Final answer:
Views on land ownership differed between white settlers who practiced private land ownership and Native Americans who believed in communal land use, leading to the loss of Native American territories and their way of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The views on land ownership between white settlers and Native Americans were starkly different and led to significant conflicts. Native American societies did not traditionally practice private land ownership; instead, they believed that the land was a communal resource available to all members of the tribe. They lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle, moving to areas with sufficient water and food sources when necessary. In contrast, European settlers, influenced by their cultural backgrounds, undertook to establish individual ownership over land through the construction of houses, definition of fields, and erection of fences, thereby claiming parcels of land as their private property.
This clash of beliefs led to the alienation of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands, particularly as more settlers demanded land for agriculture, grazing, and expansion. The introduction of European goods, diseases, weaponry, and livestock significantly disrupted the traditional way of life for Native tribes. As settlers continued to expand their territories and fenced off lands, Native Americans were increasingly confined to smaller areas or forced to move westward, often into lands already occupied by other tribes, leading to further conflict. The European notion of private property fundamentally altered the landscape of North America and had profound and lasting impacts on Native American societies.