Mistreatment for Land
I always used to think that the Indians were so lucky living in reservations, having their own rules and no power over them. When I searched deeper about what Indian reservations really were, I noticed that it wasn’t what I thought at all. Land was a key factor in being wealthy during the 1600s. Owning land gave settlers the ability to plant crops, sell them, and make profit from them. Many colonists that settled in the New World wanted more and more land, but they were lazy to work themselves and “[D]ue to the demand for labor and a decrease in immigrants from England[.],” they brought indentured servants and African slaves to work for them. “Servant life was harsh by the standards of seventeenth-century England and even by the frontier standards of the Chesapeake.” The colonists expected too much from the workers only to get rich faster. While the colonists were trying to get rich, they interfered into the Native American lives, taking away their freedom and what belonged to them. Native Americans were mistreated by colonists because the Virginian government wanted full control over the Native American’s property and colonists wanted to ensure their safety. The need for land promoted Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676.
The colonists were treated unfairly by the government and that caused them to go against the Native Americans. The colonial government and surrounding Native Americans agreed to a treaty in which Native Americans gave up all claims to the land already settled by the English. Since the colonists continued to multiply quickly, they became land-hungry. “In their quest for land, they pushed beyond the treaty limits of English settlement and encroached steadily on Indian land.” Colonists desired more land, which would provide them with opportunities to make better revenue. By focusing all their attention on the land, colonists overlooked the deeper problem of their interactions with the Indians. Throughout reading several articles, I observed that the colonists didn’t care for the Native Americans. The rich colonists used Native Americans for their own selfish benefit. Instead of building strong relationships with the Indians, the colonists stole their property and destroyed their homes. Moreover, “Bacon accused the Berkeley government of wrong doing, including unfair taxes and not protecting the western farmers from the Indians.” Berkeley wanted peace between the Indians and colonists. Disallowing the colonists to take the Indian land angered Bacon and the poor colonists.
Native Americans knew how to get around in the New World because they lived there all their lives. Colonists took this as an advantage by abusing the Indians for taking what didn't belong to them. When the Native Americans would take back their hoggs, they were "[B]eaten or kill'd and the hoggs retaken from them[.]" In other words, the author states that the hoggs belonged to the Native Americans, but because the colonists claimed everything to be rightfully theirs, they took the hoggs. Indians took revenge by taking the hoggs back since they were theirs in the first place, and yet the colonists would still punish them. “[T]hey de-vised a hundred ways to torter and torment those poore soules with, whose reched fate it was to fall in to there unmercyfull hands.” The author was very descriptive when writing this. The colonist's took it too far in punishing the Native Americans. I would support the actions of the colonists if the Indians took something that belonged to them and would get beaten for it. I find it unjustifiable to torture the Indians for taking back what rightfully belonged to them.
The government and colonists didn't like sharing the land with the Native Americans. The government wanted full control of the land and that caused the Indians to lose their freedom. “The ensuing peace treaty between the colony and the natives virtually stripped the Powhatans of their independence, their lands, and their freedom of movement.” All the land belonged to the Indians, and the English came and took over claiming it because they believed it rightfully belonged to them. The colonists didn't just take the Indians land, but they took many poor souls; torturing them worse than animals. Even though the government made it seem like they were not taking the Indians land, they really were to get rich off of the Native Americans.
In order to protect themselves, colonists mistreated the Indians to ensure their safety. “Berkeley had refused to react to the claims that the Indians were committing murders and thefts on the frontier.” Because the governor was making a good profit from trading with the Indians, he was not willing to let anyone or anything disrupt that business. Colonists saw that Berkley was not doing anything about the murders of his people, so the colonists continued to abuse Indians for their protection. However, from an article online, Bacon claimed that he was, “[A] champion for those who lived on the frontier and were exposed to the threat of harm by Indians.” Bacon makes it seem that Indians were the only ones bringing harm. In my view from reading many articles, I noticed that it wasn’t only Indians threatening the colonists, but it was vice versa. Both Indians and colonists blamed each other causing war between them. Moreover, Bacon’s wife wrote to her sister stating, “The Indians killing people daily the Govern: not taking any notice of it for to hinder them, but let them daily doe all the mischief they can [.]” She is making it sound like Indians are horrible, and that they didn’t do anything bad to deserve the mischief. Mary does not realize that Bacon and the other colonists are treating the Indians the same way.
