Native Americans Indians, A to Z

James Adair was a trader, author, physician, and planter who lived among Native American Indian tribes in the American Southeast during the Colonial Era. He is most famous for his 18th Century documentation of Indian customs, culture, and medicines.

The American Fur Trade was an extensive economic system that initially involved Native American Indians and European explorers and colonists. After 1803, the Western Frontier started to open, creating the Western Fur Trade, which was driven by bold businessmen and Mountain Men. The Fur Trade played a vital role in Westward Expansion.

The First Anglo-Powhatan War was fought between Jamestown and the Powhatan Confederacy in the area known to the Powhatans as Tsenacomoco and Virginia to the colonists. The war was a series of skirmishes that ended with the “Peace of Pocahontas.” It is considered to be the first Anglo-Indian War in North America and essentially ended in a draw.

The Second Anglo-Powhatan War was fought between Jamestown and the Powhatan Confederacy in the area known to the Powhatans as Tsenacomoco and Virginia to the colonists. The war ended in 1632 with a peace treaty that gave the colonists control of the peninsula between the James River and the York River.

The Third Anglo-Powhatan War was fought between Jamestown and the Powhatan Confederacy in the area known to the Powhatans as Tsenacomoco and Virginia to the colonists. Virginia won the war and brought an end to the once-powerful Powhatan Confederacy.

The Apache Wars were a series of raids, skirmishes, and battles fought between the United States and various Apache tribes in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The wars helped shape America’s Manifest Destiny and led to the rise of important Apache leaders, including Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, and Geronimo.

Bacon’s Rebellion was a violent uprising by colonists in Colonial Virginia against government officials and the upper class. Rebels led by Nathaniel Bacon briefly took control of the colony, but the movement collapsed when he died. The rebellion is most famous for contributing to a dramatic increase in the usage of slave labor in Virginia and for being the first uprising against English officials in the American Colonies.

The Beaver Wars were a series of battles that were fought over control of the fur trade in colonial America. During the wars, the Iroquois Confederation took control of the fur trade, eliminated rival Native American Indian tribes, and terrorized French settlements. The French and their Indian allies responded with attacks on Iroquois villages and English settlements. The conflict lasted for nearly a century and ended with the Peace of Montreal in 1701.

Black Kettle was a Cheyenne chief who is most well-known for his efforts to secure peace and safety for his people as Americans migrated westward. He was involved in the Sand Creek Massacre, and killed at the Battle of the Washita — two of the worst atrocities committed by the U.S. Army against the Plains Indians.

The French and Indian War was the North American portion of the Seven Years' War. Here are key facts and important details about the final military contest between Great Britain and France, which determined who controlled most of eastern North America.

The French and Indian War was the fourth and final major conflict between Great Britain and France for control of North America. Britain won the war, which established its supremacy from the East Coast to the Mississippi River. The outcome contributed to events that helped set the American Revolution in motion, including Pontiac’s Rebellion, the Proclamation of 1763, and Britain’s decision to maintain a standing army in America.

The Great Dying in New England was an event that took place in New England from 1616–1619 when an unknown disease decimated the Native American Indian population.

The Iroquois Confederacy — or the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — was a league made up of six distinct Native American Indian nations that spoke the same language. The Confederacy is most well-known for its role in the Fur Trade and the major wars that shaped the American Colonies.

King Hendrick was a Mohawk Indian chief. He was also known as Hendrick Peters, which was his Christian name, and as Theyanoguin.

King Philip's War was fought between the English Colonies in New England and Native American Indian Tribes in the region.

The Pequot War was the first war in the New England area between English colonists and Native American Indians. The English won, nearly exterminated the Pequot, and took control of the Connecticut River Valley.

Pontiac was a chief of the Ottawa Indians who remains famous for his leadership role in Pontiac's Rebellion (1763–1766).

The Pueblo Revolt (1680) was an uprising by the Pueblo People against the Spanish in the Province of New Mexico. The Pueblos successfully drove the Spanish from the province and regained control of the territory.

The only American Indian to achieve the rank of general on either side during the American Civil War, Stand Watie (aka Degadoga) was also the last Confederate general to lay down his sword.