History of American Encounters to 1850

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Native Americans and Spanish Colonists
Native Americans and the English
Africans and English Colonists in America
Discussion
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The Discovery of America by Europeans set the stage for unprecedented demographic trends that characterize present-day America. The most aggressive of the European colonial forces were the English and the Spanish whose activities led to the creation of colonies that form the present United States. Relations between the colonizers and the indigenous peoples of the American continent are one of the most important aspects of the colonization of America. The defeat of the indigenous peoples by Europeans led to cultural integration and “bitter-sweet relations” between the two groups. Many scholars assert that the Native Americans were initially hospitable to the newcomers. However, the Europeans were less courteous in their approach to the Indians. The Europeans took the native’s land and enslaved many of them to work in the mines. According to Mario the English and the Spanish saw the natives as uncivilized savages who needed to be transformed into civilized people through conversion to Christianity (8). He further says that the English more than the Spanish were cruel to the indigenous people. The need for labor and the lack of tenacity among Indian workers led the Europeans to look for new sources of slaves in Africa. This marked the entry of Africans to America. It is important to note that Africans may have arrived in America before the Europeans either by the mistake or by intentional voyages across the sea. The relations between the Native Americans and the colonists especially the British and the Spanish can be summed up that were characterized by conflict. In some instances, however, the relationship was that of mutual benefit.

Native Americans and Spanish Colonists

The Spanish colonies in America were one of the territories forming the Spanish empire including areas such as Africa, Asia and Oceania. Columbus led their explorations and their forays led them to acquire and establish colonies in the land that makes the stretch between California and Florida in the present-day US. During the invasion, the Spanish used their superior weapons to conquer the native tribes that inhabited the areas. According to Sucheng and Spencer, the Spanish managed to infiltrate the native tribes and stoked rivalries that played to their advantage (46). According to Corrigan, the Spaniards treated the Indians with disrespect in different ways. The Spanish settlers seized native objects and gold.

The colonizing groups involving the French, British and the Spanish though holding a differing interest in the new land and for the main people, agreed on one thing, that of converting the natives to Christianity. The Spanish as a result tried to eliminate the native Indian practices and force on them Catholicism. The group that was mostly affected by the Spanish Christian forays was the Pueblos. The Christian conversion on the group only brought resentment from the natives who revolted against the Spanish. The Pueblo revolt of 1680 stamped out the Spanish establishment leading to the eventual elimination of the Spanish from New Mexico.

Native Americans and the English

The English exploration of the new land was rather late compared to other European powers of the time. The Spanish and the French had already arrived in America by the time the English settled. Like the other Europeans’s the English had the same attitude towards the locals as the French and Spanish. They all thought of the native Indians as uncivilized people whose culture mattered little. To the English, the land was the most important item as was power and religion to the Spanish. While the Spanish had run-ins with the Pueblos, the English had issues with the Narragansett tribes who at first welcomed them because they were impressed by the technology that the settlers brought with them. The English however overstayed their welcome when they engaged in acquiring land from the natives, which led to bad relations between the two groups (Mario 65).

Africans and English Colonists in America

Unlike other groups that went to North America on exploration and settlement, the majority of Africans went to the new land as slaves. According to Corrigan, the first African slaves to the new land landed in the English colonies that were situated to the East of the present-day US (90). The colony of Jamestown that was established as the first permanent English colony relied on tobacco for its survival. Labour as a result was needed to sustain the tobacco plantations. At first, the plantations used indentured servants but the system proved too expensive for the colony. The slavery system that was placed in America saw some slaves become free, while others did as slaves. The slaves like the Native Americans were not allowed to practice their cultural beliefs. The ban led the slaves to adopt of European culture of their masters. In later years when all the slave population was freed through the abolition of the trade, the black population grew to constitute the majority of the African American population of the present US. Some areas where the trade was dominant like New York, DC and the Carolinas still have large black populations, evidence of the trends that existed during the pre-colonial and colonial US (McNeese and Jensen 110).

