COPING WITH AMERICAN COLONIZATION
Perhaps, the best way of coping with American colonization is to have a better understanding of history. The Americas were not a utopia when European immigrants arrived. Yet, all of the world contained much upheaval in historic times. Some American warriors saw their aggressive actions as bravery. They would bring home trophies, both slaves and goods, after plundering neighboring tribes. Surprisingly, these men were honored by their tribes, until a more powerful enemy became the tribe’s undoing. Additionally, in some parts of the Americas, natives were even practicing human sacrifice.
Also, when traders entered North America, they were given tribal women as slaves to seal the trade alliances between themselves and the tribes. I descend from a family which has two instances of this. The guide for Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, was taken away from her people by a plundering tribe. Sadly, she was forced to be a slave as a child and was handed over to a French trader when she was older.
ENSLAVERS AND CONQUERORS
Slavery was being practiced by European kingdoms, some settlers, and some natives. Yet, slavery has been one of the greatest stains on humanity throughout history. Some female slaves were even denied their God-given reproductive rights. In the animal kingdom, females are allowed to receive or to reject a potential mate by God’s design. Even so, the same countries, who referred to others as barbarians, were participating in slavery. However, Christ taught that we should do unto others as we would have done unto us. (Matthew 7:12) This teaching alone should have abolished the practice of slavery for any so-called Christian nations a couple of thousand years ago.
Yet, the act of enslaving others is what a conqueror does. Is it not? Claiming the land for a monarch was a theft of others’ property. Claiming the people of a land as the monarch’s subjects was a claim of ownership over those people. Their freedoms were stripped away. Nevertheless, all legitimate cultures have had laws to prevent theft or murder throughout history. Why would anyone ever believe that this conduct would be acceptable by their military or by their warriors when it was inflicted on foreign people or neighboring tribes? For most, it was about survival. Refusing either their monarch’s or their chief’s orders would result in death for treason or in ostracization for cowardice.
PEACEFUL IMMIGRANTS AND NATIVE AMERICANS
However, not all immigrants nor all Native Americans were conquerors. Among the early European immigrants to North America were persecuted religious dissidents. They did not adhere to the state religion of their European countries from which they had fled. These pilgrims had no desire to overtake other people’s lands. Contrastingly, they just wanted the freedom to practice their faith without persecution. The Plymouth Colony allied with a peaceful Native American tribe to fend off other warring tribes, whom posed a threat to both. These religious dissidents were the first of many because of religious persecutions in European countries.
In the United States of America, the European settlers eventually rebelled against British tyranny. Before our revolution, many eastern tribes had conquered other tribal lands to expand their hunting grounds for the fur trade. Some tribes had claimed land, spanning large parts of multiple states, during the Beaver Wars. Whole tribes had been wiped out from wars. Several native tribes had fought as allies for European Crowns, during the French and Indian War. These wars were directed at settlers and Native American trading partners from opposing sides. Europe’s wars between monarchies spilled over into this new land, and they enlisted indigenous people to help fight their battles.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION WAS AGAINST COLONIZERS
The American Revolution was intended to remove the British Crown’s power over America. The French became our allies to ensure this. Both our patriots and the French had witnessed Britain’s exploitation of native tribes. The natives were warring against other natives as allies for England. Eventually, the American Revolution inspired other revolutions against colonizers throughout the Americas.
So, we can better understand the past, but we cannot undo it. Many tribal groups today contain much European DNA in their blood lines. Likewise, many, who have never been a part of a tribe, are part Native American. At some point, our ancestors looked beyond the past and united us to be one people.
Please see:
Why Did Spain Conquer in the Name of God?
Excerpts From the Spanish Possession Ceremony
Debunking Spanish Colonization