Native Americans

Native Americans viewed land and land ownership as something that was to be shared and used collectively by all members of a tribe. There was no idea among the Native Americans that land was something to be divided up, sold, and owned by individuals.

This view of land ownership can be seen in the speech given by the Native American leader, Tecumseh, in which he is addressing William Henry Harrison, who would later be President of the United States. Tecumseh is quoted as saying that Native Americans needed to,...

“Unite in claiming a common and equal right in the land, as it was at first, and should be now -- for it was never divided, but belongs to all.”

By saying this, Tecumseh is laying out a much different understanding of land use/ownership than we have in our country today.

Europeans

Tecumseh does not see it as Europeans saw it (and as we see it now) as a resource that could and should be owned by individuals who keep it as their own and exclude others from using it.

This tension between Native American and European views of land use and land ownership was a major source of conflict between Natives and Europeans for much of the history of what is now the United States.