Final answer:
The inevitability of Euro-American progress at the expense of Native Americans is debatable, considering the multifaceted interactions exemplified by Manifest Destiny and varying economic interests. Cooperation and understanding were indeed possible, as shown in some alliances, but the dominant trends were displacement and conquest, influenced by the ideologies and economic motivations of the time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether it was inevitable that Euro-American progress was achieved at the expense of the Indigenous peoples of North America. The concept of Manifest Destiny was a driving force behind the expansionist policies that had a significant impact on Native American populations. While technological superiority and military power played a role, the assumption that the cultivation of new lands for Euro-American settlers was philosophically and morally justified underlies the phenomenon of western expansion and manifest destiny. However, the question also allows for the reflection on alternative historical outcomes where cooperation and understanding could lead to mutually beneficial relations, as seen in some historically documented interactions between Europeans and Native Americans.
Various factors played a role in these complex relationships. Economic interests and a desire for expansion often propelled the colonists' agenda. While there were cases of cooperation and mutual benefit, evidenced by certain Native Americans taking on roles such as interpreters or in colonial bureaucracies, the overall trend was toward displacement and subjugation of Native American cultures. It's important to acknowledge that there were different possibilities for interaction—resistance, revolution, assimilation, and cohabitation, yet the overriding tendency was indeed one of domination by European settlers.
Ultimately, the historical record indicates that a variety of outcomes were possible, but the prevailing ideologies and economic desires of the time largely dictated a course of action that led to the subordination of indigenous peoples. The notion that such an outcome was inevitable is contentious and overlooks the diversity of experiences and interactions that took place across the continent.