Summary Of The Colonization And Treatment Of Native Americans
Rationales of the Colonizers and Treatment of the Native Americans
What were the rationales of the Spanish and the English colonizers and how was their treatment towards the Native Americans in the New World justified? How were boundaries created and/or destroyed? The Spanish colonizers and the English colonizers used the notion of Witchcraft and Climate to differentiate themselves from Native Americans and to justify their treatment towards the Indians. I will be comparing how Porterfield and Canizares explained in their articles the views towards the Native Americans in the New World and the excuses that were noted that justified the racism and colonization that occurred during this time.
The Spanish colonizers considered themselves as racially
disparate from the Native Americans. As they began to take over the New World, they felt like they had to “defend” themselves by proving to be different from the Indians. One of the most commonly used arguments of the Creoles was the climate in the New World. They believed the humidity directly affected the body and the brain, which explained why the Indians were “weak, idle, and lazy”. They believed they were racially superior and biologically different due to the fact that the humidity didn’t affect them the way it affected the Indians. Because, according to the Spanish, the Indians were indolent, the Spanish believed putting the “slow-witted phlegmatic” people to work to become disciplined workers was only the right thing to do. The Spanish colonizers attempted to restore the boundaries they had with the Native Americans by making it clear that they were, in fact, different and used this as an excuse to colonize them and treat them as though they were inferior and “mentally challenged”.
As opposed to the Spanish, the English colonizers ultimately created new boundaries with the Indians. Like the Spanish, the English considered themselves and their religion as superior to the Indians and perceived the Indians and their rituals as Devil worship, which validated their treatment of the Natives. While the Native Americans believed that everybody had their own sacred stories on which the world was based, the English, on the other hand, argued that their religion was the “universal truth for all”. The English also drew a fine line between extraordinary and ordinary religion, as they separated the supernatural world from the natural world. The Natives, on the other hand, considered everything as equal and connected in a sacred circle. Because of the contrasting religious views world, witchcraft accusations towards the Indians began to take place. This then lead to the Indians to blaming themselves for epidemics, social disorder, and loss of cultural identity. More specifically, the third type of witchcraft belief, which was the complete acceptance of the European belief that all Native rituals were forms of Devil worship, was the reasoning of the English colonizing the Natives and stripping them of their individual cultural identity. The Europeans believed they were doing the right thing for themselves and for the colonized, which in the end validated their actions. With the deterioration of their precolonial cultures and their growing dependence on Western economies, governments, and technologies, new boundaries were created. The Spanish and the English colonizers used the notion of Witchcraft and Climate to differentiate themselves and validate themselves from Native Americans. The Spanish restored boundaries by distinguishing themselves from the Indians, while the English created them with the use of Witchcraft accusations. Each colonizing group believed they were racially superior and used these factors to rationalize their actions and strip away the individual identities of the Natives. In the two articles, boundaries were both created and destroyed. If the Native Americans had never been colonized, what would America be like today?
What were the rationales of the Spanish and the English colonizers and how was their treatment towards the Native Americans in the New World justified? How were boundaries created and/or destroyed? The Spanish colonizers and the English colonizers used the notion of Witchcraft and Climate to differentiate themselves from Native Americans and to justify their treatment towards the Indians. I will be comparing how Porterfield and Canizares explained in their articles the views towards the Native Americans in the New World and the excuses that were noted that justified the racism and colonization that occurred during this time.
The Spanish colonizers considered themselves as racially
disparate from the Native Americans. As they began to take over the New World, they felt like they had to “defend” themselves by proving to be different from the Indians. One of the most commonly used arguments of the Creoles was the climate in the New World. They believed the humidity directly affected the body and the brain, which explained why the Indians were “weak, idle, and lazy”. They believed they were racially superior and biologically different due to the fact that the humidity didn’t affect them the way it affected the Indians. Because, according to the Spanish, the Indians were indolent, the Spanish believed putting the “slow-witted phlegmatic” people to work to become disciplined workers was only the right thing to do. The Spanish colonizers attempted to restore the boundaries they had with the Native Americans by making it clear that they were, in fact, different and used this as an excuse to colonize them and treat them as though they were inferior and “mentally challenged”.
As opposed to the Spanish, the English colonizers ultimately created new boundaries with the Indians. Like the Spanish, the English considered themselves and their religion as superior to the Indians and perceived the Indians and their rituals as Devil worship, which validated their treatment of the Natives. While the Native Americans believed that everybody had their own sacred stories on which the world was based, the English, on the other hand, argued that their religion was the “universal truth for all”. The English also drew a fine line between extraordinary and ordinary religion, as they separated the supernatural world from the natural world. The Natives, on the other hand, considered everything as equal and connected in a sacred circle. Because of the contrasting religious views world, witchcraft accusations towards the Indians began to take place. This then lead to the Indians to blaming themselves for epidemics, social disorder, and loss of cultural identity. More specifically, the third type of witchcraft belief, which was the complete acceptance of the European belief that all Native rituals were forms of Devil worship, was the reasoning of the English colonizing the Natives and stripping them of their individual cultural identity. The Europeans believed they were doing the right thing for themselves and for the colonized, which in the end validated their actions. With the deterioration of their precolonial cultures and their growing dependence on Western economies, governments, and technologies, new boundaries were created. The Spanish and the English colonizers used the notion of Witchcraft and Climate to differentiate themselves and validate themselves from Native Americans. The Spanish restored boundaries by distinguishing themselves from the Indians, while the English created them with the use of Witchcraft accusations. Each colonizing group believed they were racially superior and used these factors to rationalize their actions and strip away the individual identities of the Natives. In the two articles, boundaries were both created and destroyed. If the Native Americans had never been colonized, what would America be like today?