Native Americans Vs. The Europeans: Why the Two Could Not Coexist

The Native Americans and the Europeans were two totally different peoples; there was no hope or coexistence. The natives lived in a totally different world then the Europeans. The European nations had some form of contact with one another. The natives, though we like to group them as one entity, were not connected and did not interact with each other. The natives provided for themselves and did not rely on the help of other tribes. The Europeans lived conversely; they interacted with each other especially when it came to trade. The only interaction tribes had with one another was that they occasionally engaged in warfare; other than that they were autonomous. It is a huge misconception that the Native Americas were one centralized body connected to each other.

Another difference that set the natives apart was that they did not have a sense of ownership. The whole tribe shared everything they had. The Europeans, on other hand, needed property to gain respect from their fellow men. This lack of ownership was not limited to small things but also the land that they resided on. The natives did not pick on place and lived there forever; they were constantly moving. This was on of the reasons that Europeans felt that they could take the Natives lands. They felt that if the natives did not "own" them, they were free for anyone's taking. Europeans could not understand this form of lifestyle.

One of the more prominent differences was their respective views on religion. Both the natives and the Europeans believed that there was some higher power governing their lives, but the similarities end there. The Europeans believed in different denominations of Christianity, which was monotheistic. The Natives believed that there was a god for every thing in nature; they were polytheistic. The Europeans, especially the Spanish and the English, felt strongly that it was their role to convert the natives to Catholicism or Protestantism respectively. The fact that the natives were polytheistic was yet another reason that the Europeans felt that it was acceptable to that the Natives lands.

Another very prominent difference, maybe the most important one, was about views on social structure. The Europeans had a very defined hierarchical society starting with the King and ending with slaves. Every class had there set rights; there was no sense of equality. The naives had a very basic hierarchy with the chief on top and everyone else on the next level. Although that did have this, that believed that they were all equal. This full sense of equality led the natives to free and not constrained be anyone or any thing. The middle to lower classes in Europe did not share this same luxury; they were constrained be their oppressive governments. Later in history this is evident in groups running away to the English colonies seeking religious freedoms. The natives were just about the exact opposite of the Europeans. There was no way that both groups could live in harmony with one another.

-Any factual information was derived form:

Foner, Eric "Give Me Liberty" (Foner 2005)