Genocide in the Americas During the 1500s many different european governments tried to colonize the Americas.
Because of this, many of the natives in the area were killed whether by sword or by disease. During this colonization around 50% of natives died in a manner that some would come to call genocide, however I believe it was not genocide. The deaths of these natives was not genocide because their deaths in many cases were not intentional, the europeans tried to help natives, and they were given a choice. When talking about genocide, it is usually seen as a government or group trying to rid the world of another group whether it is because of skin color, race, political views, or religion. What many european nations did was far from genocide
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For example, after the Spaniards saw how many people were dying in the Indies due to disease such as smallpox, they decided to make a program to help them. This program was called the encomienda system. Although this system was based in slavery and resulted in the deaths of many natives, it shows that the Spanish had to intent to kill all natives in the area. Many Spanish officials also expressed their worry for the natives, for example Spanish official Casteñada wrote to the king, “The Indians of this province are becoming extinct, and if something is not done quickly, there will be none left in four years.” Not only does this show that a member of Spanish society is worried about natives, but it also shows that it is expressed to the highest level of Spanish government, the king. This quotation is an excellent example of how european colonists, or at least Spanish colonist, did not want to exterminate natives. As for other european colonists they may have intentionally killed natives, but it was all for the sake of expanding their empire, and their killing were not based in racism or prejudice against natives. In fact, most of the natives were given a choice to assimilate into european
These diseases completely wiped out the 10 million or so Native Americans on the islands and at least ½ of the more than 100 million on the mainland of North America.” The Europeans that came brought diseases that killed many Native Americans and destroyed entire empires. This
According to Foner, “Some 2,000 warriors destroyed isolated farms and missions, killing 400 colonists, including 21 Franciscan missionaries. ”1 Demonstrating that they [the Natives] were bound and determined to gain their freedom back they took action and united as one. Just as the Spaniards did to their people, the Natives did what they thought was necessary for them to reclaim their culture once again.
Columbus believed these people were easy to manipulate and take control over therefore, that's what he did. Although, he was told to treat these people with kindness he did the complete opposite expecting there to be no cause. He treated them horribly with brutality and