When the first Europeans settled upon Indian soil, a.k.a Jamestown, the relationship between them was not a blissful one. The English were determined to teach the Native Americans their ways of living, because it was the only faith they knew, and they were not going to change.The depiction the Europeans had of the Indians was the same as the depiction the Indians had of the Europeans, negative. Because the Indians depicted such a different lifestyle of the Europeans, the Europeans in turn began to make assumptions of their way of life, especially in the subject matter of religious beliefs.
The Europeans, or the English in particular, were deeply rooted to the Church of England, powered by the English monarchy (Geiter, Speck 28). Specifically, their belief was based upon the Elizabethan Settlement, "the middle way between Roman Catholicism and Calvinist Protestantism" (Geiter, Speck 28). However, with that said, those who were strictly Protestant, or Puritan, were "against the practices of the 'era of Catholicism'", meaning, stated by Geiter and Speck, the practice of "worshiping Jesus, exchanging rings in a marriage, or crossing an infant's head in baptism" (Geiter, Speck 28). All of these practices represented superstition to them. They also had the belief that "Religion would predominate in a kingdom or region, not right of individuals to choose which church is in which to worship" (Foner 14). This statement showed how big a part religion was in their community. The English settlers brought with them the faith of the Anglican Church, as an attempt to separate themselves from the Church of England. As this faith crossed into Native American territory, they began to see just how different they were from each other. The Native American religion was Animism, a belief that "spiritual power suffused the world and sacred spirits could be found in all kinds of living and inanimate things - animals, plants, trees, water, and wind" (Foner 8). This belief also was found to be an "aid of powerful forces to serve the interests of man" (Foner 8). This religion among the Indian village included elaborate religious rites and ceremonies. There were individuals with authority in their religious community including shamans, medicine men, and other religious leaders (Foner). Overall, their religious beliefs had a base of "no distinction between natural and supernatural" (Foner 9). With such a difference between them, there was evident daily conflict.
The depictions the Europeans had of the Indians changed the way the Native Americans lived through their perception from the English. They saw Native Americans "as embodying freedom", which can be read as a positive image (Foner 12). However, they also saw them as "barbaric", meaning they did not have any organized government or laws (Foner 12). Giovanni da Verrazano, a Florentine navigator and traveler, described the Indian community as a people of "absolute freedom", which was not meant to be told in a positive light (Foner 13). In turn, the English saw this as an opportunity to take the Indians as personal servants and to convert them from Animism. The goal of the English was to prosper and to unite as one empire, but they could not unite with the Native Americans, believing in a different religion that they found to be superstitious. “The Virginia Company’s sincere but misguided attempt to convert Indian peoples to Christianity represents the only example of an English effort in North America to bring an entire people into the national church” (Horn 27). Also, Pocahontas and John Rolfe's matrimony was thought to confirm this action of the Indians' conversion "by the colony's leaders as a sure sign that their policy was reaping rewards and raised hopes that in time all Powhatan peoples would be brought into the Church of England and converted to English ways" (Horn 27). This did not please the Indians and, in fact, infuriated them. "Native Americans began to bitterly resent Europeans for reducing them to slavery" (Foner 13). The European settlers brought not only themselves into Jamestown, but also their culture, specifically religion. Religion brought conflict in their daily lives and eventually altered the way they thought, the way they communicated, and the way responded to each other in the new settlement of Jamestown.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. 4th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2014. Print.
Geiter, Mary K., and W. A. Speck. Colonial America: From Jamestown to Yorktown. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Print.
Horn, James. “The Founding of English America: Jamestown.” Magazine of History 25.1 (2011): 25-29.
The Europeans, or the English in particular, were deeply rooted to the Church of England, powered by the English monarchy (Geiter, Speck 28). Specifically, their belief was based upon the Elizabethan Settlement, "the middle way between Roman Catholicism and Calvinist Protestantism" (Geiter, Speck 28). However, with that said, those who were strictly Protestant, or Puritan, were "against the practices of the 'era of Catholicism'", meaning, stated by Geiter and Speck, the practice of "worshiping Jesus, exchanging rings in a marriage, or crossing an infant's head in baptism" (Geiter, Speck 28). All of these practices represented superstition to them. They also had the belief that "Religion would predominate in a kingdom or region, not right of individuals to choose which church is in which to worship" (Foner 14). This statement showed how big a part religion was in their community. The English settlers brought with them the faith of the Anglican Church, as an attempt to separate themselves from the Church of England. As this faith crossed into Native American territory, they began to see just how different they were from each other. The Native American religion was Animism, a belief that "spiritual power suffused the world and sacred spirits could be found in all kinds of living and inanimate things - animals, plants, trees, water, and wind" (Foner 8). This belief also was found to be an "aid of powerful forces to serve the interests of man" (Foner 8). This religion among the Indian village included elaborate religious rites and ceremonies. There were individuals with authority in their religious community including shamans, medicine men, and other religious leaders (Foner). Overall, their religious beliefs had a base of "no distinction between natural and supernatural" (Foner 9). With such a difference between them, there was evident daily conflict.
The depictions the Europeans had of the Indians changed the way the Native Americans lived through their perception from the English. They saw Native Americans "as embodying freedom", which can be read as a positive image (Foner 12). However, they also saw them as "barbaric", meaning they did not have any organized government or laws (Foner 12). Giovanni da Verrazano, a Florentine navigator and traveler, described the Indian community as a people of "absolute freedom", which was not meant to be told in a positive light (Foner 13). In turn, the English saw this as an opportunity to take the Indians as personal servants and to convert them from Animism. The goal of the English was to prosper and to unite as one empire, but they could not unite with the Native Americans, believing in a different religion that they found to be superstitious. “The Virginia Company’s sincere but misguided attempt to convert Indian peoples to Christianity represents the only example of an English effort in North America to bring an entire people into the national church” (Horn 27). Also, Pocahontas and John Rolfe's matrimony was thought to confirm this action of the Indians' conversion "by the colony's leaders as a sure sign that their policy was reaping rewards and raised hopes that in time all Powhatan peoples would be brought into the Church of England and converted to English ways" (Horn 27). This did not please the Indians and, in fact, infuriated them. "Native Americans began to bitterly resent Europeans for reducing them to slavery" (Foner 13). The European settlers brought not only themselves into Jamestown, but also their culture, specifically religion. Religion brought conflict in their daily lives and eventually altered the way they thought, the way they communicated, and the way responded to each other in the new settlement of Jamestown.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. 4th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2014. Print.
Geiter, Mary K., and W. A. Speck. Colonial America: From Jamestown to Yorktown. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Print.
Horn, James. “The Founding of English America: Jamestown.” Magazine of History 25.1 (2011): 25-29.