What caused the Mohicans to lose their land to the Dutch?

1 Answer | Add Yours

akannan's profile pic


Posted on

The most evident answer to how the Mohicans lost their land to the Dutch resided in European greed.  Dutch traders saw the land that the Mohicans occupied as being essential to the idea of facilitating trade on what would be called the Hudson River.  The Dutch saw the immediate value of the land's location in terms of its natural resources and with control of the river, a viable trading route that could earn the Dutch much in way of money and wealth.  The Dutch coveted the land and committed themselves and their resources to ensuring that they would be able to own and control it.  The respect for the Mohicans became a secondary concern in this configuration and through it, Cooper is able to draw out the fundamental clash of cultures that results through it.  In doing so, the desire for greed and control on the part of the Dutch caused the Mohicans to lose their land.  In the end, the Mohicans were forced to accept much less value for the land and the control of it, demonstrating the rather deceptive way of the Dutch and providing another element in explaining how the Mohicans lost their land.


We’ve answered 319,206 questions. We can answer yours, too.

Ask a question