Why did the Pilgrims refuse to assimilate into Indian cultures?

Question

If the Pilgrims are the best example of how to immigrate, then refusing to assimilate and refusing to learn the native language are the examples to emulate, right?

Why do Pilgrims and Europeans get a free pass for refusing to assimilate into Indian cultures?

Today they still insist on using the language of England and NOT Cherokee or Navajo, etc as The Official Language of America.

Answer 1

This is the smartest question I've seen posted in response to another. I am with you on this one buddy! Thanks for posting a well thought out question. You get a star!

:)

Answer 2

There were too many differences between the Native American tribes and the Pilgrims for assimilation to have been a viable option for the Pilgrims, although many Native Americans began assimilating European ways and language soon after contact. (Read about Squanto and Pocahontas, for example).

The Pilgrims were Christian, the Amerinds were considered paganistic.
The Pilgrims were industrious and communal-minded, the Amerinds were very individualistic and lived "in tune" with Nature, varying their habits and lifestyles to the changing seasons and habitats.

Many Pilgrims almost assuredly learned the local dialect in order to communicate with their Amerind neighbors but many hundreds of dialects were in use by Amerinds, which is why the Amerinds used sign language quite a lot among themselves.

So, it was not a matter of "refusal" but, as among most humans, the most practical course was chosen to deal with the situation as it was at the time. To have learned EVERY dialect of the Amerinds would have been far less than practical.

English has been THE language of American(US) culture, politics, law and economics for hundreds of years now and it is certainly unreasonable for recent immigrants, with whatever language, to expect that to change as a matter of convenience for them.

Answer 3

Study history.
The Mayflower pilgrims came here with a Contract and they were to start up a Socialist type of Government.
That Government FAILED because Socialism DOESN'T WORK.
Being honorable people, they still felt they should honor those who financed their pilgrimage so they renegotiated and started to govern themselves using a free enterprise type of system. THEN they were successful.
They never considered a tribal system like the native Americans had. They had seen how THAT works because the many tribes in the Middle East used tribal systems and have always been fighting among themselves, just like the native Americans did before the arrival of the pilgrims.
The tribes in the Middle East still fight those types of battles today.

Answer 4

Why did the Indians refuse to provide the pilgrims education and health care and support their children until adulthood through food stamp and aid programs?

Answer 5

To: Paula Revere.. i find it very offensive that you are calling Native Americans .. Savages.... I am native american and i am not a savage and neither are my people.. you are very racist with that comment...

and to let you all know,,, we dont need no one to learn our languages or culture.. its for our people...

Answer 6

They were as narcissistic then as some Americans are now.

Answer 7

They had guns the Indians had spears--no need to assimilate.

Answer 8

they looked down on the indians and thought they were better(like a lot of people on here) they killed they indians with their germs and and guns...so why should they have to change!

Answer 9

The educated will always pervail>

Answer 10

They did not want to live like savages. Pilgrims were not immigrants. I sure hope my tax dollars didn't pay for your education.