A bit of American history


Native Americans early history

Spanish slave traders of the early 16th
Century were probably the first Europeans toIn 1620, a group of English settlers,
interact with the native population ofincluding the Pilgrims, who were heading for
Florida.[4] The first documented encounter ofthe Hudson River, got blown off-course and
Europeans with Native Americans of the Unitedanchored in Provincetown Harbor before they
States came with the first expedition of Juansettled at present-day Plymouth,
Ponce de León to Florida in 1513, althoughMassachusetts, instead, during a harsh
he encounted at least one native that spokewinter. In the autumn of 1621, they
Spanish. In 1521, he encountered the Calusacelebrated a three-day thanksgiving feast
people during a failed colonization attemptwith the native Wampanoag people, without
in  which  they  drove  off  the  Europeans.whom they would not have survived the winter
of  1620.
In 1526, Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón tried
to found a colony in what is now SouthThe Great Migration continued into the 1630s
Carolina, but for multiple reasons it failedand 40s, creating many settlements in New
after only a year. The remaining slaves ofEngland and the Virginia colony. Dutch
the colony revolted and fled into thecolonization activities proceeded in an
wilderness to live among the Cofitachiquioverlapping terr Pequot War Meanwhile,
people.Spanish and French colonization were also
proceeding  on  other areas of the continent.
The next encounter came with the members of
the Narváez expedition fromSome European settlers used Native American
1528–1536. Álvar Núnez Cabeza decontacts to further their activities in the
Vaca wrote a detailed account of the failedfur trade; others sold European technology to
expedition which includes descriptions ofthe natives, including firearms which fueled
several Native American cultures hetribal wars. Peaceful coexistence was
encountered from Florida, the northern Gulfestablished in some times and places. For
Coast, Texas, possibly New Mexico andexample, the careful diplomacy of William
Arizona, and northern Mexico. He describedPynchon facilitated the founding of what
the behavior, living situation, dress, andwould become Springfield, Massachusetts in a
food of the people he encountered as hedesirable farming location close to the
wandered  from  village  to  village.native  Agawam  settlement.
An expedition in 1539 headed by Fray MarcosStruggles for economic and territorial
de Niza went in search of The Seven Cities ofdominance also continued to result in armed
Gold. They were guided by another survivor ofconflict. In some cases these latent
the Narváez expedition, Estevanico, whoconflicts resulted in escalating tensions,
encountered the Zuni people in hisgradually followed by escalating multi-party
wanderings. Following de Niza in search ofviolence. In other cases sudden, relatively
the fabled cities was Francisco Vásquez deunprovoked raids were conducted on native and
Coronado from 140–1542. He hadcolonial settlements, which might involve
encounters with the Hopi and Zuni as well asarson,  massacre,  or kidnapping for slavery.
several other native groups in Arizona, New
Mexico,  Texas,  Kansas,  and  Oklahoma.Pre-existing rivalries among both the Native
American tribes and confederacies and the
Also in 1539, the Hernando De Soto expeditionEuropean nations led groups from both
traveled through the Southern United Statescontinents to find war allies among the
from 1539–1542. This expedition wasothers against their traditional enemies.
responsible for introducing diseases intoWhen transatlantic civilizations clashed,
that region, and also resulted in severalbetter technology (including firearms) and
battles with various tribes. The expeditionthe epidemics decimating native populations
included a member of the failed Narváezgave Europeans a substantial military
expedition of 1528 named Juan Ortiz who livedadvantage.
among the Tocobaga people for twelve years
before  being  rescued  by  de  Soto.In 1637, the Pequot War erupted in the
Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies. Indian
Another encounter was the failed RoanokeWars in the English colonies would continue
Colony led by Sir Walter Raleigh of Englandon  and  off  into  the  American Revolution.
in 1584. At first, the local tribes bartered
with the colonists, but this was during aIn the early 1680s, Philadelphia was
time of a severe drought, and when the localestablished by William Penn in the Delaware
tribes grew more reluctant to trade,Valley, which was home to the Lenni-Lenape
relations deteriorated. The fate of thenation. Chief Tamanend reputably took part in
colonists  is  still  a  controversy.a peace treaty between the leaders of the
Lenni-Lenape nation and the leaders of the
By 1578 there were about 350 European fishingPennsylvania colony held under a large elm
vessels at Newfoundland and sailors began totree  at  Shakamaxon.
trade metal implements (particularly knives)
for the natives' well worn pelts. The FrenchIn the Spanish sphere, many of the Pueblo
fur trade was undertaken by Francis Grave (apeople harbored hostility toward the Spanish,
merchant) and Chauvin (a captain) in 1599primarily due to their denigration and
when they acquired a monopoly from Henry IVprohibition of the traditional religion (the
and their attempt to establish a colony atSpanish at the time being staunchly and
the mouth of the Saguenay River was a directaggressively Catholic). The traditional
result of their desire to profit from tradingeconomies of the pueblos were likewise
native  fur  pelts  for  European  goods.disrupted when they were forced to labor on
the encomiendas of the colonists. However,
England attempted again to colonize, first inthe Spanish had introduced new farming
1606 with the Popham Colony in present-dayimplements and provided some measure of
Maine, and again in 1607 in Jamestown,security against Navajo and Apache raiding
Virginia. The latter became the firstparties. As a result, they lived in relative
permanent English settlement in the Unitedpeace with the Spanish following the founding
States. The Popham Colony interacted with theof the Northern New Mexican colony in 1598.
Abeneki tribe, but failed to establishIn the 1670s, however, drought swept the
cooperation. Jamestown's breakdown inregion, which not only caused famine among
relations with the Paspahegh and Powhatanthe Pueblo, but also provoked increased
tribes resulted in the Firstattacks from neighboring hunter-gatherer
Anglo–Powhatan War, which ended withtribes — attacks against which Spanish
the  marriage  of  John Rolfe and Pocahontas.soldiers were unable to defend. At the same
time, European-introduced diseases were
In 1610 a teenage Étienne Brulé wasravaging the natives, greatly decreasing
sent by Samuel de Champlain to live with thetheir numbers. It has also been alleged that
Hurons for a year as a sort of 'exchangethe introduction of these diseases was often
student'. Champlian, in turn, accepted theexacerbated when soldiers handed out blankets
company of a Huron youth named Savignon whoand other humanitarian supplies carrying
accompanied him back to France. The twoEuropean microorganisms.[citation needed]
cultures made a successful rendezvous theUnsatisfied with the protective powers of the
next year and the young men returned to theirSpanish crown, the Pueblo revolted in 1680.
respective groups to report theirIn 1692, Spanish control was reasserted, but
experiences.under much more lenient terms.



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