Native Americans early history

Spanish slave traders of the early 16th Centuryyoung men returned to their respective groups to
were probably the first Europeans to interact withreport their experiences.
the native population of Florida.[4] The firstIn 1620, a group of English settlers, including the
documented encounter of Europeans with NativePilgrims, who were heading for the Hudson River,
Americans of the United States came with thegot blown off-course and anchored in
first expedition of Juan Ponce de León toProvincetown Harbor before they settled at
Florida in 1513, although he encounted at least onepresent-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, instead,
native that spoke Spanish. In 1521, heduring a harsh winter. In the autumn of 1621, they
encountered the Calusa people during a failedcelebrated a three-day thanksgiving feast with
colonization attempt in which they drove off thethe native Wampanoag people, without whom
Europeans.they would not have survived the winter of 1620.
In 1526, Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón triedThe Great Migration continued into the 1630s and
to found a colony in what is now South Carolina,40s, creating many settlements in New England
but for multiple reasons it failed after only a year.and the Virginia colony. Dutch colonization activities
The remaining slaves of the colony revolted andproceeded in an overlapping terr Pequot War
fled into the wilderness to live among theMeanwhile, Spanish and French colonization were
Cofitachiqui people.also proceeding on other areas of the continent.
The next encounter came with the members ofSome European settlers used Native American
the Narváez expedition fromcontacts to further their activities in the fur trade;
1528–1536. Álvar Núnezothers sold European technology to the natives,
Cabeza de Vaca wrote a detailed account of theincluding firearms which fueled tribal wars. Peaceful
failed expedition which includes descriptions ofcoexistence was established in some times and
several Native American cultures he encounteredplaces. For example, the careful diplomacy of
from Florida, the northern Gulf Coast, Texas,William Pynchon facilitated the founding of what
possibly New Mexico and Arizona, and northernwould become Springfield, Massachusetts in a
Mexico. He described the behavior, living situation,desirable farming location close to the native
dress, and food of the people he encountered asAgawam settlement.
he wandered from village to village.Struggles for economic and territorial dominance
An expedition in 1539 headed by Fray Marcos dealso continued to result in armed conflict. In some
Niza went in search of The Seven Cities of Gold.cases these latent conflicts resulted in escalating
They were guided by another survivor of thetensions, gradually followed by escalating
Narváez expedition, Estevanico, whomulti-party violence. In other cases sudden,
encountered the Zuni people in his wanderings.relatively unprovoked raids were conducted on
Following de Niza in search of the fabled cities wasnative and colonial settlements, which might
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado frominvolve arson, massacre, or kidnapping for slavery.
140–1542. He had encounters with thePre-existing rivalries among both the Native
Hopi and Zuni as well as several other nativeAmerican tribes and confederacies and the
groups in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas,European nations led groups from both continents
and Oklahoma.to find war allies among the others against their
Also in 1539, the Hernando De Soto expeditiontraditional enemies. When transatlantic civilizations
traveled through the Southern United States fromclashed, better technology (including firearms) and
1539–1542. This expedition wasthe epidemics decimating native populations gave
responsible for introducing diseases into thatEuropeans a substantial military advantage.
region, and also resulted in several battles withIn 1637, the Pequot War erupted in the
various tribes. The expedition included a memberMassachusetts and Plymouth colonies. Indian Wars
of the failed Narváez expedition of 1528in the English colonies would continue on and off
named Juan Ortiz who lived among the Tocobagainto the American Revolution.
people for twelve years before being rescued byIn the early 1680s, Philadelphia was established by
de Soto.William Penn in the Delaware Valley, which was
Another encounter was the failed Roanokehome to the Lenni-Lenape nation. Chief Tamanend
Colony led by Sir Walter Raleigh of England inreputably took part in a peace treaty between
1584. At first, the local tribes bartered with thethe leaders of the Lenni-Lenape nation and the
colonists, but this was during a time of a severeleaders of the Pennsylvania colony held under a
drought, and when the local tribes grew morelarge elm tree at Shakamaxon.
reluctant to trade, relations deteriorated. The fateIn the Spanish sphere, many of the Pueblo people
of the colonists is still a controversy.harbored hostility toward the Spanish, primarily
By 1578 there were about 350 European fishingdue to their denigration and prohibition of the
vessels at Newfoundland and sailors began totraditional religion (the Spanish at the time being
trade metal implements (particularly knives) forstaunchly and aggressively Catholic). The traditional
the natives' well worn pelts. The French fur tradeeconomies of the pueblos were likewise disrupted
was undertaken by Francis Grave (a merchant)when they were forced to labor on the
and Chauvin (a captain) in 1599 when theyencomiendas of the colonists. However, the
acquired a monopoly from Henry IV and theirSpanish had introduced new farming implements
attempt to establish a colony at the mouth of theand provided some measure of security against
Saguenay River was a direct result of their desireNavajo and Apache raiding parties. As a result,
to profit from trading native fur pelts forthey lived in relative peace with the Spanish
European goods.following the founding of the Northern New
England attempted again to colonize, first in 1606Mexican colony in 1598. In the 1670s, however,
with the Popham Colony in present-day Maine, anddrought swept the region, which not only caused
again in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. The latterfamine among the Pueblo, but also provoked
became the first permanent English settlement inincreased attacks from neighboring
the United States. The Popham Colony interactedhunter-gatherer tribes — attacks
with the Abeneki tribe, but failed to establishagainst which Spanish soldiers were unable to
cooperation. Jamestown's breakdown in relationsdefend. At the same time, European-introduced
with the Paspahegh and Powhatan tribes resulteddiseases were ravaging the natives, greatly
in the First Anglo–Powhatan War, whichdecreasing their numbers. It has also been alleged
ended with the marriage of John Rolfe andthat the introduction of these diseases was often
Pocahontas.exacerbated when soldiers handed out blankets
In 1610 a teenage Étienne Brulé wasand other humanitarian supplies carrying European
sent by Samuel de Champlain to live with themicroorganisms.[citation needed] Unsatisfied with
Hurons for a year as a sort of 'exchange student'.the protective powers of the Spanish crown, the
Champlian, in turn, accepted the company of aPueblo revolted in 1680. In 1692, Spanish control
Huron youth named Savignon who accompaniedwas reasserted, but under much more lenient
him back to France. The two cultures made aterms.
successful rendezvous the next year and the