Treatment of The Native Americans Throughout American History

When Christopher Columbus stepped foot on the New Land on October 12, 1492, the White Man came in contact with people of entirely different values and cultures. From that moment, the Native American was exposed to the world. Because their lifestyle was so much unlike that of European descent, they were mostly portrayed negatively, simply because they were different. Native American stereotypes have developed that put our aborigines predecessors in the negative light. However, many New Englanders had experiences with Native Americans that allowed them to see their true potential in society. Many documents have been recorded that contain happenings with Native Americans from the moment they were discovered, and they are reflected by the manner that White Men chose to perceive these people that were so unlike themselves.
After the encounter between these people who had not earlier known of one another’s existence, it was almost assured to end terribly. They certainly found each other strange at their first meeting. Native Americans were much underdressed compared to Europeans, and because of this Europeans viewed the Natives with pity and disgust rather than admiration. Europe’s cultural traditions, which mostly derived from the bible, caused people to believe that Natives were inferior because they were different. They used terms like “barbaric” and “heathen” to describe the Indians. “Europeans were culturally predisposed to see others as savages, while Native Americans were inclined to view strangers as gods” (Lepore). The first encounters of Europeans and North Americans were often brutal. The Europeans would kill, capture, and enslave them at first sight. Eventually, Europeans expected Natives to willingly subject themselves an...

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