Settlers and Natives

Term Paper # 100023

English > Analysis
History > U.S. Colonization of North America

An examination of the relations between the early American settlers and the Native-Americans.

1,158 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2006 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the relationship between the early American settlers (colonists) and the Native-Americans who lived in the places that the colonists settled. It also discusses the information provided in the journals and memoirs of the colonists. The paper specifically focuses on "A Key into the Language of America" by Roger Williams and "The Voyages of Samuel de Champlain" by Samuel de Champlain.

From the Paper:

"As the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This could definitely be applied to the European explorers who, while colonizing the North American continent essentially wiped out the Native American culture in their attempt to evangelize, modernize, and civilize. Most explorers had the view that the natives were savage and unclean and would actually be helped by the European influence. While some explorers and colonists maintained this view, some, like Roger Williams and Samuel de Champlain, actually attempted to understand the culture and work together in peace. In Williams' A Key into the Language of America the reader finds that Williams had a sympathetic attitude towards the Native Americans. Williams makes the argument that the explorers and not the natives were the savages. French explorer Champlain also understood the importance of working with the natives, not against them. In Champlain's journals; The Voyages of Samuel de Champlain, he often speaks about setting up trading posts and making peace with the Native American tribes."

Sample of Sources Used:

Williams, Roger. "A Key to Language in America." The Heath Anthology of American Literature, vol. A. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006.
Champlain, Samuel de. Voyages of Samuel de Champlain. Trans. Charles Pomeroy Otis. Accessed: February 21, 2007. http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext04/8vcv310.txt.