Prompt
10) Analyze the effects that migration, disease, and warfare had on the American Indian population from the colonial through reconstruction periods.
Context:
As Europeans pushed further west, continuous migration led to increasingly violent conflicts with Indians and spread of disease that had negative
effects on the Indian population, a vicious cycle that continued until whites reached the West Coast. This was continuous from the East Coast
(1600s) to the West Coast in the (1870s).
●
Many problems were created due to the ethnocentric views of whites, who acted with complete disregard for the Indian culture
●
Warfare was created from resistance from native americans and conflict from land hungry Europeans
Thesis Statement:
As whites pushed westward across the American continent, migration pushed Indians off their native lands and/or tried to assimilate them to
European ways, resulting in conflicts and increased tensions between both groups, as well as exposing the Natives to diseases which, along with warfare,
decimated their populations.
●
Evidence
Analysis
Ethnocentrism :
Judging one’s culture based on their own beliefs.
Most Europeans felt that white/European culture was
superior (more advanced, civilized, etc) than Native
cultures. This lead them to believe/feel entitled to the right
to take over Indian lands with utter disregard for Indian
culture/wants/needs/rights.
Precedents set by Settlers (French, Dutch, Spanish):
- encroached on Indian lands
- spread deadly diseases disease
- increased violence both between whites and Indians but also between tribes
- European livestock degraded and destroyed the land
French:
- French Jesuits attempted to convert Indians to Christianity
- Fur trade was destructive, altered environment, created tensions with the Indians
- Diseases from the French were particularly fatal
Dutch:
- involved in the fur trade
- had a positive relationship w Indians bc they did not want to settle large tracts of land
Spanish (Conquistadors and English Puritans):
- were known for their “ruthless treatment” of the natives
- Franciscan Missionaries (Spanish):
tried to convert Indians to Christianity
Their goal was religious conversion, cultural assimilation and forced labor
The settler’s treatment of Natives set a precedent and
foreshadowed the ways in which the Natives would
continue to be treated (even to this day).
Assimilation attempts, conflicts with Indians, taking
advantage of Indians, the seizure of Indian lands, and an
entitlement to natural resources and the rest of the United
States were overarching and continuous themes/ actions
that took place throughout the entire development of US
The Indians had a relatively positive relationship with the
French, as they were small in number and traded with the
Indians. French Jesuits also tried to shelter Indians from
things that other European’s exposed them to, like
alcohol.
However, when the spanish tried to assimilate them, the
natives into their culture, many resisted and the
Europeans reverted to the use of force.
Conflict also resulted when prayers were not answered,
the natives would get angry and rebel
MIGRATION
Praying Towns 1651-1674
- Christian Indian towns originally establish in Mass. Bay Colony.
- intended to assimilate Indians, similar to the way Spanish Missionaries attempted on
the West coast by creating the California Missions
Migration led to assimilation attempts which stemmed
from ethnocentric beliefs that Europeans held. Continued
attempts by Europeans to uproot the indian way of life led
to conflicts between to the two groups (see: warfare)
Conflicts With Indians in Ohio Valley 1750s
- Indians grouped together in Western Confederacy and crushed American forces who
wanted Ohio River Valley lands (those west of the Appalachians)
- Americans defeated the Confederacy at Battle of Fallen Timbers, but Indian resistance
continued (see: “warfare” section)
- Treaty of Greenville: Americans acknowledged ownership of land and in return Western
confederacy ceded most of Ohio land and acknowledged sovereignty
- Treaty caused a lot of migration (100,000 Indians) and conflict
Because Americans wanted more land in the Ohio Valley,
greater tensions were created and warfare resulted.
Westward movement over the Appalachians by whites
was a major source of conflict because Americans
disobeyed the Proclamation of 1763 - there were many
violent results (see warfare)
Indian Removal Act 1830
- Supported by Andrew Jackson
- Created Indian Territory outside the bounds of any state (Oklahoma) and promised
money and reserved land to Indians that agreed
- Removed the 5 ”civilized tribes” whom had previously been granted autonomy
Jackson’s entire presidency was a very difficult time
period for Indians. In order to create more space for the
common man,” Indian Territory” was created. Jackson
used presidential power to (controversially) push the
Indian Removal Acts through Congress even though they
contradicted a previous Supreme Court ruling (Worcester
vs Georgia). Indians were pushed off their land.
The movement to the new territory resulted in the Trail of
Tears that caused many casualties along the way due to
the arduous travel.
Trail of Tears 1830
- US army rounded up 14,000 Cherokees and marched them 1200 miles, an arduous
journey. Thousands died.
California and California Gold Rush 1849-1860
-Indian population drops from 150,000 in 1848 to 30,000 in 1861, mostly due to disease
and extermination attempts
-Some settlers simply murdered Indians to push them off non reservation lands, some
The natural resources of California (and the west coast in
general) were of huge interests for Americans. However,
many conflicts arose w/ Indians over gold. Many Indians
were pushed off their lands and/or murdered. All Western
put them to work
tribes were decimated and/or pushed into reservations.
