The Relations Between Native Americans and Colonists
The Relations between Native Americans and Colonists
There are many reasons Native Americans and European Colonists did not have a good relationship. The reason for conflict between Colonist and Indians was due to the Colonists insatiable greed for power and land. Some of the reasons not only included physical mistreatment but also an ethical mistreatment of the Native Americans. European Colonists not only brought with them many different diseases that would later aid in the genocide of many Native American tribes, but also a mindset in which they felt superior to there Native neighbors. This feeling of superiority led to an outbreak of violence and many different civil wars. Due to the Native American and the Colonists irreconcilable differences many casualties were suffered by both sides leading to more wars and the displacement of many Indian tribes. One of the Native American’s biggest killers was illness, specifically Small Pox. The immune system of the Native Americans did not have the same tolerances as that of the European Settlers. Their immune systems could not handle exposure to the diseases that they have never been exposed to before. It has been rumored the while trading with the Native Americans, the colonists purposely gave them blankets infected with the Small Pox disease. Small Pox was not the only illness that was prevalent during the settling of the colonies. “Dobyns (1983) and Merrell (1984) report several European-induced epidemics in Florida, the Carolinas, and Virginia between 1519 and 1750, including smallpox, bubonic plague, typhus, mumps, influenza, yellow fever, and measles, although Dobyns' research has been argued methodically unsound by others. Bubonic plague and scarlet fever depopulated the Senecas in the 1630s to such an extent that four village settlements were forced to amalgamate into two. Archaeologists found Seneca ceramics dating to the post-epidemic period that were characterized by rough, uneven craftsmanship,
There are many reasons Native Americans and European Colonists did not have a good relationship. The reason for conflict between Colonist and Indians was due to the Colonists insatiable greed for power and land. Some of the reasons not only included physical mistreatment but also an ethical mistreatment of the Native Americans. European Colonists not only brought with them many different diseases that would later aid in the genocide of many Native American tribes, but also a mindset in which they felt superior to there Native neighbors. This feeling of superiority led to an outbreak of violence and many different civil wars. Due to the Native American and the Colonists irreconcilable differences many casualties were suffered by both sides leading to more wars and the displacement of many Indian tribes. One of the Native American’s biggest killers was illness, specifically Small Pox. The immune system of the Native Americans did not have the same tolerances as that of the European Settlers. Their immune systems could not handle exposure to the diseases that they have never been exposed to before. It has been rumored the while trading with the Native Americans, the colonists purposely gave them blankets infected with the Small Pox disease. Small Pox was not the only illness that was prevalent during the settling of the colonies. “Dobyns (1983) and Merrell (1984) report several European-induced epidemics in Florida, the Carolinas, and Virginia between 1519 and 1750, including smallpox, bubonic plague, typhus, mumps, influenza, yellow fever, and measles, although Dobyns' research has been argued methodically unsound by others. Bubonic plague and scarlet fever depopulated the Senecas in the 1630s to such an extent that four village settlements were forced to amalgamate into two. Archaeologists found Seneca ceramics dating to the post-epidemic period that were characterized by rough, uneven craftsmanship,
Cited: Library of Congress. “Virginas Early Relations with Native Americans.” Nebraska Studies.org. “Conflict and Negotiation with European Settlers” “Trail of Tears.” Halverson, Melissa Sue. “Native American Beliefs and Medical Treatments During the Smallpox Epidemics: an Evolution” “Native Americans of North America.” MSN Encarta. Streich, Michael. “Immediate Causes of the Revolutionary War.” 2009, January 2.