>In his book "Gunfighter Nation" (1998, Univ. of
>Oklahoma Press), Richard Slotkin traces the evolution
>of American attutudes towards Native Americans; from
>vermin that must be exterminated (the 'Indian Wars'
>period) to "noble savages" who, sadly, had to be
>removed to make way for a great nation's rise.
There was also some hope to exploit their labor. According to the committee's report on Churchill (pp. 34, 37):
>The pages referenced by Professor Churchill in the Salisbury book do
>not contain the words "Wampanoags" and have no discussion of any
>disease or epidemic (including smallpox). They contain no
>suggestions that John Smith or anyone else intentionally introduced
>a disease. Quite the contrary-Salisbury's discussion of Smith's plan
>to move towards English colonization, which focuses on psychological
>strategies and military repression, includes the prospects for using
>Indian labor as a cheap labor force.
[...]
>There is no question that John Smith was brutal in his treatment of
>Indians and interested in having English settlers colonize New
>England. However, the evidence suggests that he viewed the native
>population as an important source of labor. As Salisbury explains,
>Smith "would use military repression in order to force the natives
>to work for their colonial masters." The evidence that Smith wanted
>to use Indians as a labor force contradicts Professor Churchill's
>contention that he wanted to see them wiped out.