Natives And The Colonization Of Native Americans In America

There were initially two to ten million natives in the United States prior to European contact. Those numbers dwindled down drastically in the years that Europeans came and started colonizing. The Europeans came to explore the New World in search of land, spices, gold, God and glory. Among these colonists were the Spanish who colonized most of the southwest of the United States. Evidence of their settlements can still be seen today in the missions scattered across the land. These missions were started with the purpose of converting the Native Americans to Christianity. Try to put yourself into the shoes of the Native Americans, imagine living your entire life with a particular set of beliefs, based on what was handed down by your ancestors and culture. Then suddenly a group of foreigners would come and proclaim that your views are all wrong and that you must follow their beliefs for the salvation of your soul. This is exactly what the Spanish colonizers did to the Native Americans as they invaded their territory which is the reason why the relationship between the two parties were strained and rife with tension. The conversion of the Natives and the constant hostility by the Spanish conquerors subsequently led to the disintegration of native life and culture.

In “Times are Altered with Us Indians by Colin Calloway,” Indian peoples are shown to have created thriving communities before the Europeans arrived in their lands. They had developed long histories, effective fishing, farming, and hunting techniques, political systems and social structures, hundreds of languages, had advanced culturally in the form of artwork and architecture, as well as have far reaching networks of trade and communication, way before Europeans had “discovered America.” Once Europeans had arrived however, they had caused Native Americans prosperity to falter. The most devastating cause of change for the Indians were diseases like smallpox, plague, measles, yellow fever, and influenza brought by the Europeans, and caused several tribes to be completely wiped out and some tribes to only have a few survivors. The diseases, as well as alcohol, caused the social and political structure to be affected negatively because elders, providers, family members, healers, and counselors perished so all the resources and knowledge in these people perished with them and were not able to be passed on to the survivors. Eventually, Indian life began to be taken over by European ideals as a way to survive, by converting to Christianity, trading with the Europeans, having the Europeans interfere in their politics, and having war-caused by the Europeans- ruin their remaining communities. Indians role in colonial America are different than they are portrayed in traditional

In the 1600’s, confrontation between the American Indians and the European colonist led into egregious action to expand the prosperity and welfare for one’s self. Rapid tension among the two groups in the area of New York, New France, and New England led into countless wars. All European nations traveled to North America hoping to spread Christianity and have a favorable balance of trade in which is referred to as mercantilism. Each nation trying to establish dominance gaining colonies and treated the natives Indians contemptuously. At the end the Europeans were cruel and bitter toward the American Indians that brought atrocious relationship among them. The European nations traveling across the Atlantic oceans to the North America to bring

When the English, French, and Spanish explorers came to North America, they brought terrible changes to American Indian tribes particularly in the way of new diseases. Native peoples of America had no immunity to fight the diseases that European explorers and colonists brought with them. Diseases such as measles, smallpox, influenza and chicken pox were deadly to American Indians. The Europeans were used to these diseases. They had antibodies that built up over the centuries to ward off these diseases, but the American Indians had no resistance to them at all. Sometimes the illnesses spread through direct contact with colonists. Other times, they were

The adage of the adage. These people were exposed to unknown diseases because they had foreigners barging in for the purpose of exploration. Also, because they had never seen the disease before, the Native Americans weren’t immune, and they had no way to cure them. These illnesses include smallpox, influenza, measles, and chicken pox (ncpedia.org). This was caused by “their living quarters with domesticated animals”(linkedin.com).

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.

Coming from an economic standpoint, the Europeans and Indians were such total opposites, it often led to misunderstanding. Indians had very large trading routes well before the time of European colonization. Their experience in trade only made it easier to exchange goods with the Europeans. For Indians, trading was a way to acquire goods they wanted, but also a way to share the wealth of their land with other tribes that didn't have the same items to trade as they did. To the

Culture wasn’t the only thing that the Europeans brought over to the Americas. Along with their customs and rules, came the diseases that the Native American’s have never been exposed to. The Europeans brought many communicable diseases such as small pox and measles which were transmitted to the Native Americans through trade goods or someone infected with them. This quickly annihilated most of the Native American population.

From the time during North American colonialism to the modern era, American Indians have responded to and countered U.S. policies, philosophies, and agreements in hopes of sustaining and preserving their sovereignty and relationships to the land. As a result, the U.S. government employed many different approaches in dealing with American Indians in hopes of assimilation and diminishment of Native American culture from the mid-19th century to early-20th century. Consequently, as the U.S. government policies of assimilation directed towards American Indians evolved from 1850 to 1930, so did the Indian response. Native American responses to early aggressive U.S. polices, as in the violations of the Treaty of Fort Laramie and the Confederate Home Guard, resulted in violent resistive responses from American Indians for the ossification of their relationship to land. As U.S. detribalization policies later shifted to a more diplomatic approach for improved westernized assimilation, like the Dawes Allotment Act and use of boarding schools, American Indian’s response metamorphosed from resistance to adaptation for the preservation and survival of their native identities and culture.

The teaching of Native American history and the colonization of America is often misconstrued, with the complete, and “actual”, story almost always being concealed behind the bare minimum of historical evidence. For a country more concerned with impartialness now than ever, the truth about past relations with Native Americans should be a key component in the education of students across the nation. The realization and acceptance of this nation’s disreputable past involving indigenous people, though threatening a US legacy that most people believe in, will provide an essential and clear understanding that could lead to future equality and peace.

Many prominent historians argue a clash between culture and religious philosophy was the primary cause of conflict between European settlers in North America and Native Americans. However, a closer analysis of American history suggests otherwise. While a clash in cultures and religious differences did exist, the European domination of Native Americans was primarily fueled by European economic motivations, a desire for valuable natural resources and a craving to expand the American colonial system. Due to this, the conflict was inevitable.

From the 1400s and 1620 the Spanish and Portuguese’s treated the Native Americans and slaves inhumanly. They had no respect them and didn’t see them as people. The French respected the Native Americans as allies, however they mistreated the slaves.

According to the text, the author believes that the enmities between European settlers and Indians are unavoidable even if they seem to be friendly to each other at first. In my opinion, I agree with the author’s argument because from the historical events and trends, we can tell the excessive conflicts, especially beliefs on certain issues, lands and religion especially, and the external diseases, which reveal a radical age.

Native Americans never came in contact with diseases that developed in the Old World because they were separated from Asia, Africa, and Europe when ocean levels rose following the end of the last Ice Age. Diseases like smallpox, measles, pneumonia, influenza, and malaria were unknown to

The introduction of weapons, alcohol, and other European things and ideas also great and unpredictable effects. The Europeans encountered many sophisticated Indian cultures and some owe their survival to the Natives. The Europeans introduced the idea of “ownership of the land” to the Indians. Of course, tribes fought over territory to hunt, fish and occasionally practice agricultural on, but the idea of “ownership” of land was something they didn't comprehend. For some Indians the land was considered sacred, the idea of agriculture was thought of as insulting to the Earth, and many aspects of nature. For the Indians, things in nature like rivers, ponds, and even rocks, were like the saints in Christian cultures. Even after they had made deals with the Europeans for the purchase of land, they didn't understand what they had done and that led to further conflict. Europeans also changed their barter system. They had built complex economic relationships with other tribes and understood commerce as it existed in their barter and exchange system. Europeans had a destructive impact of this trading culture, trading different things than the Indians were used to and also through the use of currency.