How the early colonists were primarily responsible for wiping out Native American tribes such as the Iroquois, Huron( any tribe in that time period) with the use of trade, disease, religion and war
Introduction:
The United States is a country which thrives on the diversity of its cultures and has always looks ahead to the future in its general outlook. Ever since the first settlers arrived in the country there was a move to eliminate the Indian tribes which populated it and the grabbing of territory was something which was taken for granted. Factors which also brought about a substantial decline in the Indian population were the bringing of diseases which came with the English, similarly to the diseases brought about by the Spanish when they forcibly colonized South America and imposition of religion which was anathema to the Indians. The result was that most of the major Indian tribes were completely wiped out by the end of the 18th century after more than a century of forced colonisation.
Contact with European peoples with trade as the major scope had been going on for a long time and began in the 15th century. In fact by 1600, a considerable number of Europeans traded directly with the Indians off the American coast where goods such as metal, glass and animal skins were traded. This characterised a period of harmony between both peoples with the Indians steadily gaining in wealth and influence. However as time went by, the changing economic conditions and the contact with the Europeans brought about a considerable influx of disease and social problems which slowly began to cause problems for the Indians. This meant that the Indians began to change their hunting patterns to provide goods for trade instead of relying on the usual subsistence hunting which was normally their way of life.
Another issue which increased the death rate of Indians was the spread of disease which was brought about by the new trader’s goods penetrating deep into the heartland. Due to their relative isolation, Indian tribes were not exposed to the variety of Old World diseases such as measles and smallpox amongst others so they had no immune system to speak of. This changed drastically when contact with European settlers increased and huge epidemics became the order of the day with thousands of Indians killed in almost apocalyptic proportions. Some statistics actually reveal that the native population in some areas declined by no less than 90 per cent (Salisbury 23, 25).
The situation worsened when English settlers decided to begin colonizing the North American lands in the early 1600’s. Although the Native American populations had begun declining through contact with European traders, the settlers brought about a catastrophic effect on the Indian way of life. The forced assimilation of English settlers into areas which had been the Indian’s for centuries brought about a change in relations since the English sought to establish communities and settle on a personal basis. This obviously brought about a change in attitude between the Indians and the English where clashes over culture and land became paramount. As the English towns began to grow, the situation and relations worsened since these demanded more land to serve their expansion thus continuing a decline in relations and in Indian population levels through the spread of various diseases.
A typical example would be the English settlement of Springfield, Massachussetts which was colonized by the English and settled in 1636. A high amount of trade ensued between the English and the Indians with the latter hunting for furs which were eventually exhausted by the 1650’s. The English demanded more of the product since this was very lucrative and it brought them substantial profit. This caused substantial conflict between tribes such as the Mohawks and the Pocumtucks where a full scale war erupted in 1664 resulting in substantial loss of life and hunting territory for the latter. Thus the English colonization brought about rivalry between Indian tribes and was a form of extinction in itself. The loss of the beaver furs which provided the Indians with substantial bargaining power when dealing with the European settlers created a situation wherein the Indians had to start selling land to the English who in their turn wanted to settle off their debts. Thus a substantial portion of Native American land was sold off to the Indians in the areas of present day Massachusetts and Connecticut between 1636 and 1685 putting further pressure on the Indian population who continued to be decimated by war and disease as well as further loss of hunting territory which was crucial to their subsistence.
There was also a cultural difference between the Indians and the English settlers in their particular views on land. Whilst the Indians lived as nomads and did not hold specific title over their land, the English saw legal ownership of land as an important part of their expansion and staking of a claim. They believed that it was the will of God that this land was to be appropriately colonized and developed. This created a situation where vast tracts of land which were sacred to the Indians and which provided them with important hunting grounds vanished to development and settlement thus increasing their bad situation regarding living and territory. The English attitude to this was ambivalent as quoted by the first governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop who stated: "that which is common to all is proper to none. This savage people ruleth over many lands without title or property; for they enclose no ground, neither have they cattle to maintain it, but remove their dwellings as they have occasion, or as they can prevail against their neighbours" (quoted in Melvoin 54).
This attitude obviously created consternation amongst Indians since they were made to feel strangers in their own homeland up to a point. Matters came to a head in 1671 when the land broker and trader from Springfield John Pynchon began buying up lands and surveying a new town just outside what is now Boston. The agreement made between the English and Pocumtuck chieftains whose land this was gave the latter loose rights to hunt upon this land to protect their livelihood but this obviously was not possible and the end result was a full scale war which resulted in the eventual slaughter of the Pocumtucks and the few remaining Indians had to adapt as much as possible to the way of life of the English settlers. This resulted in a continued eradication of customs and livelihoods which was tantamount to genocide.
The continued imposition of the English way of life on the Indians continued to create an overwhelming situation for the latter that ended up as prisoners in their own homeland. Discrimination became the order of the day with Indians even being fined if they travelled on the Christian Sabbath or if they broke other religious laws. Relations continued to be strained when Indians were even sold into slavery and their children were forced to work on the English land. This created a simmering situation of conflict which resulted in conflict between various Indian tribes and the English settlers in 1675 where vast scale conflicts ended up in more annihilation of Indians. A massive uprising which was known as King Philip’s War ended up with over 11,000 Indians fighting a war with the English settlers over land grabbing and consistent social and physical abuse. The result was a terrible bloodbath with both sides perpetrating horrible atrocities but in the long run it was the Indians who suffered more since they continued losing their lands and the settlers could always replace the persons killed with other who were coming in steady stream from England.
The English settlers exacted terrible retribution on the Indians with the massacre at Turner’s Falls perhaps the most notorious. Here over 240 unarmed Indians were massacred thus putting paid to the quiet lives of these native peoples in the Southern Massachusetts area. This strategic retribution was no less than exacted and practised genocide which gave the English an excuse to get rid of all opposition which lay in their way. Another methof of eradication was the forced selling into slavery of those Indians who remained unrepentant; most of these were sold to other English colonies such as the West Indies. Thus by the end of 1876, effective resistance to Indian rule in the New England area was ended and the Indians had almost vanished off the face of the earth. Some English governors with a more benign attitude to humanity provided sanctuary for the fleeing Indians who established small communities outside Albany in New York but the truth was that the Indians were no longer free to roam their own homeland.
In fact the decisive defeat for the Indians was the end for the New England tribes. Now the English would not even pay for the takeover of the land and this was taken by force and without compensation. The Indians ended up confined to reservations with those who complied ending up as tenant farmers on land which they had previously called their own. The decimation of the Indians continued through further disease and decay. In fact the number of Indians who resided in the New England area in the 1680’s numbered to just over 20,000 when they had counted over 75,000 people in the 1620’s, a reduction of almost 75 per cent and an actual genocide. Further sporadic conflicts continued and although the Indians occasionally scored successes, their decline was inevitable. Today the only surviving part of the Indians’ culture in New England is the naming of certain streets after tribes which proliferate in upstate New York and other towns in the area.
Works Cited:
Bernstein, Rebecca S. & Jodi Evert, Felicity's Craft Book, Pleasant Co., WI, 1994.
Bonvillain, Nancy, The Mohawk, Chelsea House, NY, 1991.
Calloway, Colin, The Abenaki, Chelsea House, NY, 1991.
Cobblestone Magazine, Deerfield; A Colonial Perspective, Sept. 1985.
Cobblestone Magazine, Indians of the Northeast Coast, Nov. 1994.
