Native American Settlements In The 17th Century

At the start of the 17th century England, Spain, and France all had permanent settlements located in North America. Since the continent was vast and plentiful, there was an inevitable struggle for land between the European countries. Regardless of the uniform religion Christianity, the ideals and goals of the three nations greatly varied. The Spanish, English, and French settlements became increasingly diverse as a result of separate geographical regions and different colonization purposes, resulting in distinct interactions with the Native Americans. While the colonization movement was occurring in similar time periods for all three of the European nations, the regions in which they settled in varied immensely. The Spanish Empire primarily …show more content…
Spain was a society of inclusion, which meant they involved the Native Americans in their community. In Santa Fe, Central America, and the Caribbean there was much need for labor in both mines and in the fields. As a result, Spain enslaved the Native Americans in order to meet the labor demands. Furthermore, their Franciscan monks forcefully tried to get the Native Americans to convert to Catholicism, while ridding them of any ancestral practices. Violence was often the result of the harsh encomienda system and in 1680 Popé led the 1st Revitalization movement against the Spaniards, successfully killing and driving them out of New Mexico. France was also a society of inclusion, but instead of enslaving the Natives, they became trade partners with them, specifically the Huron tribe. A coureur de bois was someone who traded with the Native Americans for the much desired fur. However, the French used Jesuit Monks who were much more tolerant towards Native American traditions, allowing them to incorporate them into Catholic practices. England was unlike Spain and France, as they had a society of exclusion. Using indentured servants instead of Natives allowed English settlements to be larger and better colonized. Yet in New England the Puritans did try to convert them. They organized groups of natives in “praying towns” in order for reform. Whether it be for greater tobacco expansion or new settlements, more and more land was needed, and some Native American tribes grew hostile. Metacom lead the 2nd revitalization movement in 1675, trying to rid New England of its colonists. However, the colonists and their Iroquois allies were able to defeat and destroy Metacom’s forces. The Iroquois Confederacy and colonists signed the covenant chain, resulting in the only English-Indian alliance. While all three countries treated the Indians differently, all ultimately had