The social conditions among human beings in the early 1600’s involved much naivety and ignorance, as well as greed and violence. The only Englishman who appeared to have any competence in dealing with the Native Americans in Jamestown was John Smith. The rest of the colonists, in general, seemed ignorant and delusional in their motives.

            As Price says, “The company urged the colonists to ‘have great care not to offend the naturals’ – that is, the natives” (Price, Pg. 31). The British sailing over to North America were operating under the assumption that the Native Americans would be receptive to them, not realizing that their mere presence there could be extremely offensive in and of itself. It’s absurd that the colonists made these assumptions about life on a continent they had never even seen before.

            The colonists did not do themselves any favors along the way. There was much bickering and disagreement among the British colonists, not to mention unintelligent decision making by most of those in charge. One such egregious error in judgment was the decision to make Powhatan a prince under King James. Newport “reckoned that Chief Powhatan’s crowning would fill him with such affection for the English that they would have no more worries in that department” (Price, Pg. 97). “But events had transpired differently: Newport returned from his expedition all but empty-handed” (Price, Pg. 97). Anyone with common sense (Smith for example) would have known how bad this idea was.

“Hence, unlike most Englishmen of his day, Smith believed it was important to understand and deal with the natives as they actually were, not as symbols of primitive evil or virtue.” (Price, Pg. 7). This is another example of the great divide between Smith and most of the rest of the colonists. The colonists had their heads up in the clouds, dreaming of gold, lazy lifestyles and perfect relations with the Natives. The colonists refused to face reality, unlike John Smith. Smith was the best thing that ever happened to the colony because his primary concern was the survival of the colony, not the selfish desires most of the people there were concerned with.

            More stupidity from the colonists occurred after Smith’s departure, causing rampant starvation. They spent much of the time leading up to the winter of 1609-1610 trying to defame John Smith’s character instead of getting provisions ready and making plans so that they could eat through the winter, a very childish decision. Had they followed Smith’s example of spreading out, the colonists would not have starved during this time. However, because they were cowards, unable to defend these areas, a lot of colonists starved to death needlessly.

            It seems, though, in later years (after John Smith had returned to England) that the British had smartened up to a degree. When they took Pocahontas hostage they probably did not realize that they had just secured peace with Powhatan. It turns out that Pocahontas had a soft spot for the English resulting from her childhood experiences with them. She refused to go back to the Powhatans when the English presented her to them. Taking her hostage turned out to be a brilliant move on Samuel Argall’s part.

            Ironically, the primary reason (other than John Smith’s leadership early on) that Jamestown was able to survive was Pocahontas. The British were extremely lucky that she had affection for them. It was based on the premise that peace was secured between the British and Powhatans in response to the marriage between her and Rolfe. Even though the Native Americans could have obliterated the English at one point, by the time this marriage had occurred it was too late for Powhatan.

            The intentions of the British colonists were certainly good natured and warm hearted. As Price states, “A 1609 tract of the Virginia Company pledged that the natives would be won over to English ways, ‘not by stormes of raging cruelties (as West India was converted) with rapiers point and musket shot, murdering so many millions of naked indians, as their stories doe relate, but by faire and loving meanes, suiting to our English natures.’” (Price, Pg. 10). Good natured or not, the Indians sensed that the English were trying to change their way of living.

            Looking at things from the Native Americans’ point of view, you can understand why things devolved into hostility between them and the British. Having dealt already with the Spanish, they were obviously very guarded against encroachment of their territory. Once again, the British would prove to be foolish and naïve. The fact that the Natives considered all lands, even those that appeared vacant, to be their own never even crossed the minds of the English. This is a gigantic part of the break down in relations between the two.

            Still, after a certain amount of time, and the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe, things settled down. Eventually the Native Americans were almost treated as equal allies of the colonists. George Thorpe took this new stance to the extreme with his treatment of the Natives. He catered to their every whim, and severely punished those who offended any Natives. Generally the colony adopted this policy, attempting to assimilate the Natives more and more into English culture. “Yet most of the colony eventually became content to embrace Thorpe’s policy, and the company’s policy, of drawing the natives closer.” (Price, Pg. 203). The English certainly were persistent in their goal of assimilation, staying true to their imperialistic nature.

