During the colonial era, what was a major factor that contributed to tensions between colonists and Native Americans?

• A. The colonists' resistance to trade
• B. The expansion of colonial territories into Native lands
• C. The colonists' promotion of Native American culture
• D. The peaceful coexistence of different cultural practices

Answer: (B)

Territorial expansion and the fight over land were what often sparked tension between colonists and Native Americans. As colonies grew, settlers pushed further into areas where Native peoples lived, hunted, and farmed. This encroachment meant Native communities could lose access to their traditional resources, lose autonomy over their lands, and see long-standing boundaries ignored or broken by treaties. The result was persistent conflict, resistance, and episodes of war as both sides asserted their claims to the land and sovereignty.

This moment in history isn’t about trade alone, cultural promotion, or peaceful coexistence; those dynamics either didn’t dominate relationships or don’t match the pattern of frequent land disputes and violent clashes that accompanied settlers spreading across the continent.