Loving People Quotes
This was a 100 page pamphlet intended for the English audience. It extolled the new colonies which had gotten a bad reputation from some of the experiences of the Virginia colonists. The purpose was to persuade more English to become colonists. The initial response of the Indians to the Whites was helpful, peaceful and admirable. As there was more interaction there were incidents that triggered extreme military response by the Whites and relations deteriorated. Wood however, later in the pamphlet, makes a distinction that is lost on many who study the early colonies. The Indian tribes were as different from each other as European countries were. There were different languages, customs, values, and capabilities. Wood relates that there are other Indian tribes who would kill any outsider—white or Indian—for trivial reasons. In general, the Indians of New England and New York tended to be sophisticated by European standards and relatively peaceful and included the highly sophisticated Iroquois. While others tended to see the worst of the “savage heathens”, Wood looked at New England and the Indians with the positive attitude of a promoter.
