What Was The Relationship Between The Natives And American Colonists Between 1492-1590

When Worlds Collide

Imagine yourself sitting in your kitchen eating leftovers from yesterday and then a random stranger enters in without warning. It was just a normal day, and little did you know that is was soon to be one of your last. This is the same idea of the Indians encounter with European colonists between 1492-1590. They had been living in what is called the New World for decades before their first confrontation with European travelers. These men came over to the New World in search for land and money but discovered different cultures and tribes instead. Each relationship between the natives and the colonists varied depending on where you traveled from. The Spanish, French, and English colonists disrupted the norm for many Native
This journey was possible due to support from the Spanish, which were also the first Europeans to reach what was mistaken for Asia, and later called the New World. After finding America Columbus returned on a second voyage and established the first colony located in what we now call Mexico. Columbus soon found out that his men and him were not alone on the land. They voyaged to an area already preoccupied by Caribbean natives called Tainos. The Spanish actions towards the natives were cruel and demanding. Columbus was stricken with gold fever due to the amounts of wealth the Tainos were wearing, and was willing to do anything in order to grasp some for himself. This meant enforcing harsh ways, almost similar to slavery. As he grew more impatient, so did the Tainos. The natives were dying due to excessive labor and diseases. Some of the Tainos rebelled by stealing and trying to override the power by the colonists. Their efforts barely help because many natives were forcefully shipped to Spain as slaves. The brutal relationship between the Indian Tainos and the Spanish ultimately resulted in an extinction of the Tainos society and
The relationship between the French and the Indians was successful. Colonists did not overstep their boundaries with the Indians but instead saw them more as an important factor for sustaining life and ensuring a community. The French didn’t enforce labor, in fact, many colonists did their own labor. Natives taught them what crops to grow in that particular environment and how to continue growing them. French colonists exchanged alcohol and firearms with the Natives. This created a new Native-American life. New France was one of the few and first to allow intermarriage. The French accepted their ways and so did the natives. Religion was a problem throughout the whole world except with French colonists and Native Americans. Although neither group completely practiced what the other was taught, they learned and mixed their two cultures together overall creating a sufficient and educational community. New France required fur traders to become successful in the New World. Their friendly relationship with the Natives was key because many of the them were active participants in the Fur trade. Combined help between the two resulted in a high profit for the French colonists. The relationship with France and the Natives, was mutualistic, valuable, and changed the idea of human interaction in the New