Native Americans and Europeans

The presence of a frontier changed western civilization for centuries after Columbus’ landing in the New World. One key aspect of the frontier was the American Indians, and their relationship with the English Colonists. Although the relationship was peaceful at first, it ultimately became a violent one with constant wars and disagreements. This is mainly caused by European expansion and ignorance towards Native customs. In the early 17th century, when English colonists came to the New World in search for a better life, they made peaceful relations with American Indians. Not long after the Colonists and Natives realized their intolerance of each other and the two groups soon became enemies. Many conflicts took place between the American Indians and the European colonists in the Chesapeake Region including the sight of the first and second Anglo-Powhatan Wars. Upon arrival into the Chesapeake region, the Colonists and Natives had a peaceful relationship.

This is mainly due to the Colonists needs for Native’s assistance. The Natives taught Colonists better ways to grow crops on the new land and the two groups often traded. The English also allied with some Native groups and helped to fight off other enemy tribes. When the English no longer needed the American Indian’s help to survive, their relationship plummeted. Thus, the First Anglo-Powhatan Wars would be fought. This war pitted the English settlers at Jamestown against an army of Natives under the command of Powhatan. After the Europeans endured the Starving Time, they viciously attacked the Indians. Colonists used tactics which included torching American Indian villages.

Ultimately, the Colonists won over the Natives when the Colonists captured Powhatan’s daughter, Pocahontas. Although this war created violent tensions between the two groups, it ultimately ended in peace. This is mainly due to Pocahontas and her marriage to an English settler named John Rolfe. Not long after the war, John Rolfe introduced a milder version of the Tobacco crop to the colony. Plantations were established and as the popularity of this cash crop grew, so did the colonists need for land. Therefore, settlers began to push the American Indian’s off their land. This abolished any peaceful relations Pocahontas may have bestowed between the two groups, thus violence erupted again. Indian’s devised a last-ditch effort to push the Colonists back.

This would turn into the Second Anglo-Powhatan War. The surprise attacks of the Natives caught the English off guard, but the Europeans would ultimately win the war. A peace treaty was formed after the war which banned all Chesapeake Indians from their land and segregated them from the Colonists. Many years later, freed indentured servants living on the edge of the Europeans westward expansion were frequently attacked by Natives. At this point, with Natives frequently attacking the European frontier and the Natives expelled from their homeland all peaceful relations between the two groups were diminished.

The Colonists in New England could be very intolerant of the American Indians, but would often be able to help each other as well. Upon arrival to the New England region, the Europeans and Natives often traded with each other. The Natives also taught the Colonists that adding fish in soil fertilizer would create a better harvest. Like the Chesapeake region, this created a non-warring relationship between the Europeans and Natives, but as the colonists became less dependent on the Natives their relationship worsened. Colonists would make their best efforts to convert American Indians to Christianity.

Ultimately, neither group tried to understand and learn the others culture. Eventually because of this ignorance and because the settlers were becoming more dependent, trust was lost. Thus, The Pequot War was fought. This war was the culmination of numerous conflicts between the colonists and the Indians. There were disputes over property, crops, and dishonest traders. The settlers of New England and allied Natives surprised attacked the Pequot Indians and massacred them. The colonists set fire to the former Pequot village and any remaining Pequot Indians were hunted and killed. Any peaceful relations between the Europeans and Pequot were diminished because of this war. As time wore on, New England colonists began to expand further west. Thus, the King Philip’s War fought over this land. The Wampanoag Indians began to become hostile because the settlers of New England were encroaching on the Indian’s land. Reacting to this hostility, the Colonists forced the Wampanoag to give up their weapons.

The Wampanoag did so, but in 1675, a Christian Native American who had been acting as an English informer was murdered, and three Wampanoag were tried and executed for the crime. King Philip responded by ordering an attack on colonists. The war was eventually ended when Philip was assassinated by New England settlers. This war was extremely costly to the colonists and ended the Native American presence in the region. Like many other wars fought between Natives and Europeans, this war further emphasized the hatred between the rival groups. Both regions were similar in the way that Native’s offered assistance to the settlers and the way that Colonist felt towards Indians, but the reasons these relationships resulted in wars were different. Similar to both regions, the colonists learned better farming techniques and traded with Indians.

As time wore on, the relationships turned to violence. This is mainly because both the English and Natives were intolerant of the other group. Multiple battles were fought between them, and the Colonists won most of them. Colonists in the Chesapeake region and the New England region ended up taking over much of the Natives land and surrounding areas. In both colonies, the relationship between the Natives and Europeans ended in violence, but the reason the violence was brought about is different. In the Chesapeake colonies, the main focus was the growth of tobacco and wealth. As the settlers expanded their plantations, they pushed Natives off their land causing wars. Differently, in the New England region violence was sparked because of the settler’s ignorance towards the American Indian’s culture and religion. The Colonists often attempted to convert the Natives to Christianity.

Ultimately both regions ended in a violent relationship with the Indians because the English were intolerant to the Natives. In both regions of the New World, the relationship between Natives and European settlers ended in violence after the two groups realized their ignorance towards each other. In the Chesapeake region, a somewhat peaceful relationship would be ended by the colonists’ desire for land. Both Anglo-Powhatan Wars pitted the colonists of the Chesapeake colonies against the Natives. These wars along with frequent attacks by Natives against the settlers of the frontier destroyed whatever peaceful relationship these groups had. Likewise, in the New England region wars and ignorance made for a violent relationship. The Pequot War and King Philip’s war were sparked out of colonial expansion and intolerance of the other group’s religion. In conclusion, the Natives and Colonists both contributed to the reason why their relationship turned from peaceful to violent.