Competing Interests in the New Land
Tension and conflict were a normal part of everyday life between the early settlers and the Native Americans. Several authors emerged during this time, and their personal accounts incorporate critical details necessary to understand the social and cultural differences that hindered peaceful negotiations between the settlers and the Natives. This paper will examine some of those tensions and the resulting conflicts as many countries maneuvered to gain a foothold on new or existing interests in the new land.
European cultural exchange with North America stretched back to Leif Ericsson’s arrival at Newfoundland around the year 1000 (Perkins 2). However, it would take an additional five-hundred years before …show more content…
Champlain was one of the first explorers to pair musket ball against arrow when he encountered Natives while exploring New England. However, there are several accounts of peaceful interaction with the Natives even with the apparent language barrier. But we were unable to ascertain this fully from them, not understanding their language, although they made an attempt to inform us by signs, by taking some sand in their hands, spreading it out over the ground, and indicating that it was of the color of our collars, and that it reached the depth of a foot (23). Champlain references the Natives in his writing peacefully until the 23rd of July in his journal. According to his story several seaman leave the boat to acquire fresh water when they were attacked by a group of Natives. From this point forward Champlain makes reference to the Natives as …show more content…
His report of his voyage opened the gates to a flood of exploration, conquest and settlement (Perkins 27). Columbus most likely created tension with the indigenous people of the West Indies when he approached the Natives with a show of force. It is well noted that Columbus acquired slaves, but little is provided about any tensions or conflict as a result. John Smith on the other hand, was a professional solider, an adventurer and explorer, perhaps a braggart; he was also a born publicist (Perkins 30). Some of the more obvious tensions associated with the events of John Smith and the Jamestown settlement involved the colonists. Such actions have ever since the world’s beginning been subject to such accidents, and everything of worth is found full of difficulties: but nothing so difficult as to establish a commonwealth so far remote from men and means, and where men’s minds are so untoward as neither do well themselves, nor suffer others (33). The colonist suffered insurmountable loss under poor leadership, which made the hopes for a successful settlement seem non-existent. Smith was later captured by the Powhatan but quickly negotiated his release and formed allegiance with their tribal