Heimler's History: Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans

Key Question

How and why did interactions between American Indians and various European nations change over time?

Caste System
- Introduced by the Spanish, reordered society based on racial ancestry.
- American Indians placed near the bottom due to their view as laborers and subjects for conversion.
Santa Fe and Pueblo Revolt
- Santa Fe established as capital of New Mexico in 1610.
- Spanish used coercive measures for conversion, leading to the Pueblo Revolt.
- Pueblo people successfully expelled the Spanish for 12 years before reconquest.

Settlement Patterns
- British settled in areas without large empires, unlike the Spanish.
- Migrated as family groups, especially in New England, avoiding intermarriage.
Initial Relations
- Initially peaceful coexistence in New England.
- Shared cultural exchanges: manufactured goods and iron tools for farming and hunting techniques.
Conflict and Expansion
- Increasing population led to land encroachment.
- Metacom's War (King Philip's War, 1675)
  - Metacom (King Philip) led a resistance against land encroachment.
  - Allied with other Indian groups; British allied with Mohawk Indians.
  - Ended with Metacom's death and collapse of Indian resistance.
Comparative Outcomes
- Spanish subjugated tribes; British forced out scattered tribes.

Trade and Alliances
- Less invasive; viewed natives as trade partners and military allies.
- Established trading posts for fur trade, avoiding large colonial settlements.
- Often intermarried with tribes for trade rights.
- Allied with Huron against Iroquois.

Europeans rarely considered American Indians equal.
Diverse and sometimes warring native groups limited unified resistance.
Native Adaptations
- Some allied with Europeans for survival.
- Others migrated to less settled areas, although this was not sustainable long-term.