What do you think America would be like if American Natives had been given the technology of guns prior?

Question

Prior to the settling of European settlers?
It's commonly known that Vikings and other Northern countries knew of the New World (archeological evidence of trade) It is also commonly known that the warrior Native archers were deadlier accurate from farther away than any marksman with a modern rifle of the day.
Given the two facts above, how would you explain the 'take over' of the United States? Also please give insight as to why South America has not been as economically (even if for their own people) successful as North America?

Answer 1

Studies have indicated that North American indigenous tribes were violent even with their own members. On the average, a major village was totally annihilated once every five years. Warfare was endemic. Crime was rampant. The noble savage idea has long been known to be an imaginary idea. The Iroquois Confederation was close to becoming an empire in the northeast even after European settlers arrived. Having the technology does not mean that tribes would have stood together and the European tribes (English, Scottish, German, French, etc) were much larger. The bottom line is that Canada and the US northeast through PA would probably be an independent Iroquois nation and the rest would be mostly the same (people mostly of European origin) - it would have just taken longer. With large scale migrations/immigration, the indigenous people always become repressed.

Answer 2

I don't think it was their lack of guns, I think it happened because they didn't see what was coming soon enough to stop it. Had they killed the Europeans as they got off the boat, it would have been quite awhile before they were taken over. It would have been easy to do at the start. I don't know if it would be different now or not as European soldiers would have surely come in with enough numbers to take them in time. It would have been much better for the natives if the Europeans could have learned to co-exist with them and to respect their culture.

Sorry, I don't know about South America.

Answer 3

They would have all died off from disease, and, with their severely reduced numbers, been wiped out anyway by the far better organized Europeans.

As to why North America is far more successful than South America... Well I can't give you an answer to that. Maybe we are just that much more kick @$$.