The Devastation Of American Indians In The 16th Century

The Devastation of American Indians

Before the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century, the American Indians in North America lived comfortable lives. They lived in harmony with the environment and had strong rules to abide by. The arrival of the Europeans brought different struggles to the indigenous. All of a sudden, they had to share territory with them and impart new methods to survive. Little did they know that the Europeans would use up their resources for themselves and become more hostile as they grew larger demographically. Many of the American Indians died in the hands of the colonist due to war and most importantly disease. The American Indian’s relationship with the colonials was devastating because the introduction of new …show more content…
Introducing new technology to the American Indians produced tribes to compete over resources and land. “The English arrived in 1607” and established the colony Jamestown (). They were unaccustomed to the weather and Indigenous people took pity and showed them basic survival skills. The colonist transported many goods from Europe that the American Indians have never seen or used before. The settlers introduced guns, tools, and horses to the indigenous. They taught them how to use them and in turn the indigenous people started trading, fur, food and survival tips for it. The American Indians did benefit from new objects, “At first, trade with the European settlers brought advantages” (). The firearms assisted the Indians to hunt more effectively than the original bow and arrows. Jean Nicolet, an American Indian of the Winnebago tribe says that since they never heard a gun, they thought the guns were “thunderbirds” (). The tools, such as axes, made cutting down trees easier for shelter and fire. The horses, an advancement in traveling, allowed them to roam at a much quicker pace than foot. However, the Indians that received the goods first had a …show more content…
The English had about as many females as males which created high reproduction rates. There was also the constant flow of immigrants from Great Britain to New England. The East coast of New England had to expand to fit the new families. The colonists main goal was to colonize vast areas of land, especially the American Indian territories. As the colonists were expanding, they attempted to convert the Indians’ religion and culture to Protestantism. The American Indians were bothered by this and decided to take action. Some tribes set fire to colonial communities () others wanted to revolt (). “The first of the important Indian uprisings occurred in Virginia in 1622, when some 347 whites were killed, including a number of missionaries who had just recently come to Jamestown” (). This ultimately sparked other tribes of the area to do the same and in 1634, the start of the Pequot War. The Pequot War was a conflict between the Pequot people against the English colonists and their Native allies over land in Connecticut. The English colonists of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were expanding into more territory. The Pequot people have lived on that land for several hundred years. The English colonists played a strategic move by aligning themselves with the Pequot’s enemies the Mohegan’s. In the end, the Pequot people were outnumbered and lost the land, many people