Relationship Between Europeans And Native Americans

Much of European criticism of Native American was based on differences in religion, land use, and gender relations. Most Europeans reasoned that Indians needed to be converted to the “true religion” of Christianity (Give Me Liberty, 11). In fact, Verrazano concluded that the Indians had “no religion or laws” (Voices of Freedom, 10). The Europeans did not understand the Indians’ use of the land and thus justified overtaking it, reasoning that they did not truly “use” it. Some Europeans criticized gender relations, claiming that women lacked freedom due to their work in the fields (Give me Liberty, 12-13). Others, like Verrazano, criticized the Indians for having “absolute freedom” in which they did not abide to any laws due to ignorance (Voices of Freedom, 10). Regardless of

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.

The beginning of the exchange happens, the plants and foods. The diets of the two cultures happened to be different, and so they altered them. The Western Hemisphere had many new different options for the Europeans to choose from. There were three new foods that the Europeans did not recognize, but took advantage; corn, which was called maize, it basically grew everywhere, sweet and white potatoes, and many different kinds of beans that the Europeans loved. (Shi and Tindall 37). Some other examples of the food the Indians shared with the Europeans are peanuts, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, pineapples, avocados, cacao, chewing gum, and the list goes on. The Europeans, on the other hand, presented to the indigenous people, the greatest foods that still go on to this day, which are, rice, wheat, barley, wine grapes, melons, coffee, olives, bananas, daisies, and many more. The transactions of these foods were so important to both cultures because when they combined them, they were amazingly rich in taste. Europeans did not have pepper, but when adding it to the food it became something so delicious it could not be real. Also, they did not know that in the future young people would conquer the New World with the positive effect that corn left them (Shi and Tindall 37). Both of these groups basically repaired their culture for good.

At first Native Americans, Europeans and Africans were separated by the vast oceans in between their continents, but as technologies and trade in Europe advanced the three region’s worlds collided. There were various similarities and differences in policy, economy and religion amongst the three regions but alas, contact between these empires reaped inevitable change among all these for the better or worse.

European families always put the males first, whereas African and Native American cultures saw the woman as the symbol of family bond. The children were said to be descended through the mother’s side more than the father. Religion was somewhat similar between the Native American and African cultures where the Europeans strongly disagreed with. Africans believed that there was a center power and Native Americans believed there were several deities, where they both believed that focused on nature and the its forces. They both believed that objects (usually scared to them) held sprites of the dad and spirits that can be evil or good. On the other hand, Europeans believed that there was a single deity with written scriptures which was all run through

The Europeans relation with the Natives were all different, the Spanish wanted to conquer the Natives, the French liked the Natives and became friend, and the English didn’t care about the Natives and just did whatever with the land. The Natives were not really technologically advance and didn’t follow the religions the Europeans followed, so because of that they were seen as lesser humans and the Europeans didn’t think they deserved the same rights as humans. Also the Europeans didn’t understand the Natives way of life some Europeans did learn to live with the Natives in peace, but eventually diseases and violence killed a lot of Natives. When the old world collided with the new world it was a battle that the old world won and change the new

There was a broad diversity on the view of the world between the Native Americans and Europeans. Together, they created the story of the clash of people, religion, ideas, and cultures.

The Columbian Exchange is a huge exchange of goods and ideas between the old world and the new world. The old world is considered Europe, Asia and Africa and the new world is considered America. Their colonies started to trade with each other and that’s when they formed the Columbian Exchange. Many countries were involved in this trade, including China, Africa and Italy. The exchange of the new ideas, traditions, food, religion and diet changed cultures everywhere. The Natives gave and received many items. Even though Europeans and American Indians saw some similarities in each other, their words differed. The introduction of plants into the new world extended a process that had been taking place for centuries in the Old World. Trade

Early encounters between American Indians and European colonists led to a variety of relationships among the different cultures. Analyze how the actions taken by BOTH American Indians and European colonists shaped those relationships in TWO of the following regions. Confine your answer to the 1600s.

Although Native Americans would have grown and prospered after ejecting European colonists from the New World, it would be foolish to assume that European nations would never breach the Americas. While it is true that Europeans would be unable to overpower a fully intact Native American presence, eventually, Europeans would seize the Americas the same way they conquered not only Africa, but Asia as well. As time passed, technology boomed, and the Industrial Revolution mechanized the European world. With their newly invigorated might, the chasm separating European technology and that of the rest of the world split wider. With innovations including railroads, telegraphs, advanced firearms such as the Gatling gun, steam engines, and sophisticated

Explain how mutual understandings and cultural interactions affected the relationship between Europeans and American Indians. How did these groups eventually adapt to each other? Confine your answer to pre Columbian society to 1607.

There is no doubt that the Native Americans and The Early Europeans lived two completely different lives. The moment that these two clashed is something that caused a change in the entire country of America. There was neither complete chaos or complete peace. The relationship between Early Europeans and Native Americans was unfair, religiously different, and tense.

To better understand the conflict between the Europeans and the Native Americans, one must closely examine the state of Europe’s economy at the time. Europe struggled with difficult conditions. This included poverty, violence and diseases like typhus, smallpox, influenza and measles. There were widespread famines which caused the prices of products to vary and made life very difficult in Europe. Street crimes and violence were prevalent in cities: “Other eruption of bizarre torture, murder, and ritual cannibalism were not uncommon”.2 Europeans

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.

The one most historically significant effect of the cultural exchange between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans is racism. Racism is such a huge effect from this cultural exchange because the Europeans and Native Americans relationship was ruined by the Europeans thinking they were superior to them, the Europeans turned to Africans for trade as well as labor to build their society in the Americas knowing that they were lesser than themselves, and finally Europeans could build a new world because they created race-based slavery. This exchange during this period of 1492 to 1700 brought a lot of change, and usually this change happened by force. The Europeans believed they were smarter and more superior which led them to think that they could just control whomever and take over whatever they pleased. The Europeans basically created race-based slave labor in order for them to successfully build their own economy and have laborers colonize the Americas.