Title: Encounter & Conquest Timeline

Encounter & Conquest

After establishing footholds in the Americas, European colonial powers encountered native peoples to a greater extent. The survival of the first colonies were dependent on the presence of Native Americans as allies or trade partners. As the colonies grew and Europeans asserted their authority, conflicts with Native Americans increased, higlighting the different ways these groups pursued warfare. From their early beginnings, the Spanish, French, and British colonies developed differently, including in their relationships with native peoples.

1599: Massacre at Acoma, New Mexico

In 1599 the Pueblo city of Acoma, situated at the top of a plateau, grew tired of paying tribute to the Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate. They killed his nephew who treated the population poorly while collecting corn form them. Fearing the spread of resistance against his authority, Oñate forces climbed the mesa unnoticed with a cannon and proceeded to destroy parts of the city. After three days, 800 of the 6,000 people were killed with men above the age of 25 having their foot cut off and taken into slavery. Acoma children were taken from their parents and given to missionaries as domestic slaves.

1600 to 1784: Iroquois League

When the French arrived to the Great Lakes region they found a powerful coalition of native peoples called the Iroquois League. Made up of six groups, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. The Tuscarora joined after migrating from the south. Tribal leaders gathered together to made diplomatic decisions related to war and peace. Because the Iroquis acted together this made them the most powerful force in the Northeast for a long time and restricted French expansion. The French were allies of the Huron, often enemies of the Iroquois. The French made peace with the Iroquis and later sought their support in their conflicts, as did the British. The Iroquois League fell apart when different tribes of the coalition chose different sides in the American Revolution.

1638: Anne Hutchinson is Banished From Boston

Anne Hutchinson moved to Boston in the 1630s with her husband and children. She quickly became popular in the community holding bible study sessions in her home while criticizing the preaching of good deeds over God's grace. Seen as a leader of the Antinomian Movement, that attached youth and women, Massachusetts authorities viewed her as a problem. They did not like being questioned, especially by a woman who was advocating for non-elites to become more active in the church. The governor of the colony put her on trial and banished her to Rhode Island after she claimed to communicate with God.

1607: Jamestown is Established

The first permanent English settlement in North America was established in Virginia by the Virgnia Company. These investors were granted a charter by James I to establish a colony they hoped would reap profits through gold and silver or trade routes to Asia. They recruited the colonists, often with exaggerated promises of wealth and social advancement. The colony was located in Powhatan territory and the native confederacy alternated between attacking the colonists or trading with them. Jamestown was on the brink of failure until the key to its survival was found: tobacco. This gave the colony the cash crop it needed to generate a profit but would lead to problems with the Native Americans since tobacco producation called for more land.

1636 to 1637: The Pequot War

A war erupted between the Massachusetts Bay & Connecticut Colonies and their native allies, the Narragansett and Mohegans, against the Pequots. The Pequot dominated native competitors in the region and monopolized trade while blocking Massachusetts Colony from expanding into southern New England. After the Pequot murdered British traders, Massachusetts launched attacks leading to an eleven-month war. While the Pequot won a string of small skirmishes, the British applied the concept of total war to massacre the Pequot, including the incident at Mystic village where 600 were killed. This method of warfare allowed the British to win the war and would be used in the future against Native Americans.