Final answer:
European colonists were most successful at using diplomacy and other means to secure land rights by the end of the 17th century, often overwhelming Native American populations through military and economic dominance.
Step-by-step explanation:
By the end of the seventeenth century, the most successful at using diplomacy in securing rights to use land were b) European colonists. European settlers, including the Spanish, English, French, and Dutch, established colonies and aggressively expanded their territories often through force and dominance rather than equitable diplomacy.
They utilized superior military strength, manipulated trade relationships, and imposed their property ownership concepts over those of Indigenous peoples who originally saw land as communal and shared. The native peoples, despite attempts at resistance, suffered from conquest and colonization, and their attempts at maintaining autonomy were often short-lived.