Through The Eyes Of The Native - Essay Example

Through The Eyes of the Native of As the native inhabitants of America, the Amerindians would have nothave welcomed the British as they were, like the Patriots, a threat to their existence and to their livelihood. They must, however, take sides during the American Revolution. Many allied with the Patriots but most of them supported the British 1. This is because the British promised them protection from the American settlers who were encroaching on their lands 2. A New Nation? Amerindians, especially the Iroquois tribe (Mohawks, Cayugas, Onondagas and Senecas) fought alongside the British forces during the American Revolution.

They sided with the British because they stuck an agreement with King George III to protect them from Americans who were getting their lands from them. Because of this, the Native Americans saw this as a positive development because this would serve as their defense against the Americans, who they think were robbing them of their territories. The Iroquois was led by Joseph Brant or Thayendenaga, a Native American who was educated in Moor’s Indian Charity School. He worked as an English translator and was the chief of the Mohawk tribe3.

The British lost the Revolution and in the Preliminary Articles of Peace in 1972, when they were making agreements with the Americans, they have failed to mention the plight of the Native Americans. This shocked Brant as they also learned that the British were selling them out to Americans. The British also failed to keep their promise of setting aside their lands, as in their previous treaties 4. They were “sold” to the Americans, as a result. Because of this, we can conclude that the American Revolution was a catastrophe for the Native Americans.

They were used and they were made victims of a broken promise. They allied with the British with the hope that they could have helped in defending their native culture and territory but in the end, they were sold to the Americans too, without even them knowing it. In the end, we can say that they would have been better off on their own.Notes1. Alan Taylor, “American Colonies” (New York: Viking, 2001), 3262. Ibid., 3273. Alan Taylor, “The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution” (New York, Knopf, 2006), 100-1054. Ibid, 330