Introduction
The history of the relationship between the indigenous inhabitants of North America and settlers from England is one of the interesting areas in the study of early colonial historiography. The pilgrims used every opportunity to strengthen their influence and create a distance that prevented the colonists’ assimilation. English, French, and Spanish settlers have influenced the indigenous people’s culture and way of life.
English Settlers
The foreign policy of Great Britain in the 18th century was aimed at preventing the strengthening of any other country and the seizure of new colonies. The number of English settlers sent was less than 12% of the population of the British Empire; the gender ratio was 10 men to 1 woman (Berkin et al., 2014). The group intended to expand its holdings to create a raw material appendage.
England’s industry had the necessary and extremely cheap raw materials and an extensive sales market. English settlers’ intent impacted interactions with the Native Americans, enslaving them. Native Americans served as cheap labor for the British (Masta & Rosta, 2019). The British Crown imposed its culture and customs, destroying Native memories and their right to identity. The people they colonized suffered because they had to work instead of expending their energies to flourish their culture.
Spanish Settlers
The conquistadors participated in armed expeditions to acquire wealth and conquer the local people. Some 200,000 Spanish settlers were sent; the sex ratio was two men to 1 woman as groups arrived to settle, and some of them took their families with them (Berkin et al., 2014). The main reason for organizing successive expeditions was knowledge of the riches that Cortés and his soldiers saw and plundered in the Americas (Masta & Rosa, 2019). The conquest was accompanied by terror, persecution, and exploitation of the conquered population.
The Spanish invasive intentions impacted the culture and lives of the indigenous peoples. By imposing a system of slavery and population control, they forced the Indians to pay tribute to preserve their lives (Masta & Rosa, 2019). Moreover, the Spanish forced conversions and required the evangelization of the population (Berkin et al., 2014). The Spanish used faith to pressure Native Americans: Christianity supplanted Incan and Aztec faith, forcing them to confess suffering as a means of salvation.
French Settlers
The French settlers chose a slightly different way of interacting with the Native Americans. About 150,000 French settlers were sent; the gender ratio was 10 men to 1 woman (Masta & Rosa, 2019). The settlers arrived to create trade and economic ties, but gradually, the ways of boosting the economy became increasingly rigid.
Although the resources and climate allowed sugarcane cultivation, privileged governors wanted a monopoly (Berkin et al., 2014; Masta & Rosa, 2019). This led to an invasive way of obtaining labor for the plantations. Indigenous peoples were enslaved, and the French forced the perception of labor as grace and honor to develop the region. The goods grown by the natives were exported and seized, contributing to the development of the elites. The French enslavers forced Native Americans to toil hard for petty cash and to give up their resources without recourse.
Comparison
Comparing the tactics of the English, French, and Spanish settlers, one can see similarities in colonization. First, all countries used elites and dignitaries to achieve their goals in Native American territory. Secondly, they aimed to acquire as many resources as possible, prioritizing their wealth over the region’s development or the well-being of the local population. Third, all countries enslaved Native people, closing off opportunities for work, labor, faith, and cultural preservation. Finally, everything significantly changed the way of life for centuries.
Differences in the impact on Native Americans had to do with the purposes for which the settlers arrived. The English sought to seize territories for minerals as industrialization became widespread and resources were needed for mechanization. The French and Spanish used the native population as cheap labor. The Spanish used faith and threats to life as the primary pressure tools, deliberately destroying the culture. On the other hand, the French sought to take some Native American cultures and weaken their capital to develop their own.
Conclusion
Consequently, colonizers from England, Spain, and France followed similar principles in seizing Native American territories. They sought to seize extensive lands with resources and convenient conditions to establish new trade routes. In addition, they all tilted the natives into slavery and destroyed their right to an identity. Nevertheless, they chose different ways to do this.
All countries tended to have cheap labor, but the Spaniards did it more than others through deliberate Christianization. France and England sought to seize as many resources as possible, but only the French chose to seize plantations and sell them for export. In contrast, the English seized valuable resources for their country’s development. As a result, indigenous people were losing their identity, their ability to develop and work, and to be free people with their own culture.
References
Berkin, C., Miller, C., & Cherny, R. (2014). Making America: A history of the United States, volume I: To 1877. Cengage Learning.
Masta, S., & Rosa, T. J. (2019). Understanding the dominant discourse of colonialism: A qualitative, single case study of an eighth-grade U.S. History classroom. The Social Studies, 110(3), 146-154. Web.