The Relationship Between Powhatan Indians And The New World

In the late 1500s, European countries began attempts to colonize America. Most settlements, however, failed, such as Roanoke. In 1606, the Virginia Company of London funded an expedition of 144 men to the Americas, and a year later, they arrived in the New World, entering the realm of the Powhatan Indians. The colonists then built and successfully established Jamestown (present-day Jamestown Island, Virginia). Upon their arrival, the English met the Powhatan, and the two built a healthy liaison. However, the relationship between the Powhatan and the English colonists fluctuated as time progressed, from cordial, to an uneasy peace, and inevitable violence and war. When the colonists first established Jamestown, they met the Powhatan†¦show more content†¦In An Act Prohibiting the Stealing of Canoes (1619), it states, â€Å"He that takes a canoe or other things from the Indians by violence or by stealing without their knowledge, will pay the Indians and will pay a fine.† This decree was issued in an act of solicitude towards the Indians. For these reasons, the Jamestown colonists and the Powhatan initially had an affable relation. As more persons immigrated to Jamestown in search of a better life, the colonists wanted more tracts of land, much to the noncompliance of the Indians; this prompted war between the two. The fights, however, lasted less than a decade, and ended with peace treaties, followed by precarious peace. An example of this uneasiness is shown in A Treaty of Peace passed by the Virginia General Assembly. The pact was upheld after the end of the 1644 war to solicit amity with the Indians. In A Treaty of Peace, it states, â€Å"It is legal to kill any Indian in this area unless he is a messenger from the Chief †¦ to keep from being killed, the messenger should wear a striped coat.† This demonstrates the inquietude between the Powhatan and the English colonists. Another exemplar of the uneasy peace between the two can be se en in the other regulations that were passed regarding the treatment of the Indians. The laws included the prevention of Indian children kidnappings, the approval of a law allowing the adoption of Powhatan children, the prohibition of illegally buying Indian land, and others; all of which were to