The Impact of Colonization in America.

Essay by greenfoxxHigh School, 12th gradeA+, November 2003

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North America saw a great tide of immigration from England and France in the early 1600s. Many of the immigrants traveled to North America in hope of finding religious freedom or riches. The new colonies relied heavily upon the natural inhabitants of their 'new world' - the Native Americans. During their colonization, the French accepted most of the Native American population, traded with them, and even adopted some aspects of their culture, whereas the British colonists regarded them as inimical savages.

As the colonists began to expand across the eastern coast, they created their own economy through trading with the Indians. Coexistence developed between the French and the Algonquin and Iroquois tribes, which revolved around the fur trade in New France. Numerous French leaders established political relations with the two tribes; however, as the French and Iroquois nation each vied for supremacy over the fur trade, relations between the two rapidly deteriorated, and an even stronger bond formed between the French and the Algonquins.

Initially, the native tribes enjoyed the economic opportunities that were provided by trading with the British. However, their opinions of the British quickly changed when they realized the colonists' increasing desire to gain more control over their lands. In order to obtain that land, the British forced treaties upon starving tribes in exchange for European goods.

Native Americans were at a disadvantage because of the racial and cultural prejudice displayed towards them by the British. The Puritans in the British colonies regarded the Indians as the 'inferior' race, referring to them as 'savages' because they did not share the same culture or religion. Most Native American languages, beliefs, and practices were overlooked and remained outside the realm of European knowledge. The French, on the other hand, developed ties with the different native cultures. Intermarriage, shared...