            It is amazing that the British colonies survived this time period. Pocahontas and John Smith (and Rolfe to an extent) were the primary reasons the colonies even survived. Had it not been for these people the United States probably wouldn’t even exist today. Despite the stupidity, ignorance and naivety of the English, they succeeded where the Spanish and French couldn’t.

     Price, David A. Love & Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of a New Nation. New York: Vintage Books, 2005.                       

Most of the men on the ship signed “The Mayflower Compact”.  Those who signed the agreement agreed to obey the newly elected officials.  John Carver was elected the first Governor.

The men found food stored by the Indians and took it as there own and the men robbed the Indian graves.

In December of 1620, the Pilgrims found a area which had fresh water and they named the area “Plymouth Colony.”   In January of 1621, most of the settlers were sick with which was named the “Great Sickness.”  In January of 1621,  Rosa died because of the great sickness.

February of 1621, Standish was named the military commander of the Plymouth Colonies and in March, the settlers had a surprise visit from an Indian name Samoset.  Samoset returned with an Indian Chief named Squanto.   Squanto acted as an interpreter between the Indians and the settlers.  A peace treaty was signed and this treaty lasted for fifty years.

In March of 1623, Standish killed Wituwamet and cut his head off.  Taking the head with him, Miles Standish took it to the fort and put it on a pole for display.  Many Indians took this as a warning.

In July of 1623, Miles Standish married a lady named Barbara.  Some people think Barbara was Rosa’s sister and the two knew each other.   Standish and his family left Plymouth to start another settlement three miles away from Plymouth.  The new settlement is named Duxbury.

In May, 1653, Standish was named Deputy Governor of Plymouth and on October 3, 1656, Miles Standish passed away.

            Every morning students and faculty of America recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Before every professional sporting event, a famous vocalist sings the National Anthem, as the crowd rises and removes their hats. Immigrants continue to flood into the United States of America. A strong feeling of pride and nationalism pulses through Americans’ hearts. Yet why are Americans so proud? American history is full of blood, hatred, and greed. From the early settlement of the New World, to slavery and the Civil War, Americans have proved time and time again that discrimination lies at the core of America’s heart. The Constitution begins with the famous phrase, “We the people…” as a proud and noble statement, but “we the people” are far from noble. In reality, Americans have relentlessly demonstrated an intense need to discriminate and trample over the rights of anyone who is different then “we the people” because of extreme pride for our nation.

            Europeans surged to the New World after its discovery to begin a new life, obtain riches, or pursue freedom. The Europeans who dared to venture to America received a nasty shock. Large numbers of the colonists passed away from lack of food and harsh conditions, but only had their own greed and ignorance to blame, because they were too busy digging for gold to establish a secure settlement. With winter approaching, the colonists faced peril when the Native Americans arrived to guide them. As additional colonies formed in the New World, similar events occurred, where the Native Americans assisted the colonists through harsh times. Instead of thanking the Native Americans, the colonists treated the Natives as inferiors, and expanded into their land. In Jamestown, Chief Opecnancanough led a revolt, killing over three hundred colonists. Instead of reaching an agreement, the colonists fought back and continued to steal the Native Americans’ land (Lelesi/Charbonneau). Even at a young age, the colonists who would become Americans were callous to the Native Americans who helped them survive the harsh winter and taught them skills for farming. Intolerant of a different culture, these pre-Americans set the standard for mistreating humans with different ethnicities.

            As the colonies grew and expanded into Indian territory, the majority of the Natives either retreated deeper into the country, or faced death by the colonists. In the novel Waterlily by Ella Cara Deloria, the reader is exposed to the culture of the Dakota Indians through the eyes of a maturing Dakota female, Waterlily. Although the majority of the book is based around the Indian culture, there are portions where the colonists’ interference is portrayed. One particularly emotional scene occurred during the smallpox epidemic among the Native Americans. Waterlily and her husband Scared Horse contracted the disease. As Waterlily is trying to comfort her dying husband, she is sent back to her tent to rest, but, “Waterlily did not sleep. She spent the night listening, worrying over [Sacred Horse] from a distance. As soon as it grew light enough, she went to him. Already he was stiff and cold” (Deloria 202). The sorrow and mourning Waterlily experiences for the next few months is exceptional, and is a direct result from colonists mass murdering the Native Americans. The death of Sacred Horse illustrates the cruelty we the people treated the Natives with, giving numerous of Indians a fatal disease. In an obsessive belief that Americans represent perfection, anyone unlike Americans must be erased from history.

