Chapter 3 introduces the student to the nature and impact of contact among three diverse cultures, two of whom were in a strange new world. The character of the relationship between Indians and Europeans was shaped by many factors including the intensions of the newcomers and the responses of the native peoples who wanted to preserve their culture. The Spanish sought the most direct control over the Native Americans, the French and Dutch relied on trade relations, while the English wanted land for expansion. This chapter also describes the development of the institution of slavery in America, the emerging African American community, other patterns of unfree labor, and European immigration to the English colonies.
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
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Explain the methods used by the Spanish to control Indian labor in the Spanish borderlands.
- Explain the impact of European trade on the Native Americans, including economic, political, and military consequences.
- Understand the differences and similarities between the French, Spanish, and English approaches to converting Native Americans to Christianity.
- List the wars that occurred between the Native Americans and colonists.
- Describe the factors that caused the development of slavery in America and how Africans were enslaved and transported to the Americas.
- Describe slave life in the New World.
- Explain indentured servitude, the tenant, convict, and redemption systems.
- List the various groups of Europeans who immigrated to the American colonies and understand the reasons for immigration.