Discussion

The arrival of the Spanish in the Americas in the fifteenth century marked the beginning of the decline of the native Indian populations that inhabited America. The present US areas of Carolina, Arkansas, and Mississippi were invaded by DeSoto and Coronado. The invasions elicited confrontations between the natives and the Europeans. The Europeans experienced frustration and violence whereas the local people did not fit into the expectations of the Europeans. The important outcome of the initial interactions between the Europeans and the locals was the introduction of illnesses by Europeans that would later wipe out large populations of the local people.

Declining populations of the natives gave an upper hand to the explorers especially in the East in areas that constitute present-day Virginia. After the initial exploration journeys by the Spanish, the colonial population had grown so much until there had to be forced removal of the Spanish population by the settlers. By the year 1800, the European and African population was the most dominant in America (Corrigan 48). In the United States today, Caucasians are the majority followed by people of Mexican origin and then people of African descent. The effects of the migrating population from Europe and Africa are quite evident in the demographic patterns of the US. Though there are still some native Indians in the country, their population is not at all correspondent to the numbers that existed at the time of invasion and settlement.

Another effect of the encounter of the Spanish, English, African and colonial population is the growth of Christianity. A good number of the early Europeans who came to America were missionaries, who professed both the catholic and protestant faiths. In New England for instance, the Reverend John Eliot was one of the active missionaries that worked hard to establish Christianity in the area. He translated the bible and printed thousands of copies that he distributed to the Indians for purposes of conversion. The conversion efforts by the colonists faced fierce resistance from Native Americans who already had established beliefs that defined their traditional religions. Though the natives resisted as evidenced by the Pueblo rebellion, Christian beliefs overwhelmed the local one’s tanks to the dwindling native numbers and rising population of the settlers. The effects are still evident in present-day Us as Christianity is still the major religion. There is little of the native Indian religious beliefs even among those that makeup part of the American population.

The arrival of the Europeans introduced education to the native Indian population. Europeans had already established civilization in their home countries and literacy was not a challenge. Immediately, they began to establish places of study where native converts will be taught European culture through reading and writing. Harvard for instance built a separate Indian college on its campus in the 17^th century while Dartmouth College in New Hampshire introduced Native American education. Corrigan says that it’s important to note however that education was a two-may thing during the time of invasion (95). The Indians as well offered informal education to the settlers teaching them matters of geography, climate, and the foods that were available in the new land. Corrigan further says that in the places that form present-day Louisiana, some settlers would send their sons to live with the native Indian tribes to understand their way of life and become future trade liaisons (100). The education that was introduced at the time played a big part in the diminishing of the native Indian culture while at the same time it promoted the advancement of European culture and civilization. The result is present-day America that has numerous schools and colleges that were set up during the colonial times and that helped in the cultural exchange between the natives and the settlers.

Conclusion

There still is a lot more information on the trends that characterize the encounters of Native Americans, Africans and European settlers. These groups established many varied relationships that changed with time. Different parts of the present continental United States experienced different relationships especially determined by the dominant Indian cultures of the place and the origin of the foreigners that first settled on it. According to McNeese and Jensen, the relationships that these different groups established were mutually beneficial with learning and trading taking place. However, greed, settler, and native interests clashed giving rise to warfare and conflict that destroyed the mutual coexistence that had been established (105). The result was forced labor, assimilation, and displacement that mostly affected the indigenous populations. The long periods that followed saw America go through lopsided and destructive processes whose trends led to the formation of the US. The patterns that were set in motion through the above relationships still characterize American culture and demographics today. it’s safe to conclude that the interaction and encounters of these groups led to a melting pot of cultures that formed the present-day American culture.

Works Cited

Sucheng, Chan and Spencer, Olin. Major problems in California history documents and essays. New York: Houghton Miffin, 1997. Print.

Corrigan, Jim. Europeans and Native Americans. Pennsylvania: Mason Crest, 2002. Print

Jensen, Richard and McNeese, Tim. Early National America 1790-1850. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. Print

Mario, Klarer. An introduction to literary studies. New York: Routledge, 1998. Print

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