Since Europeans arrived on the US coasts, the points where their forces met and their culture with their unmistakable natural world Indian They were converted into areas of opposing interests and diamonds. In fact, a constant conflict situation emerged in which they were involved European forcescolonial and indigenous populations that were trying to maintain their earth and lifestyle.
In the 18th century, and specifically in 1758, it became one of the first abductions of white from indigenous populationsthat of ten -year -old Mary Campbell. The little girl, although never in danger in her six years of staying next to the Indians, was deeply influenced. In addition, its history served as a warning to white settlers, triggering the fear of the “wild” Indians and supplying a psychology that evolved into hatred against indigenous populations. This hate would lead to the slaughter that took place on March 8, 1782, in Gnadenhutten of Ohio.
Ten years ago, in 1772, in Gnadenhutten, south of today’s New Philadelphia, Moravian missionaries settled and attempted to continue the conversion of Indians in Christianity. When the American revolutionthe Indians who had been converted and were friendly Christians, precisely because they were peacemakers and had a attitude of neutrality in the war, were accused by the British of probably acting as spies against them. As a result of these suspicions, in 1781, the British removed them from Gnadenhutten and transported them to the Upper Sandusky area of Ohio.
US governments have approved a total of more than 1,500 attacks and raids on the Indians.
At the beginning of 1782, some of the departed Indians returned to Gnadenhutten to seek food. However, shortly thereafter were charged with recent attacks on white settlers in the west Pennsylvania. However, while the Indians in the Gnadenhutten area had nothing to do with these attacks, this did not prevent a group of Pennsylvania militias, led by Captain David Williamson, to concentrate in the area. Williamson and 90 volunteers, seeking revenge for the aforementioned attacks, pretended to have friendly intentions and thus managed to disarm the tribe people.
The morning of March 8, 1782, The militants murdered the 96 Indians who had gatheredincluding several children. Eventually, he managed to rescue a little boy (some sources report two boys), who escaped and made known the story of the slaughter.
At the end of the 19th century, less than 238,000 indigenous were left.
This attack on non -fighter indigenous people resulted in loss of confidence of the Indians to their allies hitherto in the War of Independence, while at the same time triggering retaliationleading to people’s captives and their detention in Indian territories.
The already sharp state was not to change. The governments of USA They approved a total of more than 1,500 attacks and raids on the Indians. As a result, at the end of the 19th century, less than 238,000 indigenous people were left out of the 5-15 million estimated to exist on the arrival of Christopher Columbus.
Today, a monument has been erected at Gnadenhutten on an area of 9 acres, marking the location of this atrocity of March 1782.
Column: Myrto Katsigera, Vassilis Minakakis, Antigoni-Despina Poumenidou, Athanasios Syroplakis
