Rakel+History

The British colonization of America began in the late 16th century. This led to centuries of conflict and trouble between the old and the new world societies. The Native Americans lived in hunter or farmer societies and had quite different values and views of life than the Europeans. What led to misunderstandings and conflict was the differences in culture between Native Americans and the Europeans. After the colonies rebelled against Great Britain they established the United States of America. In the late 18th century George Washington and Henry Knox got the idea of civilizing the Natives in America, to prepare them for citizenship. The process of making the Natives more “civilized” became a very consistent policy in the American administrations. In the beginning of the 19th century most of the Native Americans who lived in the south were taken from their homelands. By the American civil war, many Native American tribes, or nations had been relocated west of the Mississippi River.

Many people believe that the Native Americans were one nation, but that is not correct. There were Native Americans all the way from Alaska and down to the Andes-mountains in South America. They had different cultures, history and languages. Some of them were hunters, other farmers or fishermen. But the best known Red Indians were those who lived on the prairie, the horsemen. They were some of the best horsemen in the world. Before the Red Indians got horses, it was difficult to live on the prairie, because of the lack of water. The Native Americans believed that the earth did not belong to any man, and that every life was just as important as any other. They had great respect for the nature, and every creature. That’s why the meeting with the Europeans became a catastrophe for the Red Indians. The Europeans used violence and force, and the Natives were suppressed. The Europeans also brought with them unknown diseases that the Red Indians had never been exposed to. Illnesses like a cold or the flu could easily kill an Indian. Another thing they brought along was alcohol. The Natives were forced west by the new settlers, and placed in reservations. The Europeans made the Indians to move further and further into the country, away from the coast. Back