When the English came to the America's they me the Natives. The Indians and the settlers used each other for trade communication, and expansion. But some settlers saw the Indians as a threat. Others used the Indians for personal gain of power, wealth and land.
Christopher Columbus is considered the discoverer of the America's though he did it purely by accident. He was trying to find a passage east to the Indies when he bumped into the "West Indies" on his way. When he landed on the coast of the Americas, he met the natives and called them Indians.
As a sign of peace towards the explorer's, the Indians presented to a gold crown to Columbus. Columbus took the offering as a sign of power and authority. Columbus then returned to Europe to gather his troops. He landed again in the New World and used his power of authority against the Indians. He gained from the tribe gold, land and slaves. .
With the help of Columbus and other explorers, the Americas were beginning to be colonized by the Europeans. One of the reasons so many people were coming to the New World was to escape religious persecution, but in a way, they were being hypocrites. The Puritans thought that it was their responsibility to convert the Indians to Christianity and they never took notice of the Indians own beliefs. In one instance, the Puritan settlers arrested a group of Indians who were hunting on a Sunday. The Indians had no idea that Sunday was the day of worship for the Puritans and saw nothing wrong in finding food.
Also while the settlers were trying to convert the Indians to Christianity, they were moving their settlements farther west and taking away the Indians homelands. In response, the Indians started a series of raids against the English settlements. The English leaders then summoned the Wampanoag chief to Plymouth. He was captured at gunpoint and taken prisoner. He later died while still being held, and many think that he was poisoned.
