Paper Example on Exploring the Roots: Native Americans, Colonies, and the Formation of the United States

Introduction

All nations have a story about their origin, which tells them about themselves and enables them to understand who they are. The origin of nations ties them to the land from which they are made out of. Like every other nation, the United States of America has its story of the Americans' origin and the hardships during the old times. This paper focuses on the origin of the Native Americans and the Civil War era between Native Americans and the colonies.

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The Oldest European Colonies and the U.S. Soil

The Roanoke colony was among the first colonies which were established in 1585. Another colony was later founded at Jamestown in 1607 (Threedy, 2009). Most people came to settle in the new world, escaping religious persecution from various nations, including their native nations. Most nations were experiencing hostile environments, which created the need to seek new safe environments. The pilgrims, who were the founders of Plymouth, arrived in 1620 (Threedy, 2009). The colonists had a safe environment and were assisted by the Native Americans in both Virginia and Massachusetts cities.

The colonists came to America to escape poverty, civil wars, political unrest, diseases, and famine in their origin native nations. Most of the colonists believed that colonial life would offer them new opportunities. All these events have some importance to mark the beginning of the American nation. However, none of the events marked the first permanent settlement in a nation that would later become the United States of America.

The California Pueblos

The pueblos in California refer to the ancient towns that were set up in California. The pueblos refer to a common structure established by the colonists and the native Americans, which offered multiple dwelling and defensive purposes for some Indians in the southern United States (Archibald, 1978). The Indians practiced agricultural activities in the areas. The pueblos were either built of stone or adobe. Most of them were terraced, while others were storied. The structures would be placed against walls with narrow entries where people would enter through the roof by using a ladder.

These pueblos were all established to support the missions and presidios in ancient California. Several pueblos were based in old California, which helped in the missions during political unrest and wars. Some of the pueblos in California included Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz (Archibald, 1978). These were the only towns in California. Pueblo of de Los Angeles marked the second town created during the Spanish colonization, with the top being San Jose, established in 1777 (Archibald, 1978). These were the first two towns to be founded.

The Conflict with Natives

The Indian wars involved a series of conflicts in the western United States between Indians, Americans, and the U.S. army. Most of these conflicts took place during and after the frontier's end, which was always around the 1890s (Threedy, 2009). Most Native American tribes sided with the British colonies during the wars of 1812 (Threedy, 2009). The American natives wanted to safeguard their tribal lands and therefore anticipated that the British's success would relieve them of the pressure they experienced from U.S. settlers who wanted to penetrate further into the Native Americans' lands in southern Canada.

The implacable desire for Western lands among Americans caused tension between the United States and the Indians. Together with the U.S. forces, Andrew Jackson and the Native American allies decided to attack Creek Indians in March 1814 (Threedy, 2009). This happened since the Indians opposed the expansion and encroachment of their territory by the Americans. The Comanche were regarded as maybe the most dangerous tribes of Indians in the frontier era. This was the most feared tribe in the wars against Indians with the Americans.

The Establishment of Texas

Texas did not remain under Mexico's possession for long, although Mexico's war of independence had pushed out Spain in 1821. Texas became its own country, thereby becoming the 28th state when the United States annexed it. It then became Texas's republic from 1996 until it joined the United States of America in 1845 (Rumbaut, 2003). The first settlers of Texas were some Spanish missionaries, who later founded San Antonio in 1718. The forces of Texas fought and won the revolution between 1935 and 1936 (Rumbaut, 2003). After the conclusion of the American-Mexican war, Mexico recognized Texan independence, with Guadalupe's treaty in 1948 (Rumbaut, 2003). This has ensured peace in the American states over the years.

Conclusion

Conclusively, understanding the origin of nations enables one to understand oneself and the origin of their people. The Americans' history takes a different turn as it is infested with a background of civil wars between them and natives, and Mexico. This creates a hostile environment that isn't conducive to most people. The 1948 Guadalupe treaty brings back the peace between Texas, Mexico, and the United States of America that has existed to date.

References

Archibald, R. (1978). The Economic Aspects of the California Missions (Vol. 12). Washington, DC: Academy of American Franciscan History. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=hornbeck_spa_2

Rumbaut, R. G. (2003). The Americans: Latin American and Caribbean Peoples in the United States. Perspectives on Las Américas: A Reader in Culture, History, and Representation, 90-113. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ruben_Rumbaut/publication/227558346_The_Americans_Latin_American_and_Caribbean_Peoples_in_the_United_States/links/5bca8a04a6fdcc03c7961276/The-Americans-Latin-American-and-Caribbean-Peoples-in-the-United-States.pdf

Threedy, D. L. (2009). United States v. Hatahley: A Legal Archaeology Case Study in Law and Racial Conflict. American Indian Law Review, 1-75. https://digitalcommons.law.ou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1120&context=ailr