EH-Response+Essay

Relationship Reflection Essay In __The Last of the Mohicans__ by James Fenimore Cooper, many relationships are created and destroyed as struggles occur in the midst of the French and Indian War. The French and Native Americans were enemies to the British during this time. The French had many Native American allies that were enemies to other Native American tribes that backed the British. Cora and Alice Munro, daughters to a British army major, befriended two Mohicans in their travels to their father. Many historic relations took place in colonial America between the many different tribes of Native Americans allying with both the French and British colonists in order to fight for the promising new land of the New World.

The French colonists that historically settled in Quebec allied with many tribes of Native Americans. The Native Americans seemed to mix well with the French. The two groups of people apparently traded together because, in the novel, many Natives possessed things that were not natural to the Native American life. It also seemed like the French began teaching Natives how to speak French because of the way many Natives would speak of “La Longue Carabine. The Natives and French were enemies to the British and fought them in places such as Fort William Henry. The relationship between the French and Natives helped the French greatly in fighting with the British rather than the French going at it alone.

Many Native Americans that were allies to the French were enemies to Native Americans that allied with the British. For example, in the novel, the two Mohicans, Uncas and Chingachgook followed a native of the Huron tribe navigating a group of British. This native led the group into his tribe of Hurons where they began to attack the Mohicans. After this series of events, the Mohicans continued through their trek of colonial America. Many times they were attacked again by what seemed to be French allying Native Americans. Also, many Native tribes fought each other because of tradition. Many Natives either allied with the French or British and depending on whose side they were on, the Natives fought each other.

A minority of Native Americans developed relationships between British in terms of fighting the French. These Native Americans that were somewhat friendly to the British, like the tribes allied to the French, historically traded with the British. These tribes fought alongside the British against the French and their allies. One example in the book of the friendliness between some Natives and the British was the relationship between the Cora and Alice Munro, the daughters of a British army major, and Uncas and Chingachgook, the last remaining Mohicans. These two Natives looked out for the safety of Cora and Alice and the other British men in their group as they trekked in the wild. Natives developed friendly relationships with British even when many other tribes took the side of the French.

__The Last of the Mohicans__ displayed many relationships that were being formed in the New World and the reactions that these relationships brought on amongst those in them. The French attracted many tribes of Native Americans historically and in the novel. Many of these “French Natives” fought against “British Natives” because the French and British wars and because of tradition. A small amount of Native tribes developed bonds with the British as was apparent in the novel between the main characters. Many relationships took place in America between many Native tribes and the French and British.