Why was contact with the English so destructive for the Native Americans?

Answer 1

Indians were stone age hunter/gatherers living on a mass of riches they could not recognize or use. As Europeans brought in greater technology and larger populations, they required room to live. Indians had no way to rise above hunting or subsistence agriculture and could not counter the technology or numbers of Europeans.

Answer 2

Because the English saw the Native Americans as heathens because they were not like them at all (different appearence, clothes, and religion). They tried to negotiate their land but the Native Americans had no concept of land ownership (they lived on the land and shared it).

Later, the colonies were a part of the British Crown, thus, the Native Americans were under the authority of the King of England rather than their own tribal leaders.

Answer 3

It wasn't just the contact with the English, it was the contact with the Europeans in general, although the same thing would have happened with a widespread influx of any other peoples. The Europeans carried diseases that did not always affect them, since they had mingled for so many centuries that their immunity had built up. The Native Americans, with no immunity to these illnesses, died of them in large numbers--it was their isolation that made them so vulnerable. Did they in turn give anything along that line to the Europeans? Some historians think that maybe syphilis was brought back to Europe by returning explorers and colonists, but there is no way to confirm this. One of the great medical truths is that moderate exposure to some germs builds up our resistance--if we tried to remain completely unexposed to them, we would be vulnerable. But needless to say, there are some germs we should avoid like the plague (!)

Answer 4

Generally, its a thing called the technology gap. When two civilisations meet, the least technologically advanced is usually destroyed by the more advanced (either deliberately or by accident). Thats why the Vikings had such a minimal impact on the Native Americans as opposed to the English. Close quarter hand to hand, combat. Simmilar building techniques etc.

Answer 5

Because the english ripped them off trading trinkets for land the natives didn't think they owned. Gave them blankets from sick people as a type of biological warefare and were generally unpleasant using their advanced technology to their advantage.

Answer 6

I agree with all the answers so far and I might
add that the English "used" the Natives and
also murdered them for no reason whatsoever.

Answer 7

The main reason was that they had no immunity to European diseases and about 90% and more of the eastern Indians all died.
Now the other aspect was the total destruction of their culture by force.

Answer 8

Look around--how many Native Americans do you see??

Answer 9

Pretty much the same reason the Spanish were destrucive with the Aztecs. In that when a superior - or more technically avanced - civilization meets a less advanced one the more advanced one generally kills them and takes their things.

Answer 10

Indians didn't know how to lie, therefore they accepted as truth what they were told, most of which was lies.