in every expedition, the primary purposes were to gain wealth and riches, which was the main reasoning behind all of the colonization’s. On their way to building these settlements, the colonials encountered the Native Americans and had to deal with them in very different ways.

It is clear that throughout many years there has been an exemption of treatment when talking about the Native Americans in the United States. Supposedly every individual is endowed with the right of freedom, equality, and of seeking for happiness, but Native Americans were treated irrationally. From the discovery of America, to the founding fathers and settlers, the treatment and attitude towards Native Americans has been unsettling at best. The colonial policies toward the Native Americans affected the Indians in ways that changed their relationship between their tribes and the new nation. Cabeza de Vaca, Roger Williams, Cotton Mather, and Benjamin

Throughout history, Native Americans have been victimized by Americans and the American Government. Native Americans were here long before the English settlers found and migrated to America. They tried to buy the land from Native Americans, and money was not important to them so they refused. Over time this costed a lot of Native American lives and most of their land was taken from them. Native Americans were immensely mistreated in the 1900’s by white Americans and are still being wronged by deceiving history in textbooks and other learning aid.

In the document, Summary of the Mexican-American War it states, “When his offer to purchase those lands was rejected, he instigated a fight by moving troops into a disputed zone between the Rio Grande and Nueces River.” The Americans wanted land, but the people who owned that land did not want to sell it. America’s response to that was to move troops into a disputed area, initiating a fight. Why did America do this? Why cause an unnecessary fight that Americans knew might have killed people when it could have been avoided? This fight could easily have been avoided if the Americans simply let go of the fact that they could not purchase the land they wanted. The document also states, “Under the treaty, Mexico also recognized the U.S. annexation of Texas, and agreed to sell California and the rest of its territory north of the Rio Grande for $15 million plus the assumption of certain damages claims.” True, the Americans got the land they wanted, but in what way? The method used to get that land was war, and then a treaty saying that whatever land the Americans wanted was theirs. By definition, war is a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation. What armed means is equipped or carrying a weapon. In war, weapons are used to kill people. Without war, there would be no weapons, and therefore no premature death. To get the land the Americans wanted,

When the Europeans first came to the America, they assumed that they would be welcomed and be looked up to because of the gifts and trade they brought over. However, they couldn’t be farther from the truth, as the Natives feared their foreign weaponry, technology, and animals. Both groups, although in different circumstances, had misconceptions of each other that altered the views the Europeans and the Natives had of each other.

course of 500 years, there has been little progress in ending the inequity that the Native