European Conquest Of Indigenous Land

North American history is more often than not taught through one prevailing perspective. It is only until students reach post secondary, and choose to learn more about history, that the stories of minorities are finally heard. This essay will attempt to provide the other perspective of European conquest. European conquest of Indigenous lands, in North America from the 16th to 19th centuries, depicts an excruciating struggle for both settlers and Aboriginal peoples. When attempting to remove Indigenous peoples from their territory the settlers faced many complications due to the political, economic and military landscape they were advancing. Some of these Aboriginal forms of resistance included the knowledge of survival and language. Thus, the

It was not until they came into contact with Indigenous tribes that the European settlers soon realized their motives would be challenged by Indigenous tribes who understood the land much better and were not afraid to defend themselves with acts of guerilla warfare. These acts of Aboriginal resistance are evident through the accounts of Spanish conquistador known as Cabeza de Vaca who sailed on the Narváez expedition in search of Rio de las Palmas starting in 1527. During their journey along the southern coast of what is now the United States, the European settlers came across an Apalachee village while all the Aboriginal men were gone, and thus, captured all the women and children. When the Indigenous men returned they requested that their families be returned to them, which ended in the Europeans holding their village chief hostage. Eventually, the settlers could no longer uphold their power because the Aboriginal men “reverted to guerilla tactics to dislodge the intruders and force the release of their leader”. Reséndez deepens his readers’ understanding about Aboriginal resistance when he states that although the Spanish had advanced weaponry, they were no match against the Indigenous tribal men who were “unpredictable, skillful, swift, and

Their ability to engage in successful guerilla warfare eventually stood no chance against the horrendous military powers of European conquest. This is evident through the life of a Spanish conquistador known as Nuño de Guzmán who was known for his reputation that was based on violence and slavery. Throughout his expeditions, Guzmán was known for leaving a “trial of desolation” wherever he ventured by enslaving over thousands of Aboriginal peoples who were “put in chains or wore collars around their necks”. Other conquistadors would partake in the same acts like Captain Diego de Alcaraz who led a unit that was focused on finding Indigenous peoples to enslave. Reséndez brings up a point that not only were the military forces of the Europeans becoming larger and stronger, but they were also faster because of their use of horses. For instance, Reséndez points out “even half a dozen European horsemen could turn into an extremely efficient enslaving machine”. Aboriginal tribes were no match against the violent European detachments that would destroy whole villages in short periods of