Before America was the well known, most successful country in the world it was a vast, undiscovered wilderness that contained a people who had their own culture and used their undiscovered lands to learn and live for hundreds and hundreds of years. As soon as people from Europe started to settle in this so called “new world” they did so as if it was their own land, not seeming to care that they were destroying the culture, land, and lives of the people who had lived there for thousands of years before. The once, seemingly untouched lands, were quickly invaded, forcing the Natives to attempt to adapt to the white people’s style of living or try to stand on their own and face the endless discrimination. Though one of these two choices was
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“Jefferson and The West” describes the invasion of immigrants, “As well try to stop an avalanche as to stop the moving frontier. American immigrants and emigrants wanted their share of land - free land - a farm in the family - the dream of European peasants for hundreds of years - the New World’s great gift to the old”(Jefferson And The West 347). Nothing would stop the greedy white people from taking their fair share of what the land had to offer, not even the Native Americans who had lived of these lands their whole life. Natives were part of tribal groups without governments and systems of laws, therefore when the settlers came (who were backed up by the United States government) the Indians had no legal tie to their homeland. The Indians did not want the white people to be on their land, but could not get rid of them because they did not have a civil right to their land, they only had an implied right by their many years of occupation. John Winthrop explains how the white people could continue to use and take the land due to the Indians not having legal rights over it. “The Indians, he said, had not “subdued” the land, and therefore had only a “natural” right to it, but not a “civil right.” A “natural right” did not have legal standing” (HZ 14). By discovering this loophole the white people were able to use, take, and buy the land where many of the Natives lived. As the Natives realized that there was no way to take back their land they were forced again to decide to stay and face the opression from the whites or migrate west to start a new
“Jefferson and The West” describes the invasion of immigrants, “As well try to stop an avalanche as to stop the moving frontier. American immigrants and emigrants wanted their share of land - free land - a farm in the family - the dream of European peasants for hundreds of years - the New World’s great gift to the old”(Jefferson And The West 347). Nothing would stop the greedy white people from taking their fair share of what the land had to offer, not even the Native Americans who had lived of these lands their whole life. Natives were part of tribal groups without governments and systems of laws, therefore when the settlers came (who were backed up by the United States government) the Indians had no legal tie to their homeland. The Indians did not want the white people to be on their land, but could not get rid of them because they did not have a civil right to their land, they only had an implied right by their many years of occupation. John Winthrop explains how the white people could continue to use and take the land due to the Indians not having legal rights over it. “The Indians, he said, had not “subdued” the land, and therefore had only a “natural” right to it, but not a “civil right.” A “natural right” did not have legal standing” (HZ 14). By discovering this loophole the white people were able to use, take, and buy the land where many of the Natives lived. As the Natives realized that there was no way to take back their land they were forced again to decide to stay and face the opression from the whites or migrate west to start a new