Religion

• Religion was the biggest difference between Native American and Europeans when it came to natural resources. The Native American's saw themselves as a part of the environment. They believed that the gods created the earth for people to live off. To damage the land was to insult the gods. However, the Europeans had a Protestant work ethic that demanded they tame the land to help their fellow man. The Europeans had a more advanced understanding of science and felt they had to tame the land to improve society. Europeans drained swamps to prevent plagues, irrigated land for farms and cut down forests for cheap housing.
  
  

Commerce

• The Europeans and Native Americans had different perceptions of natural resources because they had different economies. The Native Americans had a barter economy so to them, gold was worthless. However, the Europeans had advanced to a coinage-based economy so gold was worth a lot to them. Additionally, the Native Americans were living in a pre-Bronze Age technological base, so metal ore deposits were not seen as a resource at all. The Europeans eagerly mined the mountains for iron and copper.
  
  

Politics

• The two also had different political systems, which affected how they saw natural resources. The Europeans belonged to a wide variety of monarchies and democratic monarchies. These kingdoms established the North American colonies to provide resources to the home countries, often for European theater wars. However, the Native Americans merely used what was necessary to survive. The Native Americans existed within an almost caste-like tribal system that emphasized internal stability over any hegemonic ideals.
  
  

War

• The Europeans would often exploit natural resources for defensive purposes, whereas the Native Americans lacked the kind of tactics that necessitated those actions. The Europeans would make forts from wood and dirt on key choke points. Often, trees and grassland would be cleared out for half a mile to get rid of any potential cover for attackers. Additionally, roads would be cut through forests and mountains to rapidly shift army regiments. The Native Americans had no cities that needed to be defended so they built no forts. They also lacked firearm technology so there was no need to cut through forests.