When the Europeans arrived to the Americas, they impacted the Native Americans in many ways that they could have never imagined. Not only did Europeans physically alter their land, but they developed their own ways of living that were pernicious to the Indigenous people. Europeans introduced many diseases that were among the most devastating things to happen to the Native people. Not only did these colonists “silently” kill them, but they tried to force Christian religion upon them, invade their politics, monopolize their land and take everything away from them. Even though Native Americans sometimes fought back violently, they relied on the settlers for trading things like guns, wool clothing, metal goods, alcohol and more. Eventually, the Colonists pushed the Natives completely out of their land and out to the west. Although the Europeans claimed it to be an advance of civilization, the Indian community was exploited, forced, abused and mislead out of their homes and land. Native people’s lives revolved around seasonal patterns and harvest schedules; they only knew how to live off of the land that they were from. This essay will discuss the devastating impact that the Europeans had on the Native Americans.
The Native Americans suffered the European invasion in countless ways. One way being the merciless wars that they suffered. The Europeans arrived to the Americas with slaves of their own, few weapons, and some translators and guides. As they journeyed across the states, they became allies with many Native American tribes that helped them conquer. Some Native groups even turned against themselves. Deadly battles were fought as the Europeans advanced, and in the end became victorious. Not only were Indians conquered in war but they suffered many losses from diseases. One of the most deadly illnesses was smallpox. About 50-90% of populations perished and it became difficult for them to hunt, eat, and trade with the settlers. Commander of British Forces, Lord Jeffery Amherst, purposefully gave smallpox blankets to the chieftain of the Anishinabe tribe at the time to exterminate them.
Along with introducing such diseases, missionaries worked to impose their christian religion onto the Native people to convert them. Many passionately sought out to spread this religion and show those who have never heard of it. In the face of brutality, missionaries were often compassionate and kind towards the Native Americans. John Eliot of Massachusetts was the most famous missionary in the 1600s (Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down, 45). He devoted his time to converting the Indians and translated the bible so that they may understand, read and learn. Some Indians in fact did not turn away such concepts. They practiced the religion and even tried convincing their fellow neighbors to convert. In a conversation between an Indian Convert named Piumbukhou and his relatives, he tries to persuade them to begin Christian practice. He preaches the religion and explains to them the ways of god. He says “ [Your pleasures] provoke God to wrath, who hath created the prison of hell to torment you…” (Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down, 48). His relatives reply, and in his dialogue one can hear the skepticism that many Native Americans experienced towards christianity. They reply, “If these things be so, we had need to cease laughing, and fall to weeping…” (Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down 48). They criticise the teachings of hell and punishment, and become provoked when asked to change their ways of life. Although some may argue that missionaries were bringing peace and salvation to the “savages”, the Indians interpreted this as a way to rid of their own culture and religion. They did not easily accept these foreign concepts that in turn diminished their own beliefs.
Another way the Europeans devastated the Indian people was by trading and taking their land. Trade happened often nonconsensually or under the implicit threat of violence. During the fur trade indigenous people would make tools to trade with europeans using beaver furs as currency, and in return receiving european creations (clothes, pots etc). The Europeans were fond of beaver fur and found that they could purchase the pelts through the Indians. The fur was popular throughout the Americas and more significantly in the North due to the harsh weather. Both sides relied greatly on each other, but “whether they trapped beaver or not, Indians were becoming tied into global trade networks…” (Calloway, Our Hearts Fell to the Ground, 5). Native Americans were often tricked into these trade businesses that ended up in violence due to greed between tribes and Europeans. Alcohol was also among one of the trades that burdened the Indigenous people greatly. Europeans learned quickly that alcohol was a very cheap profitable trade, and often times it was used as a form of diplomacy in official dealings. The Indians drank plenty and realized that their society was destabilizing. Important governmental decisions were being made regarding land and trade, and while under the influence of alcohol, rational choices could not be made. The colonists seized opportunity and often forged signatures on documents that did further damage to the Natives. Native Americans formed bonds over traditional trading, but became very dependent on the Europeans. Trade became a major component in establishing “Political and military alliance” (Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down, 79). This gave the colonists more power to control their society and land to their advantage. Both the settlers and the Indians competed with trade, including everything from routes to sellers, which eventually led to more and more fighting. The Indians realized that they were being regulated by the Europeans. Skiagunsta, head warrior of the Lower Cherokees said “My people…cannot…live independent of the English” (Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down 79). As a result, Native Americans were also made to sign land deals that would eventually result in the loss of their property. The concept of selling land was very new to them, and they took it very seriously because not only were they living off of it, but much of the land was a burial site for their deceased loved ones. Europeans devised many ways to obtain the land, one being to persuade Indians to “run up large debts in trade” (Calloway, The World Turned Upside Down 78). This could then only be settled by the selling of their land. Such fraud by the colonists caused the Native Americans millions of acres of land. In 1790 the US congress passed the Indian Trade and Non-intercourse act stating that Indian land sales were void, unless there was an approval by congress. Though this treaty was put in place, it did not prevent the Native Americans from losing most of their land.
Among the Native community, hunger, land loss, debt, and death became more and more common. They saw their population decrease before their eyes. Many Native Americans believed their chances of survival would be best if they let themselves fall under the “protection” of colonial powers. The Act of Submission was one example of how Chief Sachem and the rest of the Nanhigansets submitted themselves under the protection of the colonial government. This only allowed the Colonists to gain even more power over the Indigenous people. They continued to force them to live in under their specific conditions. In reality, the Natives were not protected but rather manipulated.
The westward expansion was described as a form of civilizing and advancing the Native people. Although from their perspective, it meant the degradation of tribes, their homes and fertile land. Roads were built, and soon tribes had no more game to hunt Chief Washakie argued “This country was once covered with buffalo, elk, deer, and antelope, and we had plenty to eat,” (Calloway, Our Hearts Fell to the Ground, 8). Indigenous people were also only allowed to settle in designated areas of land, often too small and with too few resources to sustain the existing size of the tribe .They were surrounded by plants and land they were unfamiliar with and did not know how to cultivate the land. Farming was vital for food, and also for cultural vitality because plants are often central to traditions and customs of many tribes. This was especially the case in the early 1800’s when logging became the dominant industry in the United States. Certain cultural customs were blatantly disallowed from taking place, such as burning tobacco in the morning to give thanks. Their culture was continuously being stripped away from them even when they were away from the colonists. Before the settlers arrived, Native Americans had visions and dreams about people coming to their land. They were unsure whether they were gods or evil entities coming for them, but some Natives began moving West even before they were forced to. Although, many still resided in the north and other parts of the US and did not want to move away from their homes and land. Colonist including the US government wanted to steal the Natives’ land for the large logging industry that was growing. In 1838, Brigadier General Winfield Scott marched with an army into the Cherokee country of North Georgia. He issued a proclamation telling the Indians to move west. The settlers claimed that the Native Americans should move anyway because there were white colonist were already coming to invade them; white colonists that the settlers themselves could not “control”. The white settlers and Andrew Jackson promised free land to the communities, even though some of the land was already occupied, and other land was unusable due to environmental reasons. The Native Americans appealed this order to the judiciary of the US, but even though the Cherokees were allies with Jackson, he refused to aid them. Very few Cherokees actually attended the meeting in New Echota. Many were busy endorsing a petition to oppose the removal treaty. Although the Cherokees received help from people in government like Davy Crockett, Daniel Webster and others, the treaty was denounced, and the Cherokees were only allowed two years to move west and leave their homeland forever. When the Indigenous members stood their ground, then came the Cherokee removal. Even militia members stated that it was some of the most brutal things that they have ever experienced. Children and women were escorted first, and rather forcefully. 4,000 deaths were accounted for between just removal and travel to the west. The Native Americans were burdened with weather and baggage. They were not accustomed to the different climate and had to travel for an extensive time before they could reach Mississippi. When they arrived in January, too much ice kept them waiting on the East bank a month before they could continue their settlement. The Cherokees were not treated kindly by the existing Native Americans that resided there. There was much hostility regarding the land that was occupied.
The Indigenous people of the Americas faced many dramatic changes as a result of European settlers invading their land. They faced death, starvation, diseases, war, forced removal, and more. The Natives coped with these developments in their own way. Refusal to comply often resulted in death, threats, violence, fire, arrest, etc (for example, failure of indigenous parents to send their children to christian schools resulted in arrest or worse). Because of such threats, some groups typically obeyed the settlers. It was also indigenous people from which europeans (forcibly) learned how to properly raise crops and harvest food, hunt for animals, techniques and practices for surviving the harsh winters of certain parts of north america (how to build winter shelters, furs to wear and how to preserve food for the winter). Entire economies were created from indigenous art; This quickly turned into europeans profiting off of native culture by learning how to create and sell their art (bead making, shell carving, leather making). Indigenous people often sold their art in exchange for european products. Native americans in certain cases swindled into serving europeans by helping attack other tribes (due to either bribes, threats or promises of aid from europeans). The Native Americans were brutalized and mistreated by European settlers. They Built most of the economy and even aided the colonists in almost everything they did. From trade, to invasion, and farming, the Native Americans did a significant portion of the work. They were forced to acquiesce because they often had no choice. This invasion resulted in a complete take over of the US, leaving the Native americans homeless, weak, and even dead.