During the numerous years of colonization, the relationship between the English settlers and the Native Americans of the area was usually the same. Native Americans would initially consider the settlers to be allies, then as time passed, they would be engaged in wars with them in a struggle for control of the land. This process of friendship to enemies seemed to be the basic pattern in the majority of the colonies.
When the English landed in Jamestown in 1607, the dominant tribe of the area was the Powhatan (which the English settlers named after the leader of the tribe, Powhatan). At first meeting, the Powhatan considered the settlers as allies, who may be able to aid them in their struggle for land and power over the other tribes in the area. These relations strained when starving settlers started to take food from the Native Americans. In 1610, any notion of alliance between the Powhatan and the Virginia settlers was immediately crushed when Lord De La Warr arrived with a declaration of war against all Indians in the Jamestown area. De La Warr used his "Irish Tactics" of burning houses and crops and taking prisoners to destroy the Native Americans in what was known as the First Anglo-Powhatan war. A peace treaty was signed, but lasted only eight years. The Powhatan killed 347 settlers, which lead to the Virginia Company to give orders for "a perpetual war without peace or truce." Although the Powhatan made one more attempt at destroying the Virginians, they were defeated again in the Second Anglo-Powhatan war. The peace treaty of 1646 eliminated all chance of the Powhatan coexisting with the Virginia settlers. The treaty also banished the Indians from their native lands, which lay the president for what was later known as a reservation. After this the number of Native Americans in Virginia dwindled to a low 10% of the population.
In Carolina, the relationship between the settlers and the Native Americans started strongly as the Savannah Indians aided the settlers in their search of slaves for their plantations. They used the Manacled Indians as a major slave export, although it was greatly opposed by The Lords Proprietors in London. But in 1707 the Savannah Indians ended the alliance. They planed migrated to Maryland and Pennsylvania, which had better relationships between the Native Americans, but the Carolinas didn't like this idea so they attacked the Savannah Indians in a series of bloody raids and left the Native Americans practically completely come.
These early relationships were a premonition to the overall Indian-white conflicts. Throughout the colonization period the Native Americans were treated as obstacles in the path of European progression. The Europeans would push them aside and move forward as if the land was destined to be theirs. Native Americans waged wars but were never completely successful and eventually their population drooped to nearly non-existent.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In 1607 King James of England issued a royal charter to colonize America. They built a fort around the Chesapeake Bay and named it Jamestown in honor of their king. The region of the Chesapeake they were settling on was already home to over 20,000 Algonquian Indians. Their leader, Powhatan, immediately confronted the new English settlers asking them to establish an alliance. Powhatan believed that he could stat a valuable trade with the English and also help support them as they begin to settle. The Jamestown colony began to go down hill, they started to rely so much on the Algonquians for supply’s that they became unable to support themselves. Jamestown became so dependent on the Algonquian stores that John Smith and his men went out and attacked and raided other surrounding Indian villages for food and other supply’s. Powhatan realized that al the English came for was to invade and take their land, not to trade with them. So Powhatan decided to starve the colonists. During the winter 1609-1610 large amounts of colonists in the Jamestown settlement starved and a number of them resorted to cannibalism. Out of the 900 colonists that had been sent to Virginia to settle it, only 60 remained. The English however were determined to keep the colony going. The Virginia company sent more men, women, children, and livestock to the Jamestown colony. This time they were prepared to fight Powhatan and his tribe. Because the new colonists were prepared to fight and to help themselves with farming and trading they turned the colony’s failure to success. In 1613 the colonists had firm control over the areas between the James and York rivers. The Algonquin Indians were so rundown from all the warfare and disease, they became forced to sign a peace treaty with the English. The English now started to grow bigger and bigger. They introduced tobacco production. This became a very merchantable commodity. The English started out relying on the Indians to do everything for them, and they…
- 397 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In 1610, the growing tension culminated with the outbreak of the First Anglo- Powhatan war. The new governor of the colony, De La Warr had pulled the trigger of the war on Indians. They raided Indian villages, burned houses, looted foods, and destroyed their habitats. In 1614 the war was peacefully ended with the marriage of Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, to the Englishman, John Rolfe. Pocahontas worked as the translator to compensate the situation. The peace perpetuated until 1622. However, with the demise of Powhatan in 1622, the new leader…
- 541 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Many Native Americans lived and worked closely to their new European neighbors, but others soon rebelled against them. Spain would try to strip Pueblo Indians of their religious practices and beliefs. They would outlaw their indigenous dances and other rituals of the Pueblo religious culture. In the year 1690, under the leadership of Popé, the Pueblo Indians attacked a Spanish missionary killing as many as 400 Spanish settlers and driving them from their lands. Another instance of natives attacking the new European settlers was the Powhatan Uprising of 1622. The Powhatans attacked and raided settlements and plantations along the James River. This uprising claimed the lives of approximately 347 colonists and came perilously close to extinguishing England's most promising outpost in North…
- 717 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
While motivations were a major factor to the creation and the distinction between these two societies, relations with the natives were a key point in deciding if and how each society survived. Throughout the colonies, natives and Englishman were always in interaction depending on the fighting over land or the need for help to survive. The Chesapeake colony created instant enemies with natives. Doc. G shows the Americans took the natives land that was not…
- 692 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
