During the nineteenth century, the government opened up more land for settlement, and pioneers began to make their way across America to “empty” prairies in the Midwest. These “empty” lands were not actually empty—they contained many different tribes of American Indians—but the white Americans saw this as an opportunity for cheap land and a new, better life. The pioneers lived among the American Indians, but it was not a harmonious relationship. Laura Ingalls Wilder in her Little House series talked about her parents’ attitudes toward the Osage. Most of the time, her parents either made fun of the Osage people or feared them, which, in turn, instilled fear and stereotypes in Laura and her sisters. Such was the case for the majority of …show more content…
There, he convinced a rival tribe, the Nahua of central Mexico, to join his forces against the Aztec people. When the conquistadors finally arrived at Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec empire, the Natives were convinced that he was one of their gods. Cortés abused this misbelief and used it to receive a portion of the Aztec gold. He eventually began to force the Aztecs to supply him with more riches, and the Aztecs rebelled. While the Natives successfully forced the conquistadors out of their area, many Aztecs had succumbed to the foreign diseases, such as smallpox and measles, brought over by the Spanish. Using this to their advantage, the conquistadors and the Nahua attacked the Aztecs again in 1521. Months of fighting and the final looting and destruction of Tenochtitlán forced the Aztecs to surrender. With their opponents gone, the Spanish began to carry out their plans for New Spain. To build up this colony and take the land’s resources, the conquistadors forced the natives into a system called encomienda. In this system, the Natives were forced to do physical labor for the Spanish, such as farming, ranching, and mining. In the mid-1500’s, priests pushed for the system to be abolished, which led the Spanish without the Natives’ labor and looking for a …show more content…
Their disputes were ones of land use. The Puritans drew up treaties to buy the land off the American Indians, but since the belief was that the land was there for everyone to use, the Natives believed the treaties were only an agreement to share the land for a limited period of time. However, this was no the case for the Puritans, who saw the treaties as the American Indians permanently selling off their land. In Connecticut, the Pequot nation attempted to rebel against the Europeans. This war nearly destroyed the Pequot population. The end of the war happened in May of 1637, when English colonists and Native allies of the Narragansett tribe surrounded a fort and set it on fire. They also shot at the Pequot people who tried to escape the burning fort. Only a few out of the 600 people that were in the fort survived. Another rebellion against European expansion into American Indian territory came about with the chiefdom of Metacomet, or King Philip as the English called him. Chief Metacomet was the son of Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe, who originally aided and interacted with the Puritans. However, as the English settlers gained their footing in New England, they began to seize land from the Wampanoag. The Puritans made the Natives work for them to earn a living, and the Wampanoag were also prohibited to hunt or fish on the Sabbath. Metacomet organized an alliance of
1675-76, the most devastating war between the colonists and the Native Americans in New England. The war is named for King Philip, the son of Massasoit and chief of the Wampanoag. His Wampanoag name was Metacom, Metacomet, or Pometacom. Upon the death (1662) of his brother, Alexander (Wamsutta), whom the Native Americans suspected the English of murdering, Philip became sachem and maintained peace with the colonists for a number of years. Hostility eventually developed over the steady succession of land sales forced on the Native Americans by their growing dependence on English goods. Suspicious of Philip, the English colonists in 1671 questioned and fined him and demanded that the Wampanoag surrender their arms, which they did. In 1675 a Christian Native American who had been acting as an informer to the English was murdered, probably at Philip's instigation. Three Wampanoags were tried for the murder and executed. Incensed by this act, the Native Americans in June, 1675, made a sudden raid on the border settlement of Swansea. Other raids followed; towns were burned and many whites-men, women, and children-were slain. Unable to draw the Native Americans into a major battle, the colonists resorted to similar methods of warfare in retaliation and antagonized other tribes. The Wampanoag were joined by the Nipmuck and by the Narragansett (after the latter were attacked by the colonists), and soon all the New England colonies were involved in the war. Philip's cause began to decline after he made a long journey west in an unsuccessful attempt to secure aid from the Mohawk. In 1676 the Narragansett were completely defeated and their chief, Canonchet, was killed in April of that year; the Wampanoag and Nipmuck were gradually subdued. Philip's wife and son were captured, and he was killed (Aug., 1676) by a Native American in the service of Capt.
