The first Europeans set foot on the New World was by a complete accident. Despite their differences, the Spanish was fed and sheltered by a group of Indians. The Spanish’s warm welcome was cut short when they began to spread diseases to the Indian group, killing over half of them. I can understand how the indigenous people would be enraged at these strangers, however in the Spanish’s defense they were not aware of the threat they posed to the Indian tribe. Eventually, the leader of this Spanish expedition escaped the clutches of the angry tribe and trekked onto Mexico.
During the late 1400s and the early 1500s, European expeditioners began to explore the New World. Native Americans, who were living in America originally, were much different than the Europeans arriving at the New World; they had a different culture, diet, and religion. Eventually, both the Native Americans and the European colonists exchanged different aspects of their life. For example, Native Americans gave the Europeans corn, and the Europeans in return gave them modern weapons, such as various types of guns. This type of trade was called “the Columbian Exchange.”
On October 12, 1492, an Italian merchant by the name of Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the New World. With him he brought three ships and a small crew of Spaniards. After exploring other islands, Columbus came one that he called Hispaniola; here, they found seemingly primitive and naϊve natives that they immediately began to take advantage of. However, little did they know that this first meeting would bring exploration of South and Central America that would wreak havok among the Natives. Throughout the period of European Expansion, Natives were ripped from their home and forced to work day in and day out.
Throughout the 16th to 17th century, European powers were scrambling to find opportunities in the New World. Three prominent European countries; the British, French, and Spanish, were exploring the Americas for their own personal agendas. They wanted to find ways to expand their empires and also to build their respective economies. However, they ran into the Native American populations that had settled in these “new lands.” As expected, conflict between the two groups emerged.
There were harsh conflicts between white explorers and Native Americans from the earliest starting point of European colonization of the New world, such viciousness expanded in the mid-nineteenth century as European pioneers moved ever advance west over the American mainland. Most white Americans accepted there was horrible quality of life in peace and agreement with Native Americans, the government made the reservation framework
Starting in the late fifteenth century, French and English explorers went on voyages to see America and to discover North America. When they landed, they came across these native Americans. During the French regime (1534-1763), the French explorers found the natives to be very useful. In some cases, they used the natives for the benefits of the mother country or the colony by profiting off of natural resources for example animal furs. There were positive results on the French colonizers, such as their profit gained from native relations and the territorial expansion, and negative consequences to the natives including the population decline caused by European disease and increasing tension between different native groups.
The 15th Century marked the beginning of exploration to the new world. Explorers Christopher Columbus and Bartolome de Las Casas had different perspectives about the natives they encountered upon their voyages. Columbus’ journal and de Las Casas’ narration portrayed the Indians’ appearances similarly however; both explorers had different attitudes towards them. From Columbus’ first encounter with the Indians, his attitude was condescending. He described them as very poor people and believed them to be ignorant.
European exploration of the West began in 1500 and continued to flourish for over three centuries. While colonizing this new land, Europeans first came into contact with the native peoples. European religious views, gender roles, and land ownership shaped their interactions with Native Americans. The English, for example, practiced Christianity, while the Native Americans possessed a more spiritual and animalistic religion. Native American societies were heavily reliant on women for not only household duties, but also agricultural responsibilities.
Throughout the late 1400’s and the 1500’s, the world experienced many changes due to the discoveries of new lands and peoples that had been never been visited before. The new-found lands of the Americas and exploration of Africa by the Europeans led to new colonies and discoveries in both areas. It also brought different societies and cultures together that had never before communicated, causing conflict in many of these places. While the Europeans treated both the Native Americans and West Africans as inferior people, the early effects they had on the Native Americans were much worse. Beginning in the late 1400’s, many different European explorers started to look for new trade routes in the Eastern Hemisphere in order to gain economic and religious power.
In the 16th Century, Spain became one of the European forces to reckon with. To expand even further globally, Spanish conquistadors were sent abroad to discover lands, riches, and North America and its civilizations. When the Spanish and Native American groups met one another, they judged each other, as they were both unfamiliar with the people that stood before them. The Native American and Spanish views and opinions of one another are more similar than different because when meeting and getting to know each other, neither the Spaniards nor the Native Americans saw the other group of people as human. Both groups of people thought of one another as barbaric monsters and were confused and amazed by each other’s cultures.
The Europeans came mostly in peace; however, the Native Americans saw the newcomers as a threat to their livelihood. Amoroleck, an Indian captured by the Europeans after a clash between the two, explained that the Native Americans attacked the settlers because they believed the settlers “were a people come from under the world, to take their world from them.” (Merrell 45) With early conflicts, neither party was coming out victorious with their losses out numbering their winnings between the Indians and Europeans. Eventually, the Native Americans would accept the Europeans and even live jointly, aiding one another whether it was determining the best hunting grounds, planting the right crops in the right area, or incorporating lifestyles by helping round up escaped slaves. The two parties learned to make the most out and how to benefit from each other.
The Treatment of the Native Americans by the Spaniards In the late 1400s, Christopher Columbus planned to find a quicker, straightforward route to Asia, and in 1492, he believed he found that route; however, Columbus’ efforts to find Asia failed, instead he found the North American lands, which seemed to be much more promising than Asia would have ever proved to be. Columbus spent the next several months charting and exploring the lands and creating relationships with the natives. At the beginning, these Spanish and Native relations were healthy in the eyes of the Natives.
Upon the first colonial establishments, the Europeans viewed Native Americans as uncultured, unintelligent, and uncivilized. The first colonizers found themselves ultimately superior to the perceived rudimentary cultural and societal customs that were observed. Native Americans viewed Europeans as a strictly one sided cultural mass enforcement foreign establishment, stopping at nothing to enforce their perceived superiority in all forms of cultural and societal aspects. Differences in land use, gender roles, and societal history added to the wedging and hostility between the Native Americans and European people. Upon the European's first impression of Native American culture, the first notable aspect of their "species" and society was their promising outlook as potential slave laborers.
Quite simply put, Europeans viewed Africans and Native Americans as inferior to themselves. They were considered to be heathens and barbarians by the Europeans. And, at least initially, they were not Christian. It was believed that Europeans could save both Native Americans and Africans not only spiritually but also economically and socially. This type of attitude also most likely made it much easier for the Europeans to discriminate and exploit them.
Europeans began exploring the Americas in late 15th century. This had many effects on both the land of the Americas and the Native Americans that inhabited them. Many of the Native American cultures perished with the coming if the Europeans while some survived. A good deal of the Native American cultures that did survive, were very small. The Europeans did not mean to find the Americas, in fact, they were on a voyage to find a new route to Asia and The Indies.