            After the bout with the Native Americans, the colonies grew prosperous from the endless agricultural tips provided by the Native Americans. Salem, Massachusetts profited from fish exports and ship building, with only small, self-sufficient farms. The village religion was Puritan, and the villagers were a very close-knit group. Gossip moved quickly throughout the small town, so when news of witchcraft started to float around in the late 1600s, paranoia struck. The play The Crucible, demonstrates the fear of the townspeople: fear of witches, and fear of being named a witch. In the play, Abigail pretends to have fits of hysteria from nonexistent witches to convince a superstitious and gullible court to hang nineteen people, press one man to death, and convict hundreds of witchcraft. One of the judges, Danforth, enforces the court’s God-given purpose by stating to a man named Francis, “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between” (Miller 99). The theme of a lack of tolerance for different people in The Crucible is well portrayed in this line; one must agree with the majority, or they are the enemy. This theme reoccurs throughout American history, such as the Red Scare during the Cold War. America was stripping workers of their job because they were accused of being Communists. Arthur Miller wrote the Crucible because he wanted Americans to realize that once again, Americans were jumping to conclusions and discriminating against other Americans.  This influenced American history by helping to halt the accusations against Communists. Salem’s good citizens’ extreme pride blinded their judgment as they forced punishment upon the counterfeit witches, a preamble to the Communist accusations.

            As the nation grew larger and stronger after the Revolutionary War, Americans began to move west. The purchase of the Louisiana Territory contributed to the settlement by doubling the nation’s size, as the term “manifest destiny” was coined in 1847 (Lelesi/Charbonneau). Once again, the Native Americans proved to be a nuisance, so Americans simply cleared them out of the way. Events such as the Trail of Tears illustrate the pain Americans inflicted upon these Native Americans, as they were forced to either live on dismal reservations, or to become an American. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a series of vignettes that portray Alexie’s life living on a poor, alcohol-based reservation. Junior, who represents Alexie, describes poverty as, “It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing that you’re poor because you’re stupid and ugly…because you’re Indian… and you’re destined to be poor. It’s an ugly circle and there’s nothing you can do about it” (Alexie 13). The situation appears hopeless to Junior, that there is no escape from being a poor, ugly Indian. Junior also experiences a large number of friends and family passing away due to alcohol. Unlike Waterlily, this novel is a primary source, and therefore shows actual events that have occurred in a present day Native American’s life. After experiencing huge losses and immense suffering, Alexie wrote this novel to show Americans the results of their discrimination. In the future, well-educated Americans will change our course of history; we will stop prejudice and form a new way to treat the Native Americans. As an outcast of both Americans and Indians, Alexie tried to inform arrogant Americans that their pride and “manifest destiny” led to the genocide of the Indian culture.

            Americans believed murdering thousands of Indians and other citizens to make a new life was just and necessary, so it was natural to then support slavery. In order for southern plantation land owners to succeed and become rich, slavery became a necessity to them. The South’s agriculture-based economy was worked by black slaves, and run by white Americans; this was the only way southerners knew how to make a living. Since the black slaves were not Americans, the white men owned the slaves and treated them like animals. Whipped, murdered, used as tools, the African American slaves were treated with the utmost disrespect and discrimination ever to be recorded in American history. The classic novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe tells the story of Uncle Tom, a slave who suffers at the hands of his white owner, Simon. Tom is whipped to death by his owner, who believes that blacks were merely tools, stating, “I rayther think she’s sickly, but I shall put her through for what she’s worth; she may last a year or two. I don’t go for savin’ [blacks]. Use up, and buy more’s, my way;-makes you less trouble, and I’m quite sure it comes cheaper in the end’” (Stowe 387). Southerners’ viewed the slaves as replaceable, inhuman property. Once again, we the people have successfully mistreated an entire people, denied them of civil and human rights, and destroyed the hopes and dreams of countless African Americans. Interesting, however, is that American pride and Stowe’s literature helped the northerners realize slavery is wrong. The North fought a bloody, gruesome war for the African American’s freedom. Although American pride ultimately saved the African Americans, extremist pride influenced southerners to inflict misery upon African Americans prior to their freedom.