Hernán was the cause of the fall of the Aztec Empire. The Aztecs had their own religion and it involved sacrifice. They believed that sacrificing humans were good because, without human blood, the Gods would grow sick and eventually die. After Hernán Cortés’s arrival on the coast of Mexico, they ran into a few Indigenous groups on his way to Tenochtitlan. Totonacs, Tlaxcalans, Cholulans, and Tabascan. Three out of four of those groups they fought and after defeating the Tabascan people, one of the slaves could speak Mayan, Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs), and shortly learned Spanish. Malinche helped the Spanish as an interpreter, spy, and the key to conquering the Aztecs. When Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlan, Moctezuma (Emperor of the Aztecs) allowed them in and exchange gifts. Cortés found out about their religion, traditions, and gold. He figured if they wiped them out, he’ll bring peace to Tenochtitlan and make him wealthy. Then happened a long battle of slaughtering many Aztec warriors, one by one and even place Moctezuma under house arrest in his own palace. The Europeans brought the Smallpox epidemic to Tenochtitlan and it had wiped out 25% of the Aztec population and not only that, they cut the aqueducts to the city. Finally, the Aztecs were annihilated and the Spanish tore down the city in ruins. The Aztec Empire ceased to
When the Spaniards arrived on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico in 1519, they encountered the advanced society of the Aztecs. With Tenochititlan at its capital, the Aztec empire was vast. The Aztecs had substantial wealth from trading and extensive payments of tribute from conquered peoples. Bernal Diaz in his The Conquest of New Spain comments, "We were dazzled at the richness of the country that we passed through" (282). The Spaniards encountered a powerful, advanced people in the New World, making Cortes and his crew of approximately 600 seemingly ensured of defeat. The Aztec religion lends much to Spanish success in conquest.
King Philip’s War, also known as the Great Narragansett War, has been named “America’s most devastating conflict,” and “was a violent and bloody battle between the Wampanoag and English colonists” (Messina). “King Philp’s War settled who controlled Southern New England, and cleared the way for colonial expansion. It also set the tone for future relations between the Native American people and the United States” (“Metacom’s (King Philip’s) War). On January 29, 1695, John Sassamon, a Christian “praying” Indian who had been acting as an informer to the British, died at Assawampsett Lake. Although Sassamon’s exact cause of death is unknown, most likely, Sassamon was murdered by three members of King Philip’s tribe, under the orders of King Philip
In 1519, the Spanish have a plan to invade Mexico. Led by Hernan Cortez, the Spanish conquistadors successfully reach Mexico City by 1519 and take over the Aztec people. The conquistadors soon defeat the Moctezuma’s empire with the assistance of the Mesoamerican group Tlaxcala. Another group of Spanish come to the land after, and they bring over the smallpox disease with them. They never knew the outcome of the take over until it is too late, and the Aztec people started getting very sick. This leads to the Smallpox Epidemic.
“This slaughter in the Sacred Patio went on for three hours.” This quote best describes the events that took place during a religious ritual. The actions of Cortes’ men could not be described any other way. The Spaniards murdered singers, spectators, and civilians that were unarmed. Their greatest lapse in judgment was the murder of a priest and king. This resulted in the Aztecs declaring war against them. However, it would be a war that they would win. Their victory would be aided by, “an invisible enemy…in the form of smallpox germs.” The disease weakened the Aztecs and Cortes was able to conquer Tenochtitlan and by 1521 he was able to conquer the entire
In 1521, Spain conquered the Aztecs, led by Hernando Cortes, and was a landmark victory for European immigrants. After the Spaniards arrived in Mexico, a huge battle broke out between the troops of Cortez and the Aztecs under Montezuma. The events that have taken place are critical to the development of the United States land and this year has become the subject of many historical debates. Guided by Hernan Cortés, the powerful Spanish guns and the desire for treasures will bring devastating destruction and disease. The Conqueror's team immediately discovered that the local allies are willing to help overthrow the brutal Aztec regime, get rid of the burden on tribute and the necessity of providing an endless Aztec appetite for the victims, and
One way that the Natives resisted Europeans who tried to take their land was by fighting back. Many battles, generally known as “Indian Wars”, were fought over land. Some of these battles included, The Pequot War, and King Phillip’s War. King Phillip’s war began in 1675. During this war, a Native tribe, known as the Wampanoags, rose up to resist English invasions into their lands. “For three years, the natives, well organized and armed with guns, terrorized a sting of Massachusetts towns, destroying twenty of them and causing the deaths of as many as a thousand people” (American History, page 48). The Pequot War, was the first major conflict between the Natives and the Europeans. War broke out in 1637, because of friction over land. “English settlers allied with the Mohegan and Narragansett Indians (who were also rivals of the Pequots). The greatest savagery in the conflict was the work of the English” (American History, page 48). They set their stronghold on fire and killed hundreds of Indians inside. Those who survived were hunted down, captured, and sold as slaves. The Pequot tribe was almost completely wiped out after this battle. The Europeans won both of these battles, but it did not end the tension. There were other indian tribes who could attack English
Warlike, adjective; meaning to be ready for, fond of, and equipped for war. The Aztecs developed this warlike culture due to social and political reasons. The Aztecs were located in present-day Mexico and controlled most of that area. The Aztecs existed from approximately 1400 to 1519. The Aztecs capital city, Tenochtitlan, was located towards the edge of the Aztec civilization. Tenochtitlan also had vast pyramids used for religious sacrifice.The fall of the Aztec civilization happened when the Spanish invaded bringing diseases such as smallpox which killed most of the civilization.
