2 - Dispossession and Conscription

Summary

Early European colonization of North America relied heavily on Native American labor from the formation of the first colonies in New York well into the 20th century in places like the US Great Basin. Contrary to the view that Native Americans either refused wage labor or were an impediment to European settlement, in many places, Native Americans provided significant labor inputs in areas where many European workers refused to work, as on early winter, whaling ships off of Long Island. In many cases, Native Americans accessed wage labor on their own terms, often bringing their entire families with them to labor camps rather than agreeing to the separation of productive from reproductive labor.