            We the people of the United States of America have denied multiple cultures their rights; rights to worship, rights to land, rights to support different government, and rights to freedom. Countless times Americans and their stubborn pride refuse to consider any other group of people as equals. Americans have not lost all hope, however. Literature and history intertwined to assist in redirecting America’s path. Arthur Miller connected the Red Scare with the Salem Witch Trials to help to end the futile attempts to arrest Communists. Alexie Sherman helped to inform Americans of their errors and to reduce racism. Harriet Beecher Stowe influenced northerners to fight for slaves’ freedom. Pieces of literature helped to change Americans’ views towards diverse people. Overall, we the people have been self-righteous, egotistical Americans disinclined to accept others. Yet with a new generation being informed of the past, the American policy of intolerance must be halted. We the people were a ruthless people, but now have the opportunity to become a charitable and open-minded nation.

Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown       and Company, 2007.

Deloria, Ella C. Waterlily. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1988.

Lelesi /Charbonneau. Book Notes. We the People Honors, Quarter 1-2.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 1980.

Stowe, Harriet B. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. New York: Bantam Dell, 1981.

            Though the Europeans were referred to as a whole above, it would be wrong to assume that they all acted in unison.  The explorers and settlers were not sailing across the Atlantic Ocean for the sake of Europe; they were instead migrating to a new area in the name of their own respective countries.  The newcomers to America all held different nationalities, namely the English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and German (who were not as numerous as the others).  Each nation wanted their “fair share” of the expansive amount of land that was suddenly available to them, ignoring the fact that people of a different race had been living there for thousands of years.  The foreign nations (other than Spain, who ventured more to the south) each settled into areas mainly spread out among the northeast, began organized colonies, and interacted with the natives that resided there.  There were differing paths of interactions between various native tribes and European nations, but every single one led to the Indians being forced out or cheated into losing their land.   

            Early on, there was trade and cooperation set up between some tribes and Europeans such as the Dutch.  Henry Hudson led his people to the area of present day New York and immediately began a peaceful exchange with the Algonquian Indian tribe for their highly valued furs that made for a huge profit back in the Motherland.  The French and Indian war is a good example of how the separate countries coincided with the Native Americans in differing ways.  Conflicts derived from disputes over land ownership between the British and French led to armed confrontations, in which some Native American tribes actually backed up the French in the war due to their prior trade connections.  On the other hand, the ventures of da Vaca along with other conquistadores and their men engaged in bloody battles with the Indians time and time again.  Obviously, there were multiple degrees of cooperation that each country had with the natives.  However, whether it be the harmony found in Hudson’s trading, the alliance of the French and Indians in war, or the violent encounters of the conquistadores, in one way or another all of the European settlers were similar in the fact that they consciously used the Native Americans for their own benefit.

            One of the largest aspects that separated European and Native American people was their highly contrasting views on spirituality and nature of the divine.  As seen in some creation stories of the Indian tribes like those of the Iroquois Confederacy, they had held a polytheistic belief system for centuries, having faith in innumerous spirits found in the natural world.  Enter the Europeans with their holier-than-thou, monotheistic views- many wished to “save” the Indians by converting them to Christianity.  Because Western thought had long-abandoned polytheistic views like those of the Greco-Roman civilization, they viewed the native people as inferior savages who held primitive beliefs.  For the most part, the intentions of Europeans seeking to recruit Indians for the Christian faith were good, but unfortunately they ended up causing a kind of “sociocide”, disregarding and renouncing the strong, traditional religious views that had been in place for centuries upon centuries.    

