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Relationship Between Colonists And Native Americans

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The colonists and Native Americans held an overall poor relationship due to the disagreements and opposing natures both groups of individuals possessed. We will see periods of time when the Natives and Englishmen were fond of each other, but due to negative forces derived from land, power and religion their bond quickly deteriorates.

The first interaction the English and the Natives had was in Virginia between Powhatan and the Virginia Company in 1606. The Virginia company, led by King James I set out to seek land and resources along the Virginia coast. As they arrived to Chesapeake bay, the colonists, intending to be greeted by Natives with plentiful amounts of gold and resources, were instead baffled to find a sick, poor land. Powhatan, chieftain of their native tribe was a powerful leader that had a strong resentment for Englishmen entering on his territory. We see Powhatan’s views on Englishmen shift when he initially is introduced to John Smith, a man who was elected to manage the new colony of Virginia due to his adaptable skills learned through war. What both the Englishmen and the Native tribes quickly grew to learn is that both parties had resources that they could benefit from each other. The Natives having animal skins and a surplus of food, The Englishmen, having tools and guns. …show more content…
Englishmen began to take control over land to produce tobacco and overall disrupted the native’s traditional way of life. The Natives quickly began to resent the English and initiated a massacre in 1622 against the colonists known today as the Powhatan war. The Powhatan war was just the beginning of the various battles we begin to unravel over the next few

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