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Interactions Among Europeans and American Indians
The English dealt with Native Americans differently than did the French and Dutch. The French and Dutch were primarily interested in trading with the Native Americans for furs they could sell in Europe. This tended to lead to more amicable relationships with local tribes. Conversely, the English wanted to establish permanent settlements and continue to increase their population. This led to constantly expanding needs for land and increasing conflicts with Native Americans.
Native Americans of New England
Historians have estimated that between 70,000 and 100,000 Native Americans were living in New England when English settlers first arrived. The Abenaki tribe in Maine, for example, were primarily hunters and gatherers. Conversely, the Algonquin tribe in Southern New England (including the Massachusett, Nauset, Narragansett, and Wampanoag groups) were more agricultural. When British settlers first arrived in North America, the natives of New England helped the settlers develop a subsistence economy by teaching them how to farm in the New England climate and helping to bring them food and furs. From that beginning, some of these Native Americans traded furs with New Englanders for manufactured goods and guns. However, European diseases (such as influenza and smallpox) and conflicts among groups of New England Native Americans made it difficult for them to resist English encroachment.
Native Americans in Southern Colonies
Southern colonies, such as Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia, were founded upon the principle of profit. Their first chance at economic success was through the fur trade, which nearly caused the deer population to be wiped out. In exchange for these furs, the British provided Native Americans with manufactured goods, alcohol, and firearms.
As Southern colonies shifted their focus to cash crops such as indigo, rice, and tobacco, they had an increasing need for labor. Some Native Americans began to capture members of rival tribes and sell them to the colonists as slaves, but quickly it became clear that Native Americans were not effective as field workers. Often, they ran away because they knew the land better than the white settlers did. Trade and interaction with white settlers also exposed Native Americans to European diseases, which decimated the Indigenous population.
Native American Revolts
Over time, the English continued to creep westward, encroaching on Indian lands, which led to a series of Native American revolts. These included the Powhatan Revolt, the Pequot War, and King Philip’s War. You don’t need to know all three, but it’s a good idea to be able to explain at least one Native American resistance movement as an illustrative example.
Native Americans of New England were unhappy about English settlers’ attempts to convert them to Christianity. When three non-Christian natives were convicted by a colonial court for murdering a Christianized Native American in 1674, their tribal leader, Metacomet (referred to as “King Philip” by the English), began attacking Puritan farms. This is usually known as King Philip’s War or Metacomet’s War. The war caused more destruction in proportion to population than any American conflict since, with huge casualties on both sides. When Metacomet was killed, the Native Americans capitulated (stopped resisting), leaving the indigenous culture of New England devastated.
