GB+The+Last+of+the+Mohicans

Grif Berland AP US History August 20, 2009 __The Last of the Mohicans __  The novel ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ tells the story of an adventure between colonists and Native Americans. The Native Americans were a third party between the British and the French. Although some Native tribes kept to themselves, others sided with either the French or the British.  Native Americans such as the two Mohicans in the story are friends with Hawkeye the frontiersman. The Mohicans despise other Indian tribes like the Hurons so they decide to aid the group of British travelers. Unlike most Native American and colonist relations, the travelers did not have to offer a gift to the Native Americans to secure their help. Chingachgook and his son Uncas help because they are skeptical of Magua. They suspect him of being an enemy Huron. They Mohicans and Hawkeye have a good relationship with the British travelers. On the other hand, the Native Americans tribes like the Huron side with the French, enemy of the British colonists at this point in history. A few enemy tribes side with Montcalm and his French Army. Most tribes only sided with the French because they were given the promise of land or offered gifts like weapons or new technology of the day.  Although some Native American tribes sided with one faction or the other, many remained hostile to all outsiders including other Native Americans. The fighting slowed both sides from reaching their goal. After the French power was out of North America the Indian tribes hindered the desire of the British colonists to expand westward. Acts such as the Proclamation of 1763 were intended to keep peace between colonists and Native Americans but conflicts still occurred. The Indians would attack small frontier villages or forts and often destroy them. An example of this is seen in ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ when General Montcalm and his French and Indian army overrun the fort Munro is stationed at. Many Native American tribes would send reinforcements to aid the French because they thought that helping them would secure their land in the Ohio valley.  The relationship between the Native American people, the British colonists, and the French was troubling at times. Numerous conflicts had occurred between the British colonists and the Native American tribes from the very beginning. The French had offered the Indians incentives for assisting them in the fight for North America. Other tribes had remained without anyone to side with throughout the war. They had the interest of defending their own land from any intruder in search of colonizing the New World.