               Sadly, behind the founding of our proud nation lies a dark, depressing story.  Throughout the course of history, the white man has spread like wildfire to every corner of the planet in order to satisfy a profound hunger for wealth, power, and shamelessly forcing their beliefs on others.  The “savage” natives that the Europeans encountered never stood a chance against the much more advanced and expansion-driven societies that travelled across the sea.  Essentially, the first settlers of the New World milked the Native Americans for all they were worth until the almighty white man took over completely.  So, even though a rich sense of diversity was present in the early days of American settlement, a closer look shows how it was yet another case of a culture fueled by ethnocentrism taking over another without a second thought.

                Secondly, one of the main causes for Britain to tax the colonies was that they owed boatloads of money from the French and Indian War. Britain clearly said “don’t go across this line”. So of course, colonists said “I am so ha” and went across the boarder. Then the French defended themselves and we had ourselves a war. Britain came in and defeated them, which really they shouldn’t have had to do. Why would Britain not expect some help to pay the taxes (their citizens helped to pay the taxes as well) if they spend loads of cash to help the colonies with their own war.

                During the periods of 1750-1776 the colonists began to develop a sense of their identity and unity as Americans. They really began to develop this when Parliament began to pass acts that would restrict the daily lives of the colonists. Some of these acts were the sugar act, the stamp act, the quartering act, the tea act, and the coercive act. Another reason they began to feel independent was because they had realized how different their culture was from their Mother Country and how far they were from it. This is why the declaration begins with this, “When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”

The colonists truly hated the acts that the Parliament had place on them and wanted to revolt against them or at least have a say in the Parliament that decides which acts to declare.  The sugar act, which was one of the first hated acts, was not even a horrible one, the only reason the colonists hated it was because before this they had taxes, but they were not heavily enforced. Thus, when Parliament decided to lower the taxes but enforce the payment of those taxes the colonists were extremely upset. Another act that was passed was the stamp act, which was a direct tax on all paper goods, such as letters and playing cards. A direct tax was a tax paid directly by the person or company selling and buying the items. This act began the tarring and feathering of the tax collectors, which was when colonists poured tar on a tax collector and the covered him feathers to make him look foolish. Unfortunately they hot tar was extremely painful and could easily kill you as it could bock air ways or collapse a person’s chest. After this came the Quartering acts, which stated that colonists must provide shelter for British troops. So, basically a British soldier could knock on your door, walk in and kick you out until he saw fit to leave. Next came the tea act which enraged the colonists as drinking tea was a huge part of daily life. In an attempt to abolish these acts the colonists began to boycott British goods and the Boston tea party was formed. Te Boston tea party was when a group of colonists dressed up as Indians and boarded a British tea ship and destroyed more than 40 tons of tea leaves, an estimated million dollar loss for the East India Company in today’s money. Finally there was the coercive act, or as the colonists called them, “The Intolerable Acts,” which was an act that closed the Boston Harbor until all the destroyed tea was paid for. It also allowed no colonist town meetings and grated the Royal Government more power. This was the act that really showed the colonists how much they were being treated unfairly.
                On the other hand, the colonists also began to develop a sense of identity and union because of how very different the American and British cultures were. In Britain the people were elegant and good mannered, and in America the people were a lot more rough around the edges and were always willing to enjoy themselves at a local inn with a couple drinks. It was clear to the colonists that separation was a necessity because Britain and America could not see eye-to-eye with these cultures. It did not make sense to them how they could be ruled by such a different country.

Another reason they were developing a sense of identity and unity as Americans was because of the distance and size difference of America and Britain. America was enormous and Britain was extremely small, it was merely a large island. The two were also thousands of miles away and it took months to travel the distance to report messages and other news. America’s solution to this was, naturally, to break away. This was a scary idea for them though, because a colony had never broken away from its mother country and therefore they had no reference to past events of success or even attempts. So, in all the colonists were heading down road with unseen obstacles and risky tactics.

