Question

“The next matter I shall recommend to you is the providing more effectively for the security of your frontiers against [American] Indians, who notwithstanding the many parties of Rangers [militia, or local men who volunteered for colonial defense] have . . . killed and carried off at least twenty of our outward inhabitants and Indian allies; I have attempted by several ways to oppose those [invasions] but after some trouble and expense have only experienced that our people are not ready for warlike undertakings. . . . The [condition of our Indian allies has] of late approved themselves to be ready and faithfully allied, and I am persuaded that setting them along our frontiers without all our inhabitants . . . would be a better and cheaper safeguard to the country than the old method of Rangers.”

Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood, addressing the members of the House of Burgesses, 1713

The point of view expressed by the Virginia governor in the excerpt is that he


opposes the expansion of colonial settlements into western lands where White settlers could encounter violent opposition from America Indians

A

believes that White Virginians must learn to protect themselves if they are to expand their settlements

B

values the lives of White Virginians equally with those of allied American Indians

C

feels a responsibility to protect White frontier settlers from violent encounters with American Indians

Answer 1

Governor Alexander Spotswood's viewpoint is that he feels a responsibility to protect White frontier settlers by implementing effective defense strategies using allied American Indians rather than the traditional militia.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood's excerpt from 1713 addresses the security issues pertaining to frontier settlements and their interactions with Native American tribes. In his address to the House of Burgesses, Spotswood advocates for improved defense mechanisms to protect the frontiers against Native American attacks. He suggests that the allied American Indians have proven to be reliable and could serve as a more cost-effective safeguard than the militia usually employed (Rangers). Spotswood conveys that the allied American Indians are prepared and trustworthy, asserting that their deployment along Virginian frontiers would result in better protection at a reduced expense compared to the traditional approach of using Rangers.

Given this context, the perspective Spotswood expresses is that he feels a responsibility to protect White frontier settlers from violent encounters with American Indians. He proposed using allied American Indians to secure the frontier, less so as a statement about equality or self-protection teachings for White Virginians, but rather as a pragmatic solution for colonial defense.

Answer 2

Answer: C) Feels a responsibility to protect White frontier settlers from violent encounters with American Indians

Step-by-step explanation:

• He wants to protect White Settles and his recommendation is for the security of them and he thinks that white settlers are not ready for war and nuisance because of American Indian people.

• American Indians killed and carried off at least twenty of their inhabitants and Indian allies and that's why they are very dangerous and because of all that, security of white settlers is important.