Relations with the Indigenous Peoples of America

What were the relations between the English settlers and the natives?

Relations between the English settlers and the American natives varied. Sometimes relations were good but, particularly in times of hardship, relations deteriorated.

What were relations like between the colonists and the American natives?

There were some key events in the relations between the English settlers and the natives.

• ❖ To begin with, the local tribes helped the settlers, giving them food and trading with them.
• ❖ At Jamestown, relations with the local Powhatan people was good to begin with. The Powhatans traded with the settlers, and there was even marriage between the groups - most famously between Pocahontas and John Rolfe.
• ❖ However, when the English began to take land that belonged to the locals, war broke out. Settlers and natives were massacred, although long periods of peace were also achieved.
• ❖ The English settlers also brought diseases that were unknown in America - such as smallpox and measles. The native population were not resistant to these diseases, and many died.
• ❖ English colonisation began the destruction of the local tribes' way of life. Over time, the native Americans had to adapt to survive, or risk ill-treatment.