To sum it all up, the colonists were well on their way to developing that sense of identity and unity of Americans. This was because of the unfair acts placed upon them, the cultural differences between them and the Mother Country, and the size and distance difference between the two. The colonists definitely chose their path wisely, as we would not be here today if for say the south got their original wish and we fought the Revolution as separate colonies. If that had been the case, those who fought would have been annihilated and our country would not be the same as it is today whatsoever.

Differences in the way of life between Native Americans and European settlers were a major factor contributing to the tension that led to brutal wars between the two cultures. Misunderstandings over a wide range of topics from treaties to basic human rights were common, leading to high tension and mistrust between the Natives and Colonists. European ruthlessness, as well as the several advantages they had over Native American tribes, resulted in a bloody extermination of many Native American tribes and cultures. 

A main contributing factor to the tension between established American tribes and incoming European colonists, mostly English, was the difference in culture. Settlers held a mostly agricultural society, and therefore required large plots of land. Since this land was ‘granted’ to them, settlers saw no ethical problem with setting up fences wherever they saw fit, without bothering to gather agreements from locals who already owned the land. In addition, the colonists depended on their crops to survive, so compromises on land size were not an option to them. Ironically, they did not all end up taking full advantage of the land they did win, but that’s beside the point. Furthermore, colonists did not fully recognize the need for the land by the Natives – it was assumed that they were all hunters and would not need acres upon acres just to hunt down animals. This further strengthened the colonists’ justification for seizure of Native American. However, this was obviously not the truth, as when the colonists cleared the large amount of land of trees and underbrush, the wildlife went with it, making food more scarce for the hunting Natives. 

Native Americans held a very different culture relative to European settlers in terms of ethics and efficiency towards the use of wildlife. Native-controlled land was not abused, and they strove hard to maintain a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Therefore, the wasteful habits of the Europeans formed some of the basis for tension between Native American tribes and their new invading neighbors.

Reasons for war between the two cultures also included a difference in their beliefs. By European law, new English settlers had ‘the right’ to own the land they settled on, given to them under the Headwright system. This obviously was not in agreement with the Native Americans, who had been living on their land for thousands of years and were now watching it being taken away from them for no just cause. In addition, the settlers saw the Indians as savage and sub-human, and therefore did not consider killing them as heavily as they would kill another Englishman. They also refused to recognize the tribes as right-bearing, and therefore did not grant them basic human or war-related rights, such as the sparing of women and children or the imprisonment of defeated enemies. 

Natives were also given little choice when it came to war, as moving off their current land was not an option. This was because they were adapted to the hunting and growing ground they had lived on for thousands of years. In addition, they faced a high likelihood of facing hostility from other tribes who owned adjacent land. In addition, Native tribes were also angered by tactics to get them to sign treaties involving the sale of their land. Native American interpretation of ’sold land’ was that the original owners still owned it, while settlers meant that the treaty gave them the right to own the land. This misunderstanding also flared tension between the different cultures.

Wars were mostly made up of many small town-to-town battles, which were not entirely dominated by either side. However, in the end, the many advantages European colonists held over their Native enemies overcame the defense put up by the locals. The continuous influx of large European families ensured the Native armies were outnumbered. In addition, settlers also made use of their technological advantage, using their muskets’ strength to overcome the significantly weaker weapons of the Native American tribes. Furthermore, colonists maintained a lower moral standard when it came to rules of war. No qualms were made over the slaughter of men, women, and children alike, not did they take prisoners when the opportunity to save a life arose. 

Perhaps one of the most effective strategies for the extermination of Native Americans, whether intentional or not, was the spread of new disease that the Europeans brought across on the boat. Because the Natives had never had any chance to build up immunities to diseases such as small pox, infection spread rapidly and effectively. Therefore, countless tribe members were weakened and/or killed indirectly by the Europeans. While this is not necessarily an unethical act by the Europeans, as it was not intentional (to our knowledge), it was still a very effective method in killing off the settler’s enemies.

In conclusion, the large gaps and differences between the Native American and European Settlers contributed greatly to the tension between the two cultures. This tension eventually snapped, resulting in many battles in a war for land and power in North America. Technology, ethics, culture, and self-righteous beliefs assumed from both religious and political decisions led European settlers to victory against the significantly weaker Native American tribes. 

