Native Americans in Life of Mature English Colonies Essay

Introduction

During the 1700s, the new England colonies were fully settled and established. By then known as the mature English Colonies, they embraced both England and American practices. Critical changes in their lives were influenced by the agitation to be independent of Great Britain’s rule. The colonists were learning English, farming, fishing, and trading within new alliances with the native Americans. Although most of the English people were puritans, some were growing rebellious by adopting American freedom of worship. Upon attaining self-sufficient economies, the colonists sought economic freedom from the Europeans. The native Americans are part of everyday life in the mature English colonies through economic, cultural, and social practices.

Economic Practices

The mature new English colonies relied on trade alliances established by the North Americans. When the settlers arrived in America, they first made the native Americans their allies. While they had plenty of raw materials for manufacturing and production of goods and services, they needed consumers and suppliers of other materials¹. Therefore, they made trade alliances with the North Americans for barter exchanges.

During their trade, the settlers relied on American barter and non-barter forms of exchange such as wampum and nails from the Americans². Due to a lack of currency, the colonists would use “commodity money” which varied from region to region. For example, in Virginia, the exchange rate of tobacco was standardized as a form of money exchange³. Through the established trade alliances with Americans, the settlers would purchase items such as clothes, tools, and utensils from North American manufacturers and artisans. The mature English colonies continued to rely on the trade alliances established by their predecessors.

Cultural Practices

The native Americans influenced the English colonists through religion and farming. A larger population of the mature English colonies practiced puritanism as a distinct religion while others were rebellious. Puritanism embraced tough Christianity practices that limited followers’ freedom⁴. Native Americans practiced freedom of worship whereas religious practices involved different types of idol worshipping. Some puritans admired the American freedom of worship and broke loose from the English religion⁵. Although most developed modern Christianity somewhat deviates from catholic teachings, they still were impacted by the concept of freedom in worship.

The Native Americans were part of the colonists’ lives through agricultural self-reliance. The native Americans were self-reliant on the sources of food they consumed. They would produce corn, beans, squash, and chile, consumed along with other collected fruits and hunted meat⁶. In the 18^th century, the New England colonists borrowed the agricultural culture where they farmed corn and beans. The New England soil was rocky and following harsh winters and short summers, the colonists only farmed food for family consumption⁷. In that sense, the colonists again borrowed the concept of self-reliance in farming from the native Americans. The colonists also learned the native American survival tactic of hunting and fishing. Following the American culture of consuming a balanced diet, the English acquired animal protein through hunting and fishing. Therefore, the native Americans were part of the new England colonists’ experiences through sharing farming culture.

Social Practices

Socially, the European colonists made native Americans part of their lives through the interpretation of English and the embrace of kinship ties. New England settlers had difficulties conversing with the Native Americans. Therefore, most colonists would work alongside American English interpreters⁸. Most European colonists spoke a variety of foreign dialects which differed from American English. By the 18^th century, the settlers were more open-minded and willing to work with Americans for an industrial revolution⁹. Therefore, they worked for hand in hand with American interpreters of the time. Furthermore, with increasing puritanism rebels, the settlers and Americans grew more social understanding. With an increased need for socializing, the settlers needed more native American English interpreters.

The trade-focused settlers eventually adapted the American kinship ties. Bound by kinship ties, North American families would live together in small communities. The communities were formed by both nuclear and extended families¹⁰. They believed in complete family support for community development. To some point, the settlers borrowed the idea of kinship ties. They lived in community-based colonies that separated them from the Americans¹¹. The colonists had a higher recognition of a family as a whole and the least of those who composed it. Clans, signifying a sense of belonging like the American tribes also defined the colonists. Therefore, native Americans experience kinship ties amongst the European settlers.

Conclusion

The native Americans impacted the lives of mature English settlers through economic, cultural, and social practices. The settlers adapted the American mode of exchange in the absence of a currency. The economic alliance made it possible for both natives and settlers to co-exist and develop a common economy. Freedom of worship and farming are other critical ways of practicing American ways. The colonists also borrowed social norms such as language and kinship ties in their lives. Through the various adaptation, the English colonies significantly grew along the American culture. Therefore, in many ways, the native Americans from the north developed the English colonies.

Bibliography

Bacon, Nathaniel. “Bacon’s Rebellion: The Declaration (1676).” History Matters. Web.

The American Yawp. “A Gaspesian Man Defends His Way of Life, 1641.“. Web.

The American Yawp. “17th Century Competition and Rise of Civilization in North America.” (n.d.), 1-84.

The American Yawp. “Colonial Society.” Web.

The American Yawp. “Indigenous America.” Web.

The American Yawp. “The American Revolution.” Web.

Footnotes

1. “Colonial Society.” The American Yawp. Web.
2. The American Yawp, “Colonial Society.”
3. “Indigenous America.” The American Yawp. Web.
4. Bacon, Nathaniel. “Bacon’s Rebellion: The Declaration (1676).”. Web.
5. “A Gaspesian Man Defends His Way of Life, 1641.” The American Yawp. Web.
6. The American Yawp, “Indigenous America.”
7. The American Yawp, “Indigenous America.”
8. “17th Century Competition and Rise of Civilization in North America.” The American Yawp, 66.
9. “The American Revolution.” The American Yawp. Web.
10. The American Yawp, “Indigenous America.”
11. The American Yawp, “17th Century Competition” 61.