Cause:

Since the first Anglo-Powhatan War ended in 1614, trade and peace were attempted on both sides. This started to erode when the Virginia colonists spread out and take land, abuse Native people, and desecrate sacred sites. 

Basic Info:

Sometimes called the Indian Massacre of 1622, this war was the first major victory of Indian tribes since colonization began. Nearly one fourth of the colonists were killed, and hundreds more would die later from the destruction of crops. This prompted the English to fight back after, and they ultimately won in 1626. Another war occurred in the 1640s. 

Impact:

This war started the system of reservations in the United States, and set the stage for future Anglo-Native wars, particularly the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars.

Basic Info:

The name of this colony comes from the Massachusett tribe. Like the Plymouth colony, Massachusetts Bay was part of the Puritan migration to the New World. This colony grew, combined with the Plymouth colony, and became a strong presence in New England. Later this colony would be best known for the Salem Witch Trials and the heart of the American Revolution. 

Purpose: 

Massachusetts was also intended to be a safe space for Puritans to live and worship as they deem fit. Another purpose of the colony was to establish a settlement between two major rivers and to engage in trade. 

First Encounters: 

Fishing expeditions before the colony was developed had already wiped out a great deal of tribes in the area due to spreading disease that the Natives had no tolerance for. This was the sad truth for all encounters, no matter where their lands derive. For the local tribes, their first encounters with the English revolved mainly around trade. Natives wanted the metal and weapons of the English, and the English wanted the land and it’s resources. 

Impact:

As it grew powerful, it became the best port for shipments to England, as well as making the best ships to travel in for the English empire. Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams, two of the colonists, famously were kicked out of this highly zealous colony and later founded the colony of Rhode Island. The early part of its short history of slavery was of Natives captured at the end of the Pequot War. What was unique about this colony is the freedom it had for self-rule. This translated well to the Revolutionary War, in which members of this colony were of the most outspoken proponents for self-liberty and independence.

Basic Info:

Maryland was one of the Chesapeake, or Middle Colonies. This colony was one of the earlier colonies, but was true to the Chesapeake way of life – agriculture and plantations. This colony would help lead the way for religious tolerance among other colonies.

Purpose: 

Named after the new monarch of England, Maryland was originally established as a safe haven for English Catholics, since the Protestant Church of England was the dominant, but controlling, religion at the time. Although it was founded by Catholics, many Protestants came to work and live in Maryland. So many lived there that within 50 years since its founding, the Protestants had taken control of the government. Shipping was a major part of its economy, but agriculture was the primary venture, as the lands were very fertile to tobacco and other crops. 

First Encounters: 

Already familiar with English ways in the area, Algonquian tribes were wary when this new settlement began. As with Virginia, the colonists traded with the tribes, but when they were strong enough, destruction soon followed. The people of Maryland were soon known to take Natives as slaves and sell their children for money.

Impact:

Because of its dependency on plantation crops, the Maryland colony was likewise dependant on the slave trade. Large amounts of African slaves were transported to this colony in the early part of the eighteenth century. Because of the battle between Catholics and Protestants, eventually there was a toleration law put in place to allow any religion into the settlement. From the perspective of the Indians, the English were as a tumor – spreading rapidly and bringing peril to the Native inhabitants.

Basic Info:

A New England colony, it was founded by Roger Williams, the banished member of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Jews, Catholics, Quakers, and any other religion was welcome in Rhode Island. This colony was also well known for its democracy, as the will of the majority was to be followed as the law.

Purpose: 

Because of the history of the founder, the main purpose of this colony, being separate from Massachusetts, was to provide religious freedom and separating the church rule from the government rule, today known as “separation of church and state.”

First Encounters: 

Becoming the norm, the land for this settlement and its surrounding towns were purchased from Native tribes in trade deals. That the Native could understand any land treaty in English is incomprehensible, but nonetheless they signed over the land, expecting a sort of reciprocity to be exchanged, as was a common Native practice, no matter the tribe. The neighboring tribe, the Narragansett, had allied with the colonies in the Pequot War, showing their desire to remain friends with the English in order to continue trading efforts. This lasted until King Philip’s War. 

Impact:

Roger Williams was not only a friend to tolerance, but also to peace. He is well-known for his peace-making efforts, evidenced by his learning the Algonquian language in order to communicate to the nearby tribes. Its front-row role in the pre-revolutionary times led to Rhode Island becoming the first colony to vote for independence from Great Britain. It had set a precedent for the separation of church and state that is part of the United States government today.

Cause: 

This war was the first conflict between a New England colony and the Native American tribes nearby. Convinced that some fur traders were killed by the tribes, Massachusetts responded by attacking the Pequot. 

Basic Info:

After the war began, a small detachment of Pequot had attacked a village in Connecticut. Connecticut colonies, along with the Narragansett, declared war on the Pequot and their allies. Later that month, hundreds of Pequot people were massacred as the English drove westward. 

Impact:

After the fighting was over, most of the Pequot had been eliminated. The land was given to the colonies, and the remaining Pequot were sold into slavery. It was a message to the other tribes in the region, even down into the Middle Colonies – the English were not willing to be told no, and will not stop to accumulate the land they desire. 

Basic Info:

New Sweden came after the first landing of Swedes in New Netherland. Many do not know of the Swedish colonies in today’s Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Sweden was the fifth and last European country to colonize United States territory. While it only lasted for 17 years, it was a valiant effort to put in their own footprint on the New World and to challenge the Dutch’s claim in the area. After they had settled, the Dutch sent a warning letter that war could be upon them, but the Swedes refused to back off. 

Purpose: 

Inspired by the riches found in the New World, Sweden too sought to obtain what the other European powers had found.

First Encounters: 

The first order of business for the Swedes was to go to the Lenape and Susquehannock tribes to purchase land for the settlement. Since then, they had a mostly peaceful trade relationship with the nearby tribes for the duration of the colony. 

Impact:

After a newly-appointed governor had attacked a Dutch fort, he sealed the fate of the young Swedish colony. The Dutch took control after only 17 years of life. Because so many colonists were from Sweden or Finland, Lutheranism was introduced to the Americas through these settlements. A major legacy of theirs was an architectural one – the building of log cabins. This design spread throughout much of the eastern portion of the United States, especially in rural areas. In fact, one of their log cabins from 1638 still stands today. The Swedish never had another colony in the United States territory, but their legacy still lives on in this region, including being a major immigration landing point for Swedes in the remaining centuries.

Cause: 

The fur trade had expanded so significantly that the beaver, for the most part, had disappeared from lands near the colonies. Amid pressure from the French and English to find more beavers, the Iroquois expanded their hunting grounds. Because trade with the Dutch had given them much weaponry, their confidence shone as they pushed into other tribes’ hunting grounds. 

Basic Info:

The Beaver Wars were the major source of contention in the New England colonies. French and English colonists struggled over controlling the fur trade, and both had manipulated the Iroquois tribes into competing with each other as well as other surrounding tribes. When the Iroquois had expanded into their neighbor’s territory, the French eventually gave weapons to those tribes, who were finally able to defend themselves against the Iroquois. 

Impact:

Because of these wars, the Iroquois expanded their territory, control of trade, and population.

They also were able to create stronger ties with the English. Many of the tribes were forced to leave their ancestral lands and move to the Great Plains, while others were basically eliminated when they were taken captive by the Iroquois. This allowed further control for the French and English over the land as well as the fur trade, as well as taking a drastic toll on the Native tribes, as most of the fighting was amongst neighboring tribes.