     When the settlers moved to Virginia and Massachusetts Bay, there was friction between them and the Indians.  The friction between these groups is a reflection of the need for land in both Virginia and Massachusetts Bay.  The reasons however, were slightly different.  In both areas, the colonists’ need for land turned into greed and forced

the Indians to join them or retaliate.  In this essay, I will explain the sources of friction between the natives and the English settlers in Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay.

     In the early 1600s, the colony of Jamestown was nearly extinct primarily due to the colonists’ easy exposure to diseases such as malaria.  The courageous, yet offending, leadership of John Smith was both a gift and a curse to the survival of the colony.  With his help, the people of Jamestown finally had success in the colony.  Unfortunately, their

survival was a direct reflection of the raids led by John Smith to gather food.  These raids, in my opinion, created distrust and hatred towards the colonist in the Indians thus leading to the retaliation of the Indians.  The natives killed livestock belonging to the colonist and obstructed them to their own colony.  Because of the Indians’ retribution, the colonist had to eat what they could find.  They ate dogs, rats, cats and even dead humans.  By the next

summer, only about 12% of the population had survived.  The need to stay a colony resulted in the friction between the colonist of Virginia and the Indians.

     In the Massachusetts Bay, however, the reason for conflict was slightly different.  Some of the Indians sold their land to the English.  Others joined the Puritan communities by converting to Christianity.  The Indians also went as far as helping the colonist of Massachusetts Bay grow crop such as corn and beans.  The colonists’ growing quest for

more land quickly changed the natives’ position to befriend them.  As in Virginia, the colonists in Massachusetts became greedy for land.  However, the motive behind their greed was a little different.  The colonists were doing more and more hunting and the wild animals became scarce.  Due to the lack of animals to hunt, they decided to raise

livestock such as sheep, pigs and horses.  The growing population of the livestock was directly responsible for the colonists’ need for more land.  They kept moving in on the natives’ land until they were short of food and crops.  This conflict eventually drove the colonist and Indians to war.

     In conclusion, when the settlers moved to Virginia and Massachusetts Bay, there was friction between them and the Indians.  The biggest source of friction was the colonists’ greed or desperate need of land in both areas.   Some Indians were originally willing to sale their land.  Others were more reluctant to doing so.  In Virginia, the colonists needed the land to continue being a colony.  In Massachusetts, the need for land was due to their greed to have more livestock.  This greed also led to unwanted wars.

The Khoikhoi people originally came from the region now forming parts of Botswana and they kept migrating southward until they reached the region forming part of South Africa. The migrating people came to known by different names depending on where they eventually settled. They were known as Korana and settled in the middle of South Africa, the Namaque in the western region of the country and the Khoikhoi in the southern most regions. The Khoikhoi people could mingle with the natives called San because of the similarity in their lifestyles. Even though there were inter marriages between the Khoikhoi and the San groups, they did not lose their cultural identities. The Khoikhoi were typically pastoral people. They raised their sheep, goats, and cattle and depended upon these for a well balanced diet. The San were mainly hunter-gatherers.

Their contacts with the colonists brought about a big change in their traditional way of life. With the exception of the British, most of the Europeans aggressively and systematically opposed the people. Warfare between the two was common. Many of the natives lost their lives not only in the wars but also to Small Pox, a disease which was introduced by the Colonists The Colonists snatched away their land and established ranches and farms. The KhoiKhoi were reduced to working on these as farm workers or were enslaved. Some of them were absorbed into neighboring groups like the Xhosa people. A few people belonging to this tribe have remained untouched by the Colonists and continue their traditional occupations of animal husbandry and farming.

The Khoikhoi people followed a distinct culture. They had well established religious beliefs and practices. They believed that the moon was God and therefore an object of much reverence. They regarded Tsuigoab as the creator and a protector of health and prayed for their well-being. Gunab, on the other hand was evil and the caused sickness and death. Many of the Khoikhoi have converted to Islam in Namibia

The story of Khoikhoi people is much like the story of the natives of America and Australia, of a people who were leading simple and contented lives until their lands were invaded by White colonists first in the guise of traders and merchants, then as political masters.