When the English landed in Jamestown in 1607, the dominant tribe of the area was the Powhatan (which the English settlers named after the leader of the tribe, Powhatan). At first meeting, the Powhatan considered the settlers as allies, who may be able to aid them in their struggle for land and power over the other tribes in the area. These relations strained when starving settlers started to take food from the Native Americans. In 1610, any notion of alliance between the Powhatan and the Virginia settlers was immediately crushed when Lord De La Warr arrived with a declaration of war against all Indians in the Jamestown area. De La Warr used his "Irish Tactics" of burning houses and crops and taking prisoners to destroy the Native Americans in what was known as the First Anglo-Powhatan war. A peace treaty was signed, but lasted only eight years. The Powhatan killed 347 settlers, which lead to the Virginia Company to give orders for "a perpetual war without peace or truce." Although the Powhatan made one more attempt at destroying the Virginians, they were defeated again in the Second Anglo-Powhatan war. The peace treaty of 1646 eliminated all chance of the Powhatan coexisting with the Virginia settlers. The treaty also banished the Indians from their native lands, which lay the president for what was later known as a reservation. After this the number of Native Americans in Virginia dwindled to a low 10% of the population.
There are many different portrayals of how the American Indians behaviors, attitudes, and how they interact with other people, changed over time. Many did not like the way the American Indians lived because it was not how they themselves lived, which was a modernized lifestyle compared to the American Indians. Historians once assumed that the American Indians once lived in an unchanging state, which was not true. This view the historians had was far too simplistic because of the fact that history shows that people’s culture is always changing.
There were millions of Aztecs and only a few hundred Spaniards. How was it then that the Spaniards, even with their steel and guns, could overrun them? The answer lies in a number the Spanish had even more of: microbes, which no one counted on. Yes, the encounters destroyed the Indians’ homes and made them slaves, but they also brought in disease and unknown illnesses to the New World. Millions had died, and generations disappeared. 50 years after the Spanish conquest 88% of the Mexican population was destroyed and only up to 200 thousand natives survived the ordeal. Also, the second in the list of causes of death had become the commonplace brutal treatment and poor conditions during slavery, and the third was by war
Though early relations between Puritans and Indians tended to be good, they became worse as time wore on. New settlers arrived in great waves, and those already there had many children. In 1630, there were 1800 Europeans in New England. In 1680, there were 68,000. This is a rate of population growth that is astoundingly high. And as these populations grew, the good land on the coast was claimed and bought up. New settlers had to move to the frontier, where they inevitably came into conflict with natives. The colonists had entered into a treaty of mutual protection with the Wampanog tribe, but they continued to settle in Wampanoag lands. The colonial assembly had passed a law banning the sale of land to or from Natives. When the Wampanoag leader's brother broke this law, the colonists attempted to arrest him, based off of the testimony of a native ally, John Sassamon. The leader's brother was acquitted, but then Sassamon died, of what the colonists suspected was murder. They proceeded to hang several Indians, including a native potentate. This did not help the tension. A band of Pokanoket raided the Plymouth town of Swansea, laid siege, and killed the people there. Massachusetts Bay officials counterattacked a native settlement. Over the next several years, the New England colonies fought an alliance of native tribes. Though the natives had several early victories, and even managed to attack deep into
The Spanish invaded Tenochtitlan in 1521 and ended the Aztecs religion. During the time the Spanish stayed there, they saw what the Aztecs did to their own people. They thought the religion was something that should not exist since they would have sacrificed humans of all ages and sex. They also said that their practices is the most terrible and frightful thing they have ever witnessed. During their attack on the Aztecs, Cortes wrote letters to the king on the Aztecs practices.
When the Spanish arrived in 1519, Cortes took complete advantage of this. After defeating the Tlaxcalan people, he then forged an alliance with them to increase his small numbers. Cortes’ forces continued to grow in this fashion as many indigenous people joined to rebel against the authority who controlled them. After suffering a terrible defeat at the hands of the Aztecs, Cortes retreated to rally more forces. He was soon joined by more Spanish soldiers from Cuba and he continued to enlist the native people. His army grew much larger and it consisted of ten times more natives than Spaniards. “He enlarged his army, numbering around 1,000 Spaniards and 10,000 Tlaxcalans and other Indian allies”. These larger numbers combined with the smallpox epidemic that weaken the Aztecs, allowed the Spaniards and the rebelling Native Americans to lay siege to Tenochtitlan and eventually emerge victorious. “Tlaxcalans took revenge on an old enemy [the Aztecs] by massacring thousands of city residents”. With the help of the native people, the larger Aztec empire fell to the smaller Spanish