The World Turned Upside Down Essay, Research Paper
When the Europeans established colonies in the New World, they sought
to convert the Indians way of civilization. Their obsession was to
spread Christianity and their culture throughout all of the colonies
including the Indian villages. Some Indian people accepted these
traditions because they felt as if they had no where else to turn. When
the settlers invaded the new land they brought with them many diseases
which wiped out many Indian villages and tribes. The Indians also had a
hard time excepting the invasions on new territories, which led to many
wars. This resulted in a large decrease of the Indian population, so
some Indians turned to Cristianity and other European traditions. On
the otherhand, many Indians insisted that European beliefs should exist
only amongst themselves. They had no business trying to introduce a new
religion when the Indian’s traditions have been practiced for years.
The Indians during this time were forced to accept the Europeans
establishing new territories, even if they did not belong to them. As
the Indian populations continued to decrease, some Indians intermarried
with the Europeans and even the Africans to try and boost the population
once again. This of course produced mixed children who were confused
and could not decide which culture they would accept. This mix of
people changed the ways of living for the Native Americans as well as
the Europeans throughout early America.
It is obvious to me that land was the largest reason for war among the
Indians and the Europeans. It was simple: the Indians did not want to
give up their land that they had claimed for so many years to a bunch of
irrogant settlers who take what ever they want. The English felt that
God had granted them the land and the Indians should be removed.
However, the Native Americans also wanted something from the new
colonists, trade. The American Indians were great hunters who collected
many furs that were valuable trade products. After time some Indian
tribes grew in debt with the settlers and the only way they could pay
their debts is by giving them land. That is where the Europeans and the
Indian’s attitudes differ over land. The Indians were willing to
sometimes negotiate about certain territories, where most of the
Europeans were going to take the land whether the Indians were going to
cooperate or not. Battles often broke out when larger Indian tribes
felt they could fight for their land. Sometimes they were able to
defeat the English in battles, but most of the time they were out
numbered. During this time the English were very greety. The King was
giving away land that did not even belong to him, and did not care that
he was dimininshing the population of the American Indians in the
process.
Native American speeches, letters, and opinions have given historians a
very good understanding of what life was like when the colonists were
establishing new land. Many of the Indian’s letters were agreements to
land parcels (deeds) in exchange for goods. This supports the ideas I
stated earlier about the importance of trade with the Europeans.
In different Indian communities trade became a necessity and actually
destablized their ability to fend for themselves. The Indians turned to
the English for guns and ammunition to kill their deer and buffalo.
Some also turned to alcohol, hoping that it would erase some of their
problems. The leaders of certain tribes would place blame on the white
people for making them unstable. Through speeches, letters, and opinions
historians are able to unravel the truth and determine what, when, and
why the colonists did what they did to the American Indians. For United
States history in general, these sources of information show us the
importance of the land. To establish a successful colony, one must have
water, and descent soil for farming. This is everything the English
wanted and what chased the Indians off the land. The colonists were the
founders of industry and government. Written documents show how the
colonists began mining, farming, and factories. They were also the first
to set up an elected legislative body, a system similar to the one we
still use today.
Documents that were written by the Europeans about Native Americans
would explain why the English did what they did. They probably wouldn’t
make themselves out to be as aggressive as the Indians might suggest.
They would support themselves as independent settlers making their life
the only way they knew how. I’m sure some documents would state that
the Indians were at fault for their own deaths. Speeches by the Indians
would also probably exaggerated how evil the white men really were, and
that they had no rights to any of the land they landed on. Limitations
on the Indian treaties would explain that the Indians had no other
alternative but to give their land to the white man in exchange for
goods. Lastly records containing oral traditions of the Native
Americans would imply that they were taken away and replaced with the
beliefs of the Englishmen.
The Native American Indians and the English settlers faced many
hardships throughout this period of history. The Indians were faced
with invasions of their land and the settlers were faced with saluatary
neglect. These historical events that took place hundreds of years ago
formed the United States today. These events can also make one
appreciate living in this country in 1999.