It was sort of a lose-lose proposition for them, wasn't it? The answer to this, I believe, lies in a variety of factors I'll try to address in my limited space below:
1) Cultural differences between tribes - Some were more warlike to begin with or felt more threatened, while others had always dealt with conflict in a more peaceful manner
2) Time Frame of Contact - Te earliest tribes had little reason to fear the Europeans, or at least, they didn't know to fear them. The early explorers were small in number and the early settlements barely survived the winters on the east coast. Later contact, say with the Sioux or Cheyenne in the American West, they had already heard much about whites, smallpox, the US Army and why you shouldn't sign treaties.
3) Pragmatism - That is to say, some of the wiser chiefs were simply more practical, saw that the whites had overwhelming numbers and strength, and that to other tribes, resistance had been futile. Why not try and get as much for your people in the future as you can?Given the fact that the US government did not honor the treaties they signed, this may seem foolish, but armed resistance, in the long run, was every bit as unsuccessful if not more so.
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