Indian Relations b/w French, British and Spanish Colonies

Question

Analyze the cultural, religious and economic responses of TWO of the following groups to the Indians of North America before 1750.

British / French / Spanish

Introduction and Thesis

Closely followed by Columbus’ “discovery” of the New World in 1492 were the establishments of European colonies with the French primarily in the north and down the Mississippi, and with the British along the east coast. As a result, the Native Americans’ lives changed drastically.

Before 1750, in terms of economically, French responded mutually in terms of economy, culturally befriended them and in terms of religion, responded benignly by encouraging Catholicism through missionaries; the British by contrast, economically oppressed the Native Americans, responded ungratefully and harshly in terms of culture, and responded without zeal or much motivation in terms of religion. The Spanish on the other hand, responded harshly in terms of economy, peacefully in terms of cultural responses, and oppressed the Native Americans in terms of religion.

Body Paragraph 1– French responded with no oppression, culturally befriended them by and responded peacefully with regards to religion.

- Economy: Responded with no oppression and with mutually beneficial ideas

o French were engaged in the beaver-trading business

§ Recruited Native Americans for trade

· Traded them with goods Native Americans valued including knives, beads, and soon guns.

· Indirectly boosted Native Americans’ economy

§ Did not establish numerous settlements along wilderness

· Partly because the French were few in number

- Cultural: Befriended the Indians and developed peaceful, mutually benefiting relations

o Samuel Champlain and the Quebec colony engaged in a friendly relationship with native Huron Native Americans

§ Aided them in fighting against their foes, the federated Iroquois.

§ Though the French were under threat from the Iroquois tribes

- Religious: Responded through embracing means by peacefully attempting to convert

o Jesuits worked zealously to “save” Native Americans for Christ

§ Despite some who suffered at torturous hands of some Native Americans

Body Paragraph 2 – British and their economic, cultural and religious responses towards Native Americans

- Economy:

o Colonies moved westwards in search of more land, cutting trees down and clearing land for grazing animals

o When met with Native Americans, ignited into Anglo-Indian Wars

§ Land-hungry colonists raided Indians for benefit of own economy

§ Virginia Company ordered “perpetual war”

§ Southern colonies constantly engaging Indians on frontier.

o An unfair fur trade established

§ Native Americans faced unfair prices offered by British traders.

o Quakers attempted to ease economic relations

§ Bought land from Indians and treated them fairly

§ HV the arrival of Scots-Irish and other non-Quakers

- Cultural:

o Native Americans were in the way of the Southern colonies’ push westwards

§ Carolinas teamed up and raided Native American villages sold many to slavery.

§ Most tribes destroyed by 1720.

§ Pequot War between the Carolinas and the Native American

o Puritans regarded Native Americans with contempt

§ Lived in the “wilderness”, the Devil’s Lair.

o Received cultural accommodation from Squanto and the Wampanoag

§ However soon settlers arrived and pushed inland, braking into Pequot War

o Shaky “peace” soon destroyed

§ Marriage between Pocahontas and John Rolfe, but diseases and land-hungry colonists soon started Second Anglo-Powhatan War

- Religious:

o Never amounted to energy of Catholic Spanish or French.

§ Established “praying towns” but attendance was voluntary. \

· Puritans considered Indians wild.

o Colonies were founded based on religious reasons or economic reasons

§ Puritans established praying towns but viewed Indians w/ contempt

Body Paragraph 3 – the Spanish and their economic, cultural and religious responses towards the Native Americans

- Economy – responded harshly through robbing the Native Americans of their resources

o Spanish settlements in Northern America were primarily established for gold and silver

§ Forced slavery on Indians to work on gold and silver mines.

§ Hernando Cortez, upon conquering the Aztecs, besieged their capital city and “stole” their gold and other precious resources.

- Cultural – responded peacefully, at least did not devastate Native American culture

o Most of Spanish conquistadors were male 20s

§ Intermarriage between Spanish and Native Americans was very common.

o Formed a new ethnicity which established a cultural peace between Spanish and Natives

§ New ethnicity = mestizos

- Religious – responded harshly.

o Encomienda

§ The alias that allowed the government to “give” Indians to certain colonists in return for the colonists’ attempt to Christianize them

· AR forced slavery

o Destruction of religion in Aztec Empire

§ Destroyed the temples of Tenochtitlan for Christian cathedrals.

Conclusion

- British were generally not benign as they attempted to satisfy their colonial needs economically and culturally, while religiously they was not much zeal and therefore a lack of response.

- The French generally responded passively and openly as they in turn helped the Native Americans economically, culturally, and encouraged lightly in terms of religion.

- The Spanish sent mixed responses towards the Natives as they responded harshly through economy and religion, yet benignly through culture.