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. 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. 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
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
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
The radical changes as disease, war, trade or new religions in New England and Virginia during the 17th century affect the long-term relationship of Native Americans to settlers because the Europeans started to take advantage of the natives and their resources. They mistreated the Indians, and they wanted their land to settle in even though it wasn’t rightfully theirs to take in the first place. The settlers brought diseases such as smallpox and the measles. The Indians were scared and wondering why they were suddenly getting sick and dying. They had absolutely no idea that it was the settlers that was bringing these unfamiliar and incurable diseases. When they found out, they blamed it on them and got angry. The Indians were also cheated and
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 Relationship Between Native Americans and European Explorers The hardships and cruelty that the Mesoamerican tribes went through after first contact with the European explorers is truly appalling. The Native Americans were rapidly conquered by the European explorers soon after their arrival in the Americas. Large naval cities such as Spain and Portugal had become curious about the new world soon after Christopher Columbus discovered them in 1492, which is when the atrocities began. After coming into contact with European Explorers, Native Americans had to suffer through hardships such as attacks on their religion, unjust and brutal conquest, and inferiority to the European’s advanced technologies. Religious persecution was one of the hardships that Indigenous Americans had to go through.
As far back as the late 14th century, Europeans crossed the Atlantic to find land that had greater resources; resources they had use to rebuild Europe. After Europeans had come, the Spaniards, the Scottish, the English, and many others colonized North American. In the process of colonizing, they completely ignored the thousands of tribe members who had lived there and have been living there for many generations. Christopher Columbus, who was the first European to step foot in North American, used these kind beings as slaves. Those who did not were slaughtered, enslaved, and raped. These men and women believed they were a part of Earth and never once abused its lands and its animals. They never believed in one specific religion, while the Europeans were beginning to form a nation full of educated Christians. The Europeans tried to convert these spiritual beings and failed. This irked the government officials and what happened was hundreds of years of mass killings of the Cherokee, the Pequot, the Cheyenne, the Narragansett, as well as hundreds of other Native American tribes. There were treaties made but because the Native Americans were uneducated, they never understood them. Dee Brown argues that the Native Americans were deceived by the Europeans time and time again, and since the Native Americans needed resources; they had to agree to their rules and regulations.
In the early seventeenth century, Europeans came to America in search of new lands and freedom. Unbenounced to them, the colonists were met by hard confrontations with Native Americans who settled the land long before the Europeans landed. The interactions between the European colonists and native Americans, in the New England and Spanish Southwest regions, were mutually beneficial at times, but ultimately harmful to the native Americans. American Indians and European colonists interacted in such a way as to establish a variety of relationships among many different cultures. Particularly among the New England and Spanish Southwest regions relationships were formed and deteriorate between the settlers and natives.
Since columbus first arrived in the Americas in 1492, until present day, conflict between Europeans and native americans has always been an issue. However, there were four specific groups of people that were dealing with these issues during the first Europeans migrations west. They were; the Spanish, the Virginians, the New Englanders, and Pennsylvania. The Native Americans constantly were being pushed out of their homelands, and told they did not own it. The Europeans who came over to the Americas often felt very entitled to all of the land they felt they wanted.
I think there were multiple reasons for the Native Americans were vulnerable to conquest. Economic, social structure, militarily, and medicinally. They were also already in a period of population decline prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Cahokia’s, Aztec’s, Inca’s and Mayans’ population where no were near the size they had been or almost completely nonexistent.
Europeans lived a much more modern way of life than the primitive lifestyle of Native Americans. Europeans referred to themselves as “civilized” and regarded Native Americans as “savage,” “heathen,” or “barbarian.” Their interaction provoked by multiple differences led to misunderstanding and sometimes conflict. These two cultures, having been isolated from one another, exhibited an extensive variation in their ideals. Europeans and Native Americans maintained contradictory social, economic, and spiritual practices.
This five page paper explores the reasons behind the frequent conflicts of the European settlers and the Native Americans on the North American continent during the early days of colonization, and also looks at some of their other, non-violent interactions. There are no cited sources. Conflict Between the European Settlers and the Native Americans: A Look at the Reasons The early days of colonization in North America were fraught with frequent, violent conflict between the European settlers and the Native Americans. From the very beginning of colonization, there seemed to be a deep enmity between the two cultures. Many lives were lost on both sides in these conflicts, and many captives were taken.
The Native American 's encounters with European colonists led to different interactions between the two, as well as a development of varied relationships. America had been home to Native Americans since around 13,000 B.C. The Europeans arrived in America around 1492 to find that the land was already inhabited. Before the Europeans arrived, the Native Americans had lived in harmony with nature and with each other in communities, having strong family ties. When the Europeans arrived, they held different values than the Native Americans. As the Europeans settled in New England, Chesapeake and New York/New France, these differences shaped the relationships between the Native Americans and the European colonists.
In 1492, the Spanish and English discovered America and the both searched for new areas to take claim so they can settle and make new colonies for the new world up until around 1790. The Spanish were the first successful country to establish wealth and gain from the new world and it was because of their interest in using these colonies for mostly for trade. Although the Spanish and English had an increasingly large grasp over the new world, Africans, other European countries, and Native Americans could not stop fighting so they could band together to fight the higher powers, meanwhile America was trying to become it's own nation, Even though all of the less powerful cultures wanted freedom (Dutch, Native Americans, Germans, Scot-Irish, Africans, Scots, and French) all except the Africans got it because it was a lot harder to figure out who was really a slave if you were white but a lot easier if it was only Black. Even though the odds were not in their favor, The less powerful ethnic groups could not join together and fight the Anglo-Americans , Spanish, and English mostly because of the majority of people were Protestant, cultural pluralism, and of course, Anglo conformity. Native Americans didn’t have much to worry about besides the the struggles of their everyday life up until 1492 when Christopher Columbus arrived. Most people think of Native Americans to be one or very few groups of people, but in reality it was a lot more complex that that. Natives had differences
Through the Europeans’ diseases, increased welfare, and introduction of new technologies, the old life that the Natives had known was all but gone (American History). The Europeans had different views on how to deal with the Natives. Significant European contact with the Natives didn’t start until the 17th Century. It would start when some Europeans would go dry fish on the shores; a small fur trade began with the Natives that were local to the area. This was the beginning of the French-Indian fur trade that helped the two nations become allies for a long time. The way this trade worked was fueled by the French desire for beaver fur. They heavily relied on the Native Americans to hunt and trap beavers in order to fulfill this desire. In return, the Natives received many European goods, including firearms, which would put fear into the enemies (American History). All in all, this was one of the greatest European-Native American relationships to ever arise, as many colonist groups would degrade them and fight them.
When Europeans first set foot upon the shores of what is now the United States they brought with them a social structure which was fundamentally based around their concept and understanding of Western European Christianity. That the indigenous peoples might already have a thriving civilization, including religious beliefs and practices, that closely paralleled the beliefs and practices of European civilization, was a concept not considered by these early explorers and settlers. This European lack of cultural understanding created tensions, between Native Americans and Europeans, and later between Native Americans and Euro-Americans, that eventually erupted into open warfare and resulted in great bloodshed between cultures. For the Lakota