For Patriots or Loyalists?
Many Indians at the beginning of the Revolutionary did not want to get involved in the war. In fact, Congress urged the Iroquois that the conflict was a family quarrel and told them to avoid it. The British however took a different approach and urged the Indians to fight on their side. A lot of Indian tribes were reluctant to join the war, but most of the Indians who did join the war fought on the side of the British. Indians fought for the British in the Revolution because many Indians were fighting for the same reasons as Americans did, which included political independence, cultural integrity, and protection of land and property. The Americans threatened to take this away from the Indians by winning the war, so therefore many of the Indians fought for the British. Tribes that fought for the British included the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chicksaws, and the Iroquois. The Oneida and Tuscarora Indians ended up fighting for the Patriots, but these were some of the few tribes that did.
Impact On Revolution
The Indians didn't really end up having a huge impact on the revolution. They fought with the British, but in the end, the British lost, so the Indians didn't do enough to help the British win the war. The Indians in the South raged violent battles with Americans in settlements in the South, and it took a lot of fighting from Patriot militias until the Indians were subdued. There was peace made in the South, but occasional violence still continued. In New York and Pennsylvania, the Iroquois confederacy fought against itself when British and Patriot forces met, and Patriot forces won. The Indians in Ohio were more effective against Patriot forces. Raids between Americans and Indians continued, but the British lost the war, even though the Indians thought that they hadn't lost, and didn't want to give up their land.
Effect on Indians
The effect that the loss of the war had on Indians was devastating. Since the British had lost, Indians now had no protection from the Americans taking land from them. The fighting had killed even more Indians and destroyed many of their villages. It caused tribes to fight with themselves even though they both wanted mostly the same things. Americans thought that they could just take Indian land now because they had earned it from the British, even though the Indians had never actually given up and were still living on the land. The outcome of the Revolutionary War did not bode well for the Indians.
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8 comments:
I find it interesting how the Patriots and the Native Americans fought in the Revolutionary War for very similar reasons, yet in expanding to the West, the Americans failed to consider these same needs and principles that they had fought for only a few years prior. Taking advantage of people for the benefit of the "American population" appears to be a recurring theme throughout our nation's history, and as embarrassing as it may be to point out, it is important that it is emphasized in classrooms and taught to American children and adults alike.
The Indians fought in the war hoping to achieve protection and freedom, but, sadly, ended up losing more than they gained. They were left with very little, as Americans took their land and fighting destroyed their villages. After the war, the British should have tried to defend their Indian allies from the cruelty of the Americans, but instead, the British seemed to forget the Indians had ever helped them.
Reading about how the Native Americans pretty much lost everything they had really upsets me. The Native Americans didn't do anything to us besides try to help us. Only a few tribes tried to cause problems. They Native Americans ended up fighting for the same reasons we were and we still didn't look at them as we should have!
Native Americans wanted the same rights and freedoms patriots wanted in their war with Britain. But because America won against Britain it seemed to Americansthe land, no matter who was liviing on it, was theirs. NAs had a hard time since they were forced out of their own villages because of America's want for territorial gain. It really is suprising and scary to think of what was done to the NAs. It was worse than what might have been for the NAs than it would have been for the Americans if they had lost. At least even then they would still have homes to live in (under British rule) however, NAs weren't even given that benefit and quikly chased and killed out of their villages.
I think it was pretty stupid on the Patriot's part to ignore the Indians. They could have been a great allie, because they were also fighting on their own land. The few tribes that did side with the Patriots got ripped off too, because the colonist still took their land.
I agree with JH in saying that the NA's were abused by the Americans after the war because they were betrayed by both sides, not having the British or the americans fulfill their promises. By the end of the war the NA's lost more land than they started with, meaning that they took part in the war for no reason.
I'm really not surprised that the Native Populace was unwilling to fight in the beginning of the war. They really had no reason to side with the two sides of the same group that was forcing them out. I suppose that siding with the British really offered a better chance to keep land. Particularly because parliament created the proclamation of 1763.
I love how we expected the Iroquois to honor our wish to stay out of the war because "it was a family quarrel". I am sure if they asked us to do that but we saw it beneficial to enter the war, we would most certainly abandon our promise and do whatever we wanted.
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