Essay on The Impact of Colonialism on Southeartern Nations

This essay will analyze the major colonialism impact on the southeastern nations and the relations among them during the United States Hegemonic Period from 1820 to 1870. In doing so, we will discuss different forms of social change that were brought to the Indian societies as well as the cause of such changes. Mainly this paper will concentrate on three important aspects of colonial impact that contributed to major social changes that the southeastern nations experienced: geopolitical environment, markets, and American culture. We will illuminate the reader’s knowledge about U.S. hegemony in relation to the southeastern nations and how this external geopolitical force gave rise to forming the constitutional governments and national†¦show more content†¦Consequently, the indigenous nations were able to retain political autonomy during the period of competition between various European colonial powers. However, the new American government implemented a series of laws a nd regulations that established hegemony over Native Americans. Without alliances with foreign powers, the major Indian nations had no choice but to â€Å"recognize American political supremacy in the region† after the War of 1812 (Champagne 1992:88). Despite reluctance by Native Americans towards political differentiation and social change, the U.S. government planned to regulate trade between the Indian tribes and European countries and institute a program that was designed to assimilate and civilize the Native peoples. However, these attempts did not prevail until 1828, as evidenced by the absence of large-scale migration of southeastern Indians. Although most southeastern nations were socially and politically undifferentiated during the early period of U.S. hegemony, these societies diverged later in spite of facing similar external threats and pressures to give up territory. While some southeastern nations were able to unify and resist change by political centralization and fundamentalist movement, others like the Choctaw were divided and indirectly supported the U.S.