Essay On Native American Colonialism

756 Words4 Pages

In American history, many overlook the violence that occurred when New England colonists encountered the Native Americans. When the New England colonists arrived in Plymouth in the 1620s and interacted with the Native Americans, they lived in peace with each other for more than 50 years. The colonists instigated a war with the natives to gain more land from the Native Americans and resulted with a massacre. This resulted in colonialism affecting the lives of colonists and Native Americans because both experienced forming an alliance, enduring social change, and deaths. The Native Americans and colonists were affected by colonialism because they formed an alliance with one another that temporarily established peace between the two parties. …show more content…

In “Of Plymouth Plantation” by William Bradford, Bradford stated, “. . . that in two or three months time half of their company died, especially in January and February.” This had impacted the colonists because half of the colonists died by diseases brought with them, being infected by scurvy, and from having no type of shelter or other comforts. The colonists barely made it through winter as they had assistance with all necessary aid by the six or seven people who were immune of diseases. Only fifty out of one hundred colonists have survived the time of suffering. In the article, “Colonial America Depended on the Enslavement of Indigenous People”, Marissa Fessenden states, “In 1637, they burned a village on the banks of the Mystic River in southeastern Connecticut, killing 400 to 700 Pequots.” The colonists had murdered natives by destroying their homes and territory. During the Pequot war, many of their tribe members were lost. This weakened the natives in war as they had very little men to send to resist the colonists. Those who were captured were enslaved and after the war the word “Pequot” was outlawed. Along with disease and weak immune systems the natives were plagued by death for the next few centuries. In conclusion, both Native Americans and New England colonists were affected by colonialism because of the various of actions they both experienced. Both were affected by false peace,