19th Century Native and Euro-American Relations
By Jessie Hui, Gabbi Kester, Jon Gordon Introduction: Throughout early North American history, land was often at the center of conflict between the Native peoples, European settlers, and American colonists. In the late 18th and early 19th century, the newly founded United States sought ways to repay their war debts—ranging from the revolutionary war to the the War of 1812. Unfortunately for many Native peoples, the U.S. often employed methods rooted in the explicit and implicit exploitation of the land they lived on and its resources through trade. As the indigenous peoples’ territories became threatened, the importance of land and trade extended beyond cultural significance, eventually becoming an indication of their ability to survive and thrive in the “new world” that European settlers desired to take control of. …