The 17th century was a time when English colonization started to make drastic changes in other parts of the world. With English colonists moving to the Americas, came a clashing of cultures with the Northeastern Indians. The colonial American English colonies and the Northeastern Indians were vastly different from each other in many aspects of their respective cultures. Along with their differences in culture, they also had contrasting economic societies. What the English would consider wealth was nowhere near what was considered wealth for the Northeastern Indians. Although they had stark differences, these two groups also shared some similarities in their economy and hierarchy of their societies. Through observing each society’s views on…show more content… Methods of acquiring wealth in both cultures contrast with one another because wealth was higher priority in the minds of the English colonists than it was for the Northeastern Indians. Simply put, the English desired abundance of wealth, and so they believed in actively working towards it. In line with these beliefs, industry, one of Franklin’s virtues, was an important value in the colonists’ life. In order to acquire wealth, it was important for them to always be doing something useful (Franklin 12). Wasting time was the same as losing money (18). Rather than thinking of work as a way to earn wealth, it seems that the English had the mindset that time not spent working was a loss of wealth. Sahlin’s statement, “wants may be ‘easily satisfied’ either by producing much or desiring little,” illustrates this difference between the colonists and the Indians (Cronon, 80). The Northeastern Indians wanted little, and so had an economy that focused…show more content… Both groups traded surplus goods, and that trade benefitted them in relative terms of wealth. Trade in the lives of the colonists however did not have as much political meaning as it did in Indian tribes. They did trade for items they were in need of, like colonists, but Indian trade helped build social capital (Cronon, 92). Trade did not have exact prices, and it is hard to distinguish it from gift giving, which also held a deep meaning in intertribal relationships (Cronon, 92). In addition to this, on a more personal level, individuals would also give away their possessions if they no longer needed them or if someone else needed them (Cronon, 61). Their tendency toward gift giving showed that their society placed less importance on having items or wealth and more on having fruitful relationships with each other. The colonists did have social capital as well, but it was not always as mutual and did not hold as much importance in their culture. Franklin recalls a time when he reached out to form a relationship with a coworker, but in this instance Franklin received a favor, but gave nothing back in return (Franklin, 16). He started this relationship, but did not expect to put anything into, which is very different from how the Northeastern Indians viewed their connections to others. The colonists
