Early Encounters Between American Indians and Colonists Essay Example

During the late 1400s to the early 1600s, the English and the French explored the Northeast, looking to settle and colonize. The settlement of the English and the French improved and disimproved the Indian's lifestyle in many drastic ways. Through agriculture, creating new lifestyles, and seeking new land. 

To begin, England came to America to start new lives and create better agriculture. They settled in New France (Nova Scotia) and then moved throughout the US. As they settled in the US they found evidence of tribes that had already been there due to many campfires around each other. Throughout the English beginning to settle and create lifestyles, they grew cash crops, metals, held livestock that was brought over and produced domestic services. When the Indians started to interact and grow relationships with the English there were some bumps along the road. The English treated the Natives as they were inferior and believed they stood in the way of their God-given right for land. They tried to subject the Natives to their lives as they established colonies.

To add onto, the French had a different experience with their settlement in America than the English. The French came to America seeking a route to the ocean and wealth. The French settled along the St. Lawrence River, as like the English, they as well moved throughout the US. They began their settlement and started labor systems. They acquired land and resources to produce and sell profit, like the famous fur trade. When the French began interacting with the Indians they treated them as human beings, unlike the English. In return, the Indians treated the French as trusted friends, and showed them the ways around the “New World”.

To compare, there were many aspects where both the English and the French had similarities within the settlement. They both came from Europe seeking new land and better lifestyles from Europe. Also, they ended up coming to America for religious freedom. Both the English and French had either positive or negative interactions with the Natives who were already settled in America. But they settled in their own ways.

To conclude, throughout the settlement of the English and the French, there were some ups and downs. But they learned from that and began thriving after the starving age and the age of disease killing many people off. There were many ways of improvement and disimproved throughout the time period.