North America experienced a great wave of immigration a few hundred years after its discovery. Inspired by adventure, riches, and the desire to escape political and religious oppression, Europeans came to the continent. Two of the immigrations that took place were those of the French and British. Upon arriving at North America, they did not encounter savages, but rather a skilled and organized people. Both countries took to the indigenous people differently, however. While the French treated the indigenous people with respect and as people with whom they could trade and coexist, the British treated them as an obstacle in the way of their conquest.
The European intruders depended on the help and good nature of the indigenous people, who provided them with food and guides. During this same time period both the Iroquois and the Indian allies of New France suffered great losses of population in the face of epidemics and disease.
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Same-sex marriage under United States tribal juris...
Classification of indigenious peoples of North Ame...English colonizers took advantage of this and used this opportunity to push their way west. Very land hungry, the English showed no respect for the Indians and demanded large amounts of land, as many of them hoped to develop lives as farmers. At one point British troops invaded Cherokee country, burning homes and crops and forcing the Cherokees to surrender. The French were more likely to develop trade relations than to settle permanently on native lands. Their settlement of the indigenous lands in Canada occurred more gradually.
Despite the disputes over land, European settlers helped the Indian economy. Tribes that traded were at a vast advantage to those who did not. At first, European trade brought advantages such as weapons, cloth, and kettles. The fur trade in particular made many tribes more aggressive. By doing so the Indian nations successfully used the European nations. The Iroquois Confederacy...