Relationships Between American Indians and European Colonists

552 Words3 Pages
16 September 2012 Relationships between American Indians and European Colonists During the race for land in the 1600s, Europeans quickly moved onto American property, but usually, American Indians occupied that land. At first Europeans would sometimes become allies with the Indians as an aid to survive, but when the Europeans gained enough support and became more land-hungry, they would kick the Indians out of the property. As Europeans moved into the American colonies, actions by both the American Indians and European colonists, overall, negatively affected their relationship. This is clear in examining the relationships between the Native Americans and Europeans in New England and the Chesapeake area. In 1620, the first permanent English settlement came to New England in Massachusetts near Plymouth Rock. At first the colonist had no idea how to survive in such an unfamiliar environment, so the first year did not go that well. The next year, with the help of the Indians, they learned some simple survival skills and therefore were able to thrive. Even though the Indians helped the English Puritans, they still mistreated the Indians by pushing them off their land, trying to Christianize them, and killing them off with disease. The Native Americans became angered and after the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded in 1630, they also began to commit bad acts. For example, they killed Anne Hutchinson and her entire family. The relationship of the American Indians and Europeans was negatively impacted by the actions of both parties. The road for more settlement of New England and more conflict with American Indians was set as Europeans still wanted to expand their land and American Indians still wanted to protect their ground. In1606, the Virginia Company of London receives a charter from King James I of England for a settlement of the New World. That year, The
Open Document