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Difficulty: MediumEuropean and American Indian Relations

"We have now several towns where the Christian Indians reside... They have some rule and government established among themselves; they choose their own rulers and officers... They have also schools for their children to learn to read and write in their own language and in English... Yet, despite these signs of civility, many of our English neighbors remain suspicious of them, believing their conversion to be a mere pretense to secure their lands, while others look with greed upon the very fields these Indians have cultivated."

—Daniel Gookin, Superintendent of the Indians in Massachusetts, *Historical Collections of the Indians in New England*, 1674

The developments described in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following historical trends in the seventeenth-century British colonies?

  1. A
    The formal implementation of the encomienda system by British authorities to organize agricultural labor
  2. B
    The reliance of southern plantation economies on Native American labor to cultivate cash crops
  3. The tension between English colonists' desire for land and efforts to culturally assimilate Native American populationsAnswer
  4. D
    A uniform response by all Native American groups in New England to completely reject European cultural practices

Answer

The tension between English colonists' desire for land and efforts to culturally assimilate Native American populations
The correct answer is correct because the excerpt describes Massachusetts 'praying towns' where Puritans attempted to convert and culturally assimilate Native Americans. Gookin highlights that despite these assimilation efforts, English colonists remained suspicious of the Native Americans and coveted their agricultural lands. This illustrates the persistent tension between the stated colonial goals of religious conversion and the colonists' material desire for land expansion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context and perspective.
The author (Daniel Gookin) describes 'Christian Indians' living in colonial Massachusetts towns, governing themselves, and attending schools, which indicates efforts at cultural assimilation.
Identifying the subject of the source helps isolate the historical process being described (the 'praying towns').
2
Analyze the conflict described in the stimulus.
The text notes that English neighbors remain 'suspicious' and 'look with greed' upon the lands cultivated by these assimilated Native Americans.
Identifying the conflict shows the divergence between colonial ideals of assimilation/conversion and the material reality of colonial land hunger.
3
Correlate these elements to the historical trends of seventeenth-century British colonization.
English colonization was characterized by agricultural settlement and displacement of Native populations, creating a structural tension where even assimilated Native Americans faced dispossession and hostility from land-seeking colonists.
Connecting the specific case of praying towns to the general trend of land expansion and displacement identifies the correct answer.

Key Concept

British-American Indian relations in Period 2 were characterized by land conflict and varying degrees of attempts at assimilation or displacement.
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Topics

European and American Indian Relations

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