-SH+Last+of+the+Mohicans

Relationships in the French and Indian War  When arriving in America, the French and English colonists didn’t expect to encounter Native Americans. While both colonies crossed paths with them, the French and English treated the Native Americans differently. The French settlers accepted the Native Americans as equals, but the British saw them as savage, hostile, enemies. Trading was also seen differently between the settlers. The French were willing to trade with the Native Americans, but the British never accepted them. In James Cooper’s __Last of the Mohicans__, the relationships between the French, British, and Indians are revealed as well as their differences that lead to the French and Indian War. When the British and Spaniards were trying to conquer the savage natives of the new world, the French took a more positive approach. Trading between the French colonies and Indians emerged soon after the arrival of the European colonies in the Americas. Trade started with the French offering the Indians kettles, knives, and other gifts to establish friendly relations. Later, as the fur trade emerged in America, the French obtained furs from the local Indians tribes. When the French began to feud with the British, native tribes sided with the French because of the relationships they built with trading. The positive relationship the French built with the Indians gave them their much needed alliance during the war. After their first arrival in the new world, the British saw the Native Americans as hostile enemies. They had no respect for the Native Americans and their right to land and freedom. The English’s main goal was to colonize North America and exterminate anybody in the way. Meanwhile, the French’s main goal was to become rich and get out. The English were also Protestant and insisted that the Native Americans forget their belief system in order to fully adopt Christianity. None of this was accepted by the Native Americans, so when the war broke out between the French and British, the Indians decided to side with the French. The relationship between the British and Native Americans was negative due to the British’s attempts to conquer more land and convert the natives to Christianity. The French and Indian War was a result of conflicts between the British and French colonists. One main conflict that lead to the war was the struggle between territories and land. As battles started between the two forces, the French became allies with Indian tribes in the northeast region. Their siding with the French was because of the cooperative trading that existed between them. Also, their negative relationship with the British caused the Indians to side with the French. Conflicts caused by the British and French colonists resulted in the French and Indian War. When arriving in America, the relationship with the Native Americans was different between the French and British. The French had a positive relation because of their cooperative trading and interest in the Native American lifestyle. The British had a negative relation because of their want for new territories and struggle for converting the Native Americans to Christianity. In the __Last of the Mohicans__, these relationships are revealed with the battle scenes that show what side each group was on. With all of the historical facts being true in the __Last of the Mohicans__, James Cooper provides a well written further understanding of these relationships with his fictional stories between British, French, and Indian characters.