Topic > The World Upside Down - 906

When Europeans established colonies in the New World, they sought to convert the way the Indians were civilized. Their obsession was to spread Christianity and their culture throughout the colonies, including the Indian villages. Some Indians accepted these traditions because they felt they had nowhere else to turn. When settlers invaded the new land they brought with them many diseases that wiped out many Indian villages and tribes. The Indians also had difficulty avoiding invasions of new territories, which led to numerous wars. This resulted in a sharp decrease in the Indian population, so some Indians turned to Christianity and other European traditions. On the other hand, many Indians insisted that European beliefs should exist only among themselves. They had no right to try to introduce a new religion when Indian traditions had been practiced for years. The Indians during this period were forced to accept Europeans establishing new territories, even if they did not belong to them. As the Indian population continued to decline, some Indians intermarried with Europeans and even Africans to try to increase the population again. This obviously produced mixed children who were confused and could not decide which culture to accept. This mix of people changed the way of life of Native Americans and Europeans throughout early America. It is obvious to me that land was the main reason for war between Indians and Europeans. It was simple: the Indians did not want to give up the land they had claimed for so many years to a group of arrogant settlers who take what they want. The English thought that God had given them the land and that the Indians should be removed. However, the Native Americans also wanted something from the new settlers: trade. The American Indians were great hunters who collected many furs which were valuable trade products. Over time some Indian tribes became indebted to the settlers and the only way they could repay their debts was to give them the land. This is where the attitudes of Europeans and Indians diverged regarding land. The Indians were sometimes willing to negotiate over certain territories, where most Europeans would take the land, whether the Indians cooperated or not. Battles often broke out when larger Indian tribes felt they could fight for their land. Sometimes they managed to defeat the English in battle, but in most cases they were outnumbered. During this period the English were very welcoming.