What Policy Did The New United States Pursue In Its Dealings With Native Americans?

Description – What Policy Did The New United States Pursue In Its Dealings With Native Americans?

It will not be so wrong to say Native Americans fought the Revolutionary War from the British side.

Most of their groups, such as the Creek, Iroquois, Shawnee, and, Cherokee bore up arms against American patriots hoping that the British victory would prevent European-origin American colonists’ expansion towards their land areas.

However, a few groups also took the American colonists’ side. These groups were mainly Potawatomi and Delaware.

But compared to the British side takers, the number is too less. 

Therefore, after the revolution, the newborn United States’ started pursuing vengeful actions against Native Americans or Indians.

We can understand it via the USA’s new government’s actions towards them.

For example: 

Though, in the Declaration of Independence, the US leaders added some great moral values to protect human beings’ natural rights (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness); but in the case of the Black slaves and Native Americans, those rights didn’t come into effect.

Especially, the new federal government of the country set out some discriminatory rules, through which they tried to drive away Indians from their living rich lands to the West side of the country.

Even if someone among them opposed the government’s decision, he was being killed without any proper justification.

Now, you can imagine how the condition turned into the worst direction for the native people.

Why Did Native Americans Join The Revolutionary War From The British Side?

From the beginning of the revolution, Indians knew very well that their interest was protected only in the hands of British authority.

Although, their entrance into the revolutionary war was a result of British propaganda.

They made this propaganda in 1763 to separate Native Americans politically and emotionally from the European-origin American colonists.

So, what was it?

In 1763, the Empire of Great Britain declared a Royal Proclamation for containing colonists’ expansion towards Indians’ land.

The proclamation contained colonial expansion westward beyond the Appalachia mountains. 

The proclamation was in full favor of Indians. Either way, they wanted something like that for a long time.

In the first phase, when the revolutionary war began between the 13 colonies and the British Empire, most of the Indian tribes remained neutral.

But things started changing when American militias started attacking neutral Indians.

The attacks made them obliged to join the British side and fight against colonists.

So, later on, after independence, all these pieces of stuff became a big reason why did the newborn United States government pursue some vengeful policies in its dealings with Native Americans.

Brief History of Natives And Colonists Rivalry

The native American people were socio-culturally, economically, and politically different from colonists.

They had a long history in both American continents, around 27,000 years.

But compared to them, colonists started settling there from the beginning period of the 16th-century.

They are primarily of European origin people.

Once these people started migrating to the new world; they began atrocities and oppression over these native people. Such as they captured natives to sell in Europe’s slave market, executed killings in millions, and more atrocities.

Because of these reasons, the relationship between these two groups always remained tart. Even they fought many major battles too.