I can see that Bacon’s Rebellion is relevant to the Indian reservations that are present today in United States. When Indians and the colonists signed the treaty, Indians were not allowed to have the land that the colonists already settled in. This makes me realize that Indian reservations that we have now in the United States are formed the same way. The Indian reservations were formed by an agreement. This agreement laid out new rights for Native Americans, reversed some of the earlier privatization of their common holdings, and encouraged self-government and land management by tribes. Today, looking at a map showing all the Indian reservations in the United States, I can see that there are so little reservations owned by the Indians. People have not really changed the way they lived back then. Colonist’s kept taking land away from Indians leaving them with only a small piece of land to live on. Although the Indians have the ability to do most of the things they want, they are still treated unfairly by the government. The laws and regulations that were created in our history have affected how we make our decisions today.
Works Cited:
- “The American Promise” by James L. Roark (pg.83)
- http://www.virginiaplaces.org/military/bacon.html
- Title: Bacon's Rebellion
Source: The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Jul., 1900), pp. 1-10
Publisher(s): Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1914836 - Wikipedia Entry: Bacon’s Rebellion
1 comment:
-Odd transition: "I always used to think that the Indians were so lucky living in reservations, having their own rules and no power over them. When I searched deeper about what Indian reservations really were, I noticed that it wasn’t what I thought at all. Land was a key factor in being wealthy during the 1600s." I know you are thinking about the They say, I say but what is really important about They say, I say is that it is a clear connection. I got lost in this first part of your essay because you relate today's life on reservations to the 1660s but you didn't explain enough about what the reservations are really. You just told the reader what you thought they were. An opinion but no facts. Craig is looking for a personal experience not an opinion; to relate Bacon's Rebellion to your life not thought. For example, I wrote about my trip to New Orleans and how America today still has divisions between class. This worked as an I say because I actually experienced the division between rich and poor. I believe you are trying to relate to Native Americans from today to Native Americans from 1600s. As a suggestion, maybe you could relate Native Americans (poor) to the poor Americans today since they are a minority just like the Indians. But, maybe, you have something different that you have actually experienced that would be more comfortable to talk about.
- Thesis (if I am not mistaken): "Native Americans were mistreated by colonists because the Virginian government wanted full control over the Native American’s property and colonists wanted to ensure their safety." Your thesis doesn't match the title of your essay. At first it was just the mistreatment of land but then in your thesis you said that the Indians were mistreated in more than one way.
- Craig suggestion of changing Indians to Native Americans is accurate. It was not quite clear enough at the beginning of what you were talking about. This is also because your title and first paragraph (only in the last line) don't talk about Bacon's Rebellion.
-Two arguments?: 1. "Native Americans were mistreated by colonists because the Virginian government wanted full control over the Native American’s property and colonists wanted to ensure their safety." 2." The colonists were treated unfairly by the government and that caused them to go against the Native Americans." Make more clear of a point. yes, it was kind of a vicious circle between the government, colonists, and the Indians of mistreatment but you need to stand firm on one argument. Who was more mistreated colonists or Indians? According to your first paragraph, I think you are for the Indians more than Colonists. Or, you need to state that both colonists and Indians were mistreated and that it wasn't all about land.
-Organization of essay: Confusing. You need to decide if you want to start with talking about Bacon's Rebellion (They Say) or your personal experience (I Say). You shouldn't have quotes in your first paragraph.
-They Say?: Not purely facts and summarizing. Craig told me for my essay he wanted more and more I Say. Think about the quotes you used... Why did you use them? How are they relevant to what you are trying to argue in your thesis?
-I Say?: In my first few drafts of my essay I didn't talk about a personal experience. I talked about the world experience. Craig is looking for something you have really seen. Unless you have been on a real reservation or met someone who was a Native American and they lived on a reservation and told you how their life/or ancestors was living in one, then you could use that as a personal/I say experience. I had to think really hard about this one... and I am sorry I don't know too much about you to be able to give you an experience you could use. Just keep thinking. You might have to change a lot around but when the idea comes to you it goes by really quickly because it is fun to write about yourself more than something you barely know about.
-Ummm...?: Relevant to thesis? "Native Americans knew how to get around in the New World because they lived there all their lives." That whole paragraph was kind of awkward and didn't support or even coincide with your thesis. It seemed like fluff and that you might of lost your train of thought.
-More suggestions on how to relate your essay to a personal experience (I Say):
Have you ever felt mistreated because you were different? Have you ever experienced someone else being mistreated because they were different?
-Change your title from "Mistreatment for Land" to "Mistreatment of Native Americans" This is because the title confused your thesis and supported evidence.
If you need anymore help you can email me at joanne.r.paulsen@gmail.com or talk to me at school whenever. I am happy to help. Overall, I think you had a good start but you were having a little bit of trouble relating it to your experiences.
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