War between the Indians and the Colonists was unavoidable from the very moment the Pilgrims first set foot on what was to eventually become Massachusetts in 1620. As more and more settlers began arriving over the years, tension between the two began to steadily rise. The settler 's insatiable hunger for land and their increasing mistreatment of the Indians began to break down an already somewhat fragile alliance between the two. The Indians were quickly losing land and their way of life as well to these new settlers and some of them believed the only way to stop this was to go on the offensive and push back them back. The result of this was a short fought war known as King Philip 's War. Though it only lasted a little over a year, it was an exceptionally brutal war that took a huge toll life wise and had a lasting impact on both the English and the Indians for many years to come.…
- 2168 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Native American relations. Early colonial-Indian relations were an uneasy mix of cooperation and conflict. On the other were a long series of difficult, skirmishes and wars, which almost invariably resulted in an Indian defeat and further loss of land. Although Native Americans benefitted from access to new technology and trade, the disease and thirst for land which the early settlers also brought posed a serious challenge to the Indian's long-established way of life. Those Indians who traded initially had significant advantage over rivals who did not. Some friendly natives were no longer…
- 93 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Its first settlement at Jamestown, Virginia was established a year before France's arrival. The early colonists first named the Native Americans incorrectly as the "Powhatans" under the name of their powerful leader. Soon, the Old and New World began to mix. The settlers brought new plants and animals with them such as grass, dandelions, pigs and horses that the Indians later used. They also adopted Indian crops such as corn, beans, and potatoes which later revolutionized the whole world. Relations stayed peaceful if not stable. But soon settlers who were too busy searching for gold and forgot to plant food began to starve. They took to raiding Indian villages for supplies which angered the Natives and shattered the relationship between the two. With the arrival of Lord de la Warr, the colonists began to take military action against the Indians, leading to a war against the Indians. Englishmen raided villages, burned houses, and plundered. Although a peace settlement concluded this First Anglo-Powhatan War and an interracial union was created when John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married, the fragile respite that followed was broken when the Indians struck back in 1622. They had been hard pressed for land and ravaged by English disease to which they had no defense to and couldn't take it anymore. After failing to uproot the English, the Indians fell into a sullen trade relationship with the Englishmen. Firearms and…
- 973 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The Spanish often mistreated the Native Americans. Not only did the Spanish not treat the native people in a friendly manner, but the Spanish enslaved the natives, battled and killed the natives, destroyed the local buildings, and attempted to make the local culture more akin to the Spanish culture. The French were the opposite of the Spanish. Although, the French became enemies with the Iroquois tribe due to the French alliance with the Huron and Algonquin tribes, a number of the French settlers lived as the Native Americans did, treated the native populations with fairness and kindness, and earned the natives’ trust. The English treatment and relations with the native people varied. Relations often started as good, but then deteriorated when the settlers encountered hardships and demanded labor, food, and supplies from the…
- 456 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The presence of a frontier changed western civilization for centuries after Columbus’ landing in the New World. One key aspect of the frontier was the American Indians, and their relationship with the English Colonists. Although the relationship was peaceful at first, it ultimately became a violent one with constant wars and disagreements. This is mainly caused by European expansion and ignorance towards Native customs. In the early 17th century, when English colonists came to the New World in search for a better life, they made peaceful relations with American Indians. Not long after the Colonists and Natives realized their intolerance of each other and the two groups soon became enemies.…
- 1176 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The presence of the Europeans spawned conflicts between Native American tribes. They hunted in their territory, this can have a impact on their lives. When the Europeans came they brought along with them crops and new technology. They also brought a lot of diseases. This began to kill Native Americans releasing hatred and conflict.…
- 150 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Native American conflict caused the deaths of over a hundred Jamestown settlers over the course of three years. In the early months of the settlement roughly five settlers were killed. However, tensions grew as the settlement grew larger. 1608 brought relatively minimal conflict compared to the years to follow. In the year of 1609, two groups were stationed…
- 850 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The First English settlers to arrive and start to colonize northeast America, came into conflict with the native populations over territories and land. The English viewed the natives as a savage people that was…
- 635 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Native Americans were antagonistic to the colonists. “The Virginia Adventures” in document D says, “Though West was able to load his (small ship) with grain, the success involved some harsh and Crewell dealinge by cutting towe of the Salvages heads and other extremetyes.” Instead of the colonist finding and growing their own food they killed 2 Indians. This was probably one reason why the Indians would attack the colonists. On document E, “Chronology of English Mortality in Virginia, 1607-1610” there was a first ever Indian attack at Fort James and 2 people died. If the colonists and the Indians had a different start of relationship, there wouldn’t be that many people dead. The…
- 569 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The colonists and the Indians had a much improved relationships since their days in Jamestown because they have been living with the colonists for about 150 years. Colonists would eventually win the American Revolution and they would gain Independence from British. This was a start of a new nation that was destined for success and would become a nation of diversity because of their expansion with different…
- 966 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
At the start of the seventeenth century, Native Americans greeted European settlers with much excitement. They regarded settlers as strange, but were interested to learn about the new tools and weapons Europeans brought with them. The native people were more than accommodating to the settlers, but as time passed, Europeans took advantage of their generosity. “Once these newcomers disembarked and began to feel their way across the continent, they forever altered the course and pace of native development.” Native Americans and Europeans faced many conflicts due to their vast differences in language, religion and culture. European settlers’ inability to understand and respect Native Americans lead to many struggles that would eventually erupt into violent warfare.…
- 911 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays