Middle Ground: Relationship Between Europeans And Native Americans

Jacob Reich
Midterm
1. Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a type of relationship between two culturally different kinds of people. The idea of middle ground can be applied in various times throughout history, but it is generally focused on the relationship between the Native Americans and European settlers. The best way to describe middle ground in an equal and positive sharing system between two groups of people. This sharing can be of things such as goods and services, or even just knowledge. Knowledge was something the settlers desperately needed in the new world. They had no idea how to find their way around or how to farm the foreign soil. However, in a middle ground they could learn these things from the Native Americans in exchange for

Each country was motivated by the idea of having a strong foothold on this side of the world. They all thought that by increasing the size of their colonies, it would increase their world power, this in fact turned out to be the opposite. In the end they created a new superpower that would end their colonization in North America and force them back to their homelands. The first misstep by the French, Spanish, and British was their underestimation of the natives. They thought they could come into the land and call it theirs without any confrontation. This however was not the case, many of the new colonies immediately ran into trouble with the indigenous people. This started a negative relationship or a divided ground, and resulted in the loss of money and many lives. Some colonies could interact with the natives peacefully and set up a middle ground. This is where both sides are living in harmony, and even benefiting from each other. This was a positive relationship because it allowed the natives to progress with new European goods, and it also allowed the foreigners to gain knowledge of the new land. When the colonists arrived, they had very little knowledge of the land, and this problem was solved by the natives. There was a third kind of relationship that is predominantly evident between the Pueblos and the Spanish. The Spanish essentially made the natives slaves, but gave them the option of freedom if they converted to Catholicism. This led to revolts by the Pueblos and caused the Spanish to retreat and return home. They eventually returned, but did not have as strong of a hold on their colonies. The American Indian response to the colonies varied, for example the Pueblos revolted against the oppressive Spanish. In some British colonies the American Indians