| Initially, the Native Americans welcomed the | | | | peaceful Cherokee Indians. They worked within |
| Europeans to America. Christopher Columbus | | | | the confines of the legal system of the |
| reported to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand | | | | United States to resist their forced removal |
| that the Indians on San Salvador Island | | | | from their homelands in Georgia. They filed a |
| responded warmly to the gifts the Europeans | | | | lawsuit with the United States federal |
| gave them, and "became so entirely [their] | | | | government against the state of Georgia to be |
| friends that it was a wonder to see" (Hurtado | | | | able to remain in their traditional |
| 45). | | | | homelands. Although they ultimately lost the |
| | | | lawsuit and were forced to leave their |
| Montezuma and the Aztecs welcomed the | | | | homelands, the Cherokee tribe did not turn to |
| Spaniards as a God that came in fulfillment | | | | warfare as a response to their tragic |
| of their destiny. This Aztec belief induced | | | | displacement. The majority of the Cherokees |
| them to submit themselves entirely under the | | | | quietly submitted to the march known as the |
| Spaniards' rule. Many Native American | | | | Trail of Tears, in which so many of them died |
| tribes, such as those encountered by Jacques | | | | along the way due to exposure and starvation |
| Cartier, Cabeza de Vaca, and Hernando de | | | | from lack of adequate provisions. |
| Soto, regarded the Europeans as powerful | | | | |
| shamans or Gods. The Native Americans would | | | | The Plains Indians, such as the Lakota, were |
| bring their ill tribal members to them to | | | | the most likely Native Americans tribes to |
| heal their sickness (Hurtado 56). | | | | respond to their oppression with open |
| | | | warfare. The taking of the Black Hills is a |
| The influx of European goods greatly altered | | | | very good example of this. When the settlers |
| the relationship between the Native Americans | | | | first began to swarm into the Black Hills |
| and the invading Europeans. As the Native | | | | looking for gold, the U.S. government |
| Americans began to use European goods, such | | | | initially tried to keep them out in |
| as hatchets, iron arrowheads, sword blades, | | | | accordance of the treaty with the Lakota and |
| knives, and other goods, their dependency | | | | their allies. But as more and more |
| upon Europeans became more established. | | | | gold-seekers trekked in, the federal |
| Divisions between tribes began to emerge as | | | | government reversed their position. The |
| some Native American tribes allied themselves | | | | government offered to buy the Black Hills, |
| with the English, and others allied | | | | which was rejected. |
| themselves with the French settlers. | | | | |
| | | | Then the U.S. government issued a law |
| Initially, the Christian missionaries were | | | | requiring all the Indians to vacate the Black |
| accepted also, as the polytheistic Native | | | | Hills. This action led to such violent |
| Americans did not resist the worship of the | | | | confrontations as the battles of Little Big |
| Christian god. But when the conquering | | | | Horn and Wounded Knee. Not all the Plains |
| Europeans began to rigorously suppress the | | | | Indians fought in this war, as many of them |
| Native Americans' religion, they began to | | | | followed Red Cloud and remained out of the |
| resist. As in the case of the Tewa Indians, | | | | fighting. This taking of the Black Hills is |
| they resisted passively at first by keeping | | | | still an important issue today, since the |
| their religious observances hidden from the | | | | Lakota tribe continues to assert their claim |
| Spanish. But as the Spanish invaders became | | | | over the Black Hills, and refuses to touch |
| even more ruthless in suppressing their | | | | the money the United States government holds |
| religion, the Tewa Indians openly rebelled, | | | | in trust for the purchase of the Black Hills. |
| killing many of the Spanish, including | | | | |
| non-combatants such as women, children, and | | | | Bibliography |
| priests. The Tewa Indians also ransacked | | | | |
| Christian churches and desecrated their holy | | | | Hurtado, Albert, Peter Iverson, and Thomas |
| places. | | | | Paterson, editors. Major Problems in American |
| | | | Indian History: Documents and Essays. |
| Another type of resistance used by the Native | | | | Houghton Mifflin Company Collegiate Division, |
| Americans is exemplified in the case of the | | | | 2000. |