The Relationship Between English Colonists and Native Americans.
Please answer two of the following questions in organized, formal, analytical essays, of at least 800 words each, that you submit together as one file. I do not want you to simply list out page after page of facts and quotes. If you do that, you will not earn a high score, because you will have written a report. You need to think about these questions, draw on what we have covered, and provide convincing answers, backed up with evidence and specific examples, and cited.
This exam is about showing that you can think about some of the big ideas of the course so far, and deliver original thoughts. You have a while to write these, so I expect them to be well-written. Grammar and mechanics will be part of your grade.
As far as sources go, while I obviously cannot prevent you from googling your way into oblivion, keep in mind that the examples and specifics you provide have to be found in some combination of the textbook, lectures, and primary source documents we have covered. If you’re writing about things that you just found somewhere, that is not going to work. These are not research papers, so please, do not use outside sources. And I do not even want to be typing this, but these essays will go through Turnltln, so do not bother trying to copy.
These are due Tuesday, November 3, at 3:20 PM, on Canvas. The lateness policy applies here, just as it does for your papers.
1. The English colonists’ relationships with Native Americans differed across regions and changed over time. While none of these relations could ever have been accurately characterized as “good,” they were worse in some places than others, and deteriorated more quickly in some than others. Where do we see examples of these situations over the period we have studied, and how do we explain it all?
2. Thinking about the fact that Gabriel planned to lead liberated slaves under the banner “Death or Liberty,” what can we infer about how at least some enslaved people saw themselves and their situations in 1800, and what they understood about the United States and its history?
3. What do land rioters and the Regulator movement tell us about land, class and power in colonial America?
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Discuss: The Relationship Between English Colonists and Native Americans.
The first English settlers arrived in New England in 1600. About 60000 Native Americans settled in Plymouth, Connecticut, new haven Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay, and New Hampshire which would later become New England colonies (National Geographic Society). They shared culture, traded, and shared land that would later be called America. But their relationship was marred with conflicts. The native Americans established territories to become under threat by the arrival of colonists. But still, the colonist managed to build frontier settlements with the help of the Native Americans. The colonist's focus was to develop trade relationships and new infrastructure in America. While for Native Americans it was about creating new alliances. After some time, the colonists became financially independent, attributed to the booming local business they had established alongside the natives.
The local economy provided a common ground for trading between the colonists and the natives. The native provided food, education, hides, and skins while the colonist supplied beads and coin s(wampum) in exchange for their goods. Native Americans and colonists also enjoyed a religious relationship. The bible was translated into the language of the native people of Algonquin to strengthen the spiritual relationship between natives and colonists. However, the religious factor started to divide the relationship after they developed a divided view on spiritual matters. It later led to complaints from natives about colonists occupying their lands. For instance, one-man Roger Williams became rebellious against the religious power, which led them to move out and form the settlement of Rhode Island. He held a contrary view that colonists had no right to freely occupy land without purchasing it from the native Americas. The religious factor and land rights led to the crumbling of the relationship between the two. There was an issue of diseases, which was believed to have been brought about by colonist ships. Natives suffered from diseases such as smallpox and cholera. They believed that colonists brought the diseases. A narrative soon spread across the colonies that the attack of Native Americans by diseases was a symbol of God supporting colonist’s right to occupy the land. The disease plague narrative was used to convert some natives to Christianity making them support the land ownership rights of the colonists (Tang 598-614).
The First Indian war/ King Philip’s War
In the 17th century, the relationship between the natives and colonists worsened. This resulted in a bloody war commonly referred to as the First Indian War. For instance, three members of the native Wampanoag people were executed by the colonist government in 1675. They retaliated by declaring war on the colonist government that lasted for about one year and four months. The opposition native Americans were bloodily destroyed by the colonialist militia and their allies, forcing a treaty to be signed to end the war in mid-1678. This war is considered one of the deadliest wars in American history (Leach 194). The opposing troops also succumbed to diseases, famine, and slavery forcing them to flee to other parts of America.
The aftermath of the war
The consequences of the war had a great impact on both sides of the conflict. The casualties from both sides were very high. The war had a huge economic impact on the earlier established trade relationships. The settlements were destroyed and abandoned. The war destroyed the relationship between the colonists and the natives. The opposing natives were considered as tools of Satan used by God to punish his children (Leach 194).
Due to post-war threats, the Christian Indians who served in the English troops were no longer trusted and their counterpart that was staying in Massachusetts praying town were humiliated and beaten. As the hatred between the native Americans continued to grow, the number of praying towns among them was reduced to only five in August 1675. An order was given by the general court ordering praying Indians to move to deer island, a barren and cold island in Boston Harbor. The island lacked proper shelter and food, and women and children were exposed to cold weather and hunger to continue suffering (Vaughan 318).
The English colonists also sold out Native Americans as slaves during and after the war. Some natives were put under forced labor to work for colonists in the remaining five parting towns under very strict supervision by the masters (Jennings 325). Even though some of them wanted to cooperate with the colonialists and have freedom, they were forced to follow the English colonialist's law and orders. The natives also gave their remaining lands to the English farmers and were ruled over in their land (Nash 120). The war suppressed the native Americans, and the only way they could survive was to submit to the rule of the English colonists and embrace their power and culture (Vaughan 325). However, the alternative life and rules of English colonialism did not offer any better life to the native Americans who submitted to their rule. Instead, i...