Relationships between the Native and White Americans

More specifically, this paper aims at identifying the relations between the Natives and White Americans between the years 1630 to 1750. In 1630s, the native population had significantly decreased by the European epidemics which forced the surviving Indians to sell their land to the English speakers. At the time, the natives had a very good and beneficial relationship as the Whites learned from the natives vital techniques used farming which included growing crops such as corn, beans, potatoes and pumpkins. Similarly, the natives served a vital role in the market and acted as trading partners to the European immigrant, particularly in the creation and development of the North American fur trade. For example, the natives were considered as significant since they bought the manufactured goods such as the pots, blankets, arrows, guns and rifles as well as alcohol.

The prophets described alcoholism as one of the evil effects of white culture. For instance, Tenskwatawa continued to describe the Indian civilization as virtuous and the white world as sinful and corrupt which escalated negativity and conflicts in the region (206). The Natives and the Whites had formed a seemingly good relationship at the beginning; however, greed for land and power among the immigrants resulted in wars that led to the death of many individuals. The war between the two communities on the Northwest frontier reached a crescendo in the 1790s and a group of Natives took the initiative to combine forces and defeat the military forces. For instance, in 1790-91, a number of tribes led by a warrior, Little Turtle, fought and won against the States forces as they attempted to form treaties that would assure peace in their community (155).