Struggle & Survival

Set 4 – History 140Devin Koppel

Jacob Young Born in the 1600’s – Indian trader and interpreter who originated at New

Amsterdam where he was married to a Dutch woman Migrated to the head of Chesapeake Bay to live with the Natives for several years In 1680, Young was licensed in Maryland to trade with the Indians and was

employed as an intermediary with the Indians, mainly the Susquehannock Indians An Onondaga spokesman claimed that Jacob Young had been "a great Leader and

Captain" in the SusquehannockIroquois wars. In 1681, he was prosecuted for having an Indian wife, among other charges, and he

was later banished to Holland The banishment never took place, and Young proved himself to be a capable

negotiator and interpreter and found his way back into good graces Jacob Young was a symbol of the independent spirit of the traders of his era

Red ShoesShulush Homa of Couechitto, a Choctaw chief, was known as Red Shoes by the Englishmen who entered his home town of Couechitto, the capital of his nationHe was born in the 18th century and lived in a world of chaos, change, destruction, and disease - European epidemics had damaged the salve raids and ravaged the ChoctawsHe began his adult life as a common warrior, however, through his exploits he earned the distinction of the finest warrior of the ChoctawsThousands were being taken into slavery for the English slave tradeInternational trade networks became vital to their existence and changed their economy foreverRed Shoes saw opportunity upon the Europeans arrival, which he took full advantage of, and found ways to obtain trade goodsHe fought the wars in the early 1720’s with the Choctaws and the French in search of trade and treasurePower was gained when the Mingo Tchito power structure fell, and Red Shoes encouraged their demise in order to gain rewards

Joseph Rachell & Rachael Pringle-Polgreen

Barbados contained a minority group comprised of persons whose racial ancestry was mixed or African but who were legally free, Joseph and Rachael fit into this groupBoth were born in slavery and their combined lives spanned the 18th centuryAlthough neither was a typical freedman, their uniqueness is a reflection of various dimensions of the socioeconomic environment in which they livedThey were known as Petty entrepreneurs – began a career shop keeping where they used the proceeds from marketing activities to open small shops to sell food goodsRachell was industrious and upright in the eyes of tradesmen, and she was always the first to be offered the merchandise of vessels arriving in BarbadosAccumulated not only wealth, but respect in a time where women were not encouraged to succeed in businessAllowed freed women the chance to become as successful economically as men

Thomas Peters

Born on June 25, 1738, Peters was enslaved in America and became a fugitive who left Wilmington, North Carolina

In November, 1776, Thomas Peters joined the Black Pioneers – an all black regiment

Peters became well-known within the regiment and progressed to the rank of sergeant

The Black Pioneers were transported from New York to Nova Scotia, where Peters became a resident of Brindley Town near Digby where he unsuccessfully tried to secure farmland near his town lot

He received government rations, but decided to leave for Saint John to try again to secure some land

Unfortunately, he faced the same problems there because blacked were only allotted one acre each.

In 1791, Peters became a representative to black people in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick who were unable to attain land because of their race

He drafted petitions and worked towards the granting of farms to his people