Final answer:
English settlers and Native Americans fought over land and resources during the colonial period, with the primary points of contention being the differences in concepts of land ownership and resource usage.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the colonial period, English settlers and Native Americans often fought over land and resources. The English and other European colonists held the belief in individual land ownership and began to establish colonies with defined property boundaries, while Native Americans had a communal approach to land use, believing that the land and its resources should be available to all. Conflicts arose as settlers built permanent structures, fenced off their fields, and let their livestock roam, causing disruption to the native way of life and leading to wars such as the Powhatan wars in Virginia and King Philip's War in New England.
The differing concepts of land ownership and property rights between the settlers and the Native Americans led to frequent clashes as European settlement expanded. Settlers demanded compensation for any harm to livestock, even though native practice did not involve fencing off land or domesticating animals in the same way. The introduction of European weapons and goods also contributed to the changing dynamics between tribes and escalated conflicts.
Over time, the increasing number of settlers and continued demand for land led to Native Americans losing control over their territories, altering their way of life significantly. These differences in land use and ownership concepts were central to the hostilities between English settlers and Native Americans during the colonial period.