Relationship between the indians and the europeans

In the early 1500s there were many Native Americans in North Carolina when the Europeans first arrived. The Europeans were coming to the ‘ New World,’ where the Indians had been for 50, 000 years. The Europeans did not have compassion for the Indians so they ended up changing the lives of the Natives, causing cultures and land to be lost. The mixing of the European cultures with the Indian cultures affected land, ways of life, and beliefs. When they met, the Europeans did not trust the Natives. The Indians welcomed Europeans and wanted to know them. Later on because of their differences, war broke out between the two sides and led to displacements of the Indian tribes. The European cultures and way of living changed the lands that the Natives originally inhabited. The Indians cleared some of the forest that was in the Eastern Woodlands to build their villages. They would build their houses and the women planted corn, beans and squash. They would plant food so that they could attract animals and hunt them. The Indians didn’t use the land or wear it out because the land wasn’t theirs. They did not believe in land ownership. A Native American once said, “…the Great Spirit told me…that the land belongs to Him, that no people owns the land; that I was not to forget to tell this to the white people. ” The Europeans didn’t think the same way. They thought that they had the right to own the land and everything on it. When they arrived to the Eastern Woodlands they fought or traded for the land that they found. They cut down the trees to make lumber. The Europeans killed many animals so they could sell their fur or pelts. The Europeans thought that the Indians were wild and uncivilized. The Indians farmed, fished, gathered, and hunted for food. Europeans believed that because the Indians couldn’t build proper houses they were less intelligent. They made what they needed, or traded for things that they did not have. They had a supportive economy and cared for their homeland. Native Americans wanted metal products that they couldn’t make themselves, such as axes and knives. Because of the Europeans the Natives found out how much value guns had. Having guns and horses changed the way Native Americans hunted for food. Their tradition of simple hunting for food began to decrease. Soon The Natives depended on European items for daily needs. These things happened after they made contact with the Europeans. Most of the settlers felt they were better than the Native People and when the natives died from European diseases they were not bothered at all. The diseases were brought to North America and included measles, smallpox, influenza, and many others. Natives were not immune to these diseases because they had never been exposed to them before, as had the Europeans. The Native American population was decimated. Some of the Indians were forced to leave their hunting and farming lands. They would have to move and find other places where it was difficult to reestablish themselves. Many times they would suffer, die, and lose family members. Native Americans had no idea what, ” private property” meant. Because of this many tribes were put to sign papers to give the ” white men” the right to take their land. The United Stated is in debt with the Indians for the land that was taken by the Europeans.