TP+Last+of+the+Mohicans+paper

__The Last of the Mohicans__ by James Fenimore Cooper takes place during the French and Indian war in 1750. During the French and Indian war, the Indians helped defend both sides. The Mohican and Delaware tribes helped the British and the Iroquois and Huron tribes helped the French. Even though the Indians were viewed as savages, the relationship between the groups changed in a negative way based on their interactions with the Indians. At the beginning of the book there is racial tension between the British and the Indians. This is because British commander Colonel Munro had conflicts with Indians. Magua, once a Huron chief, was kicked out of his tribe for being drunk all the time. Colonel Munro enforced the resignation of Magua because of his behavior. This led to Magua’s revenge on Colonel Munro. When Magua heard that the Munro daughters, Alice and Cora, wanted to visit their dad, he took the opportunity to lead them to the fort. Instead of leading them to the fort, his plan for revenge was to capture the girls by guiding them off trail. By Magua leading the girls the wrong way, this further illustrates the racial tension between Magua and Colonel Munro. Later on, when Colonel Munro peacefully surrenders to the French army and handed over his fort, the Indians allied with the French viciously start a massacre. In the confusion Magua captured Cora and Alice. Colonel Munro witnessed this and it intensifies the racial tension that he had between the Indians. However, Colonel Munro learned from his daughters that not all Indians are savages and that certain tribes are loyal, like the Mohican tribe. They helped lead Cora, Alice, and Heyward to the fort safely and helped track down the girls when they were captured. The relationship between the British and the Native Americans in the beginning was problematic but in the end they learned to work with each other and to trust one another. The relationship between the French colonists and the Native Americans is similar to that of the British in that the French also viewed the Indians as savages. However, General Montcalm used the savage reputation of the Native Americans to help his army take over the fort and win the war. General Montcalm threatened Colonel Munro by saying that if he did not surrender and hand over the fort, the blood-thirsty Native Americans will attack. The French saw themselves as being superior to the Native Americans and used this to help them bring the Native Americans to their side. The opinions of the British colonists and the French colonists towards the Native Americans changed throughout the book. The British had racial tension towards the Native Americans. However, when Colonel Munro was persuaded by his daughters that certain tribes are loyal and trustworthy, his views altered. The French saw the Native Americans as savages and used this to their advantage. The Native Americans were used to help the French fight in the war. By the end of the book the relationship between the British, French, and Native Americans was negative because it resulted in the diminishing of the Mohican tribe and the lack of respect towards the other Native American tribes.