Differences Between New England Settlers And Native Americans

When the British, French, Spanish and Dutch initially started to interact with the Native Americans, the newcomers viewed the Indians as an uncivilized mass population. Although this outlook differed from place to place. Interaction with the natives was only deemed necessary if it proved beneficial in some way. This included trade and the royal requisition of the Indians land. Most of the New England settlers saw their interaction as an act of divine providence. They believed they were sent to the new colonies to expand the Indians’ minds in the ways of proper culture, and above all else religious beliefs. Perhaps they felt that having the natives convert to the same religion as they themselves were devoted to, would absolve them of the terrible displacement of the Indians from their land and segregation the Indians would face from the new colonist. The French took a decidedly more progressive attitude. The fur trade was an important part of land settlement for the French. The natives even suggested that the French settlers should establish a more permanent solution for trading the furs and to act as middlemen for the natives. This attitude worked well until after 1632, when the
Right away it was obvious to the Natives the Spanish were not here to open friendly negotiations. They were there to enrich Spain and make money for the investors of the new settlers and the rich lords backing the ships. They wanted to find what the land itself had to offer and were not worried about a few indigenous people with arrows. They ended up establishing their settlements near the Indians settlements. This helped them to procure cheap labor to help build up the new Spanish settlements. Some of the Indians they encountered were even willing to convert to Catholicism, but many who would not switch to these new believes, were thought by the priest to be inferior to the