The Impact Of Europeans On Indigenous People

The indigenous people’s lives were changed forever when the Europeans arrived in North America. They lived in the continent for thousands of years, unbothered by unknown people but not the elements. When the Europeans came, they were both startled and curious of the new people with different appearances and languages. At first, many were welcoming to the Europeans, however, they grew more hostile as their relationship increased. They brought over many things that the indigenous people were unaccustomed too which impacted their survival. The impact that the Europeans had on the indigenous people should be addressed as a historical question because the Europeans came to colonize land while transporting new technology and plagues. The Europeans

Introduced to them were firearms, steel, and horses. At first, the firearms scared the indigenous peoples because they thought the Europeans could make thunder. The Europeans then wanted to trade some of the firearms for useful information on how to farm and hunt. This strengthened the relationship between them for a while. Steel was another item that was traded among them. It replaced the indigenous people original wooden tools and spears. One of the most transforming things that impacted the indigenous people’s way of life was the possession of horses. Horses made the peoples of the plains to change to a more nomadic lifestyle. The essential role horses played was that “in the short run the horses brought prosperity and mobility to the Plains Indians” (Tindall & Shi 39). The long term effects resulted in bison populations dropping and the men wanting brides to care for the horses. Not all that the Europeans took with them assisted the indigenous. Thus, the Europeans introduction to new technology effected the indigenous people by changing their way of living. The Europeans approached the indigenous people with the new technology and unintentionally helped them by no means intending to aid them with