Dawes Act 1886
- Divided reservations into homesteads
- Supporters thought that ownership would encourage Indians to adopt white ways (ie
assimilation)
- The Indian land was also sold to non indians (15 million acres)
Although the Dawes Act was put in place in order to help
the Indians, it actually made their situation worse. The
Americans were trying to create a culture in which they
could live like everyone else and assimilate the Indians
into their culture but instead, they became more
vulnerable. They were taken away from their families and
a lot of land was lost.
DISEASE
East Coast Tribes 1600-1800
- epidemics and disease from French settlers killed 25-90% of the Indian population
- a smallpox epidemic in 1633 killed ⅓ of the Iroquois population
The Plains Indians 1800-1870
- Several smallpox epidemics wiped out over half of the population
Since the beginning of colonization, Europeans brought
diseases (especially smallpox) to the Americans which
Natives (having never been previously exposed) had no
immunity too and the Indians were quickly killed off.
WARFARE
Popé and the Uprising 1680
- Indian shaman Popé and followers killed more than 400 spaniards and forced 1500
colonists to flee
- Pueblo people burned the “the seeds that the Spanish bestowed” and planted only
maize and beans to show their resistance to other cultures
- But later, Spain reasserted control over most Pueblo people and natives rebelled again
in 1696 but were again subdued
- in the end, they agreed to a compromise
Popé and the Uprising shows that the Indians were
fighting back. They resented that Spanish were coming
into their area and killed many in retaliation. They had a
strong sense of culture and did not want to take up white
ways. For instance, repudiating Christianity, they
desecrated churches and rebuilt their own sacred kivas
(round stone structures in which they had worshipped.
This caused tension between both cultures.
French and Indian War 1756-1763 (aka 7 Years War)
- arose from conflicts over land after the Ohio Company granted land west of the
Appalachians to whites
- French & Indians vs Americans & British
- Resulted in large land gain for England and land loss for French
The land hungry Europeans started the conflict. The
defeat of the French spelled trouble for the Indians
because American/British presence in North America was
very invasive and they treated the Indians with much more
disregard than the French.
Pontiac’s Rebellion 1763
- Indians alarmed by Britain’s territorial acquisitions who preferred the presence of a few
French fur traders
- Chief Pontiac led a major uprising by a group of loosely confederated tribes
- Indians seized British military garrisons
- But Indian alliance weakened
- In peace settlement -- Pontiac and allies accepted British as “father”. In return, British
issue Proclamation of 1763 prohibiting white settlement west of Appalachians
The warfare occurred because of the resistance the
Indians had towards the American settlements into their
territory. The Indians joined together and tried to defend
their land from the settlers and British army that had take
over their region, in which the French used to occupy.
This caused conflict because they preferred the French fur
traders over the influx of thousands of Anglo-American
settlers
Indians and the Revolutionary War 1776-1777
- Many remained neutral, but some used British supplied guns to raid American
settlements
- 4 of the 6 Iroquois nations supported the British, Mohawk chief Joseph Brant led these
group to devastating victories over the Americans.
- The Second Continental Congress asked Indians to be uninvolved
- Oneidas and Tuscaroras sided with Americans
As tensions between America and Britain increased,
Indians became part of the picture. Many Indians hoped
that a British victory would resulted in the expulsion of
whites from North American allowing Indians full
sovereignty once again and the ability to return back to
their costumery lifestyle.
Tecumseh and Battle of Tippecanoe 1811
- Tecumseh revived Western Confederacy- asks Indians to shun all things American.
Indians flock to Prophetstown to support him
- When Tecumseh went south seeking support, Harrison (the white governor of Indiana)
took advantage of his absence and attacked/destroyed Prophetstown
- Resulted in heavy casualties at Tippecanoe and governor destroyed holy village
War of 1812
- Fought between Americans and British, but stemmed largely from the complicated
relationship the two had with the Native population. (British supplied Indians with
weapons etc which the Americans did not approve of)
Violence in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions
stemmed from land conflicts between pioneers and
Native Americans, greatly affected the native population.
Once again, this created tensions between the 3 groups.
Reservation Wars and Resistance 1820s-1870s
- Since Americans were moving west and wanted more territory, they pushed Indians
onto Reservations
- However many people resisted including Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph)
Sitting Bull
- Sitting Bill openly refused to go onto a reservation which caused General Custer to
attack
Indians were being pushed off their land and onto
reservations which caused agitation and resistance with
some Indian leaders. This resistance caused warfare
between the Native Americans and the Europeans.
Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce people, who (out of
-desperation) famously tried to escape the United States
by crossing the Canadian border. They were stopped by
American troops 100 mi. short of the Canadian border.