Ben Franklin's Perception Towards Native Americans

738 Words3 Pages
This essay will be discussing the way I felt Native Americans were being portrayed in the works of Ben Franklin and John Smith. As well as if the authors were treating them in a favorable or negative light. During the times of early exploration Europeans known as white settlers came to the new world and met the Native Americans for the first time. At first, some of the settlers not knowing what kind of people they were took them as dumb and primitive and not looking favorably on them. When the Indians entered the white people’s towns, they found it to be disrespectful. In contrast when the white people entered the Natives’ villages, they were welcomed with open arms and hospitality. Fortunately the negative views towards the Indians were not…show more content…
They also did not know God the way the settlers did, as a result they were a misunderstood people in their ways of life. Along with that the early Europeans thought of themselves as being far more advanced in terms of culture and possessed arrogance in how they viewed the Indians. It is clear to me that Ben Franklin recognized their social behavior in which they understood proper etiquette such as (“the Indian rules of politeness and not to answer a public proposition the same day that it is made”)…show more content…
Perhaps it was his own arrogance that stood in the way of getting to know the Indians or his ego that I sensed as he exaggerated when he was being attacked by the so called 200 savages. Overall, I just felt that he was a person that refused to give them the benefit of the doubt and a chance to know them. In reading through Ben Franklin’s works I believe he viewed them in a positive light, I also appreciate the fact that he was a compassionate and willing person in trying to learn and understand their customs to see where they are coming from. It makes sense to know your enemy, but is it not better to view them as potential allies in the face of
Open Document