History of European Colonization of America Essay Example

Before major contact from the Age of Exploration, the Native American population was flourishing at 90 million throughout North and Central America. As civilizations began to settle from European countries, Amerindian lifestyles were drastically changed by these intruders. People from Spain, England, France, and the Netherlands allied or interacted with Indians every day for economic, political, and cultural reasons. English settlers focused on expansions into Native territories while the French concentrated on converting Natives to Catholicism, but both groups relied on economic trade relations with Native Americans to survive. 

As the French and English arrived in the New World, they both had a primary goal of establishing permanent settlements. Early English colonized Virginia in 1607 and Massachusetts in 1620, gradually expanding north, south, and west over the years. Virginia attracted settlers thanks to a marvelous cash crop, tobacco. After roughly 23 years in the New World, over one million pounds of tobacco were being exported to England (ushistory.org). Labor-intensive tobacco required grand plots of land to grow and sustain it. As a result, the English turned to enslaving Native Americans and taking their territories for plantations in order to produce tobacco.  Disputes over food and resources as well as land expansion occurred and sparked conflicts like the Anglo-Powhatan Wars. However, these wars were unsuccessful for the Natives. The Powhatan signed a Treaty in 1646 confining themselves to areas north of English plantations and restricting them from trespassing on the now English territory. (Estes). Many attempts to be civil with Natives had failed, despite using peace treaties. Another example of conflict as a result of English colonization was Bacon’s Rebellion. Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 was a dispute between English settlers on the western frontier and Indians. It was clear these two civilizations could not live in harmony. On the contrary, French colonizers set up minor settlements in the Great Lakes region  and Canada around common fur trading spots. The goal of the French was to monopolize their economy, similar to the English. However, the French were willing to become close allies with Native Americans to achieve their goal unlike the English, which had advantages for both groups of people. One instance was the French signing the “Great Peace of Montreal” in 1706, alliancing with numerous indigenous tribes after the Beaver Wars. The competitive resources and locations in fur trade caused hostility between tribes, and an alliance with the Indians protected the French’s land and property. The Hurons and Algonquians gained bodies from the alliance, making them more powerful and successful following the war. Overall, the French generally respected the boundaries between their and the natives territories. Expansions into Amerindian territories cause negative relations between the English and Native Americans. 

French missionaries concentrated on conversions of Native Americans in order to maintain close ties and become one society. When Jesuits, members of the society of Jesus, arrived in New France around 1630, they were “obsessed with medieval Christian concepts of social order and holy harmony[.] Jesuits hoped to create Indian converts who were both Christian in belief and European in social patterns'' (Ronda). The Jesuits and other early French missionaries began converting Native Americans to Catholicism in order to unite the two groups under French religious belief. Nevertheless, their attempts were unsuccessful, as many Indians refused to convert and practice Catholicism. English settlers in the New World were either separatists or believers of the Church of England. Although it was not a main priority of major settlements in America, Puritans and Pilgrims converted Native Americans to Christianity as well. Although they were separated from the Church of England, “The English strongly believed it was their duty to spread the gospel and convert the indigenous people they encountered to the Protestant Christianity”  (“Religion at Jamestown”). They set up praying towns in New England colonies for converted Native American Christians to practice and provided more rights and respect to those natives that did convert. The French converted Native Americans to Catholicism while the English converted them to Protestantism. 

Trade between the English or French and Native Americans provided a beneficial relationship for all members. French settlers and other colonial powers relied on Native Americans to expand their fur trades. Amerindians wanted new European technology like guns, horses, and steel to improve their societies in return for their luxury fur goods. The introduction of weapons in trade provided Indian Tribes like the Hurons, a major advantage from artillery in wars. Guns were never before seen by natives, and they were surprised when one shot could cause more damage then dozens of bows and arrows could. Additionally, “Native Americans provided skins, hides, food, knowledge, and other crucial materials and supplies, while the settlers traded beads and other types of currency (also known as “wampum”) in exchange for these goods” (National Geographic Society). The Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts experienced assistance from Indian tribes when they were suffering to survive. The Wamponoag and Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to farm, provided tips, and traded food and goods as the Pilgrims were settling in. Another item frequently traded between English/ French and Native Americans was disease. Relations with Indians increased the amount of illness spread to others. Diseases such as smallpox, dysentery, yellow fever, and malaria greatly impacted populations of Indigenous People. 90% of natives died from disease. Especially in early settlements, trade with Native Americans was important. The physical benefits of trade was the variety of goods being exchanged among cultures and societies.  However, trade also allowed bonds between Europeans and Natives to be formed. These relationships would rely on each other for specific goods and necessities essential to survival and growth of civilizations

The French practiced religious conversion on Native Ameicans while the English violently expanded into native territory; both the English and French relied on powerful trade relations with Native Americans. English expansion continued to push natives west, limiting the amount of land they could take up. French conversions deteriorated Native American culture, traditions and beliefs by wanting to be whole as a society. However, favored French alliances were beneficial for Native Americans, displayed when Natives chose French alliance over the English for the French and Indian War. Overall, it is clear that European settlement changed Native American lives permanently.