Arrivals...There Goes the Neighborhood

            I find the clash between the Native Americans and Explorers interesting since it is a pattern that keeps on occurring in our history.  I believe that it shows some of the worst attributes of the human race: arrogance, ignorance, and stubbornness.  These traits are what prevent progress, especially between groups of people.  Right from the beginning, the explorers that came had this idea that they would be able to convert the Natives and rule over them.  They thought that they were “saving” them.  From Columbus’ journals we see that he was expecting to easily control the land and the people.  He didn’t even consider that they might disagree.  Then once they got there they realized these people weren’t willing to change their beliefs.  They also don’t respect the Natives’ religions.  They are ignorant, and not willing to cooperate with them.  In the memoir of John Smith, it is obvious that he thinks that he is better than, what he calls, the “savages”.  I also noticed how in his story he gives a lot of detail of the customs he goes through when he is captured, and I believe this is because he’s never heard/seen them before.  He didn’t know any part of the culture of his neighbors.  Besides the arrogance, and ignorance of the explorers, I believe it was their stubbornness that prevented them from actually trying to work with the Native Americans.  It wasn’t until Bradford’s memoir that we hear about this agreement with the Indians.  I believe this is because it was a long time between when Smith got here and when Bradford did.  And in that time, the Europeans and Native Americans started to cooperate more.
            There isn’t really any primary evidence on how the Natives felt or reacted, but I believe that they felt like they were being invaded and forced to change.  This is the biggest part of the disagreement.  It was about land, and resources but it was about beliefs, and who was “right”.  And even though the Indians were being taken over, they probably were also at fault.  They probably were also ignorant and stubborn.  To have a conflict, two parties must resist each other.