The American Revolution found common ground for the American Indians and colonists. Both fought long and hard for their freedom. The colonist fought for their independence from the British crown and the Indians fought for their independence from foreign domination, which included the American colonist. From the beginning of this freedom-seeking campaign, Indians were described as “enemies of freedom” (Calloway, 2012, p. 223). The Declaration of Independence, written by American colonists, portrayed Indians as savages and enemies of freedom. The colonist believed that the Indians were fighting the wrong battle and believed that the Indians should fight alongside them against the crown. According to Thomas Jefferson, one of the document's authors, the Indians' loyalties were misguided, which placed them on the "wrong" side of the fence. The colonist fought against the crown for his freedom, and the Indians fought against the colonist for their freedom. This was a very confusing time for the native peoples. The message of this war was about independence from tyrannical and oppressive government. The colonists' actions and treatment of the native peoples mirrored exactly the treatment the colonists were now trying to free themselves from, the oppressive shackles of the British crown. The settler believed he shared a common bond with the plight of the natives. Both fought for freedom and independence. They did not consider the fact that for hundreds of years people have been coming to the Americas, stealing the land and imposing their ideals on the Native Americans and shackling them with oppressive chains. They never considered that the Native Americans had arrived first and had never enlisted the help of the Europeans… midway through the paper… strength became what they despised. Somewhere along the way, they lost who they were. Their character was tarnished. The question for this essay was which war proved most crucial to the Eastern Woodland Indians. In my opinion, the American Revolution ended slavery and displaced the Indians from their land, but the Seven Years' War proved more decisive. To me, a person's character is more valuable than all the land they could ever own. Losing who you are as a people because of the situation around you is true slavery. All the years leading up to the end of the Seven Years' War slowly eroded the character of the Indians, which, in my opinion, changed the outcome of how Americans won their freedom. Works Cited Calloway, C. G. (2012). The First Peoples A documentary survey of the history of the American Indians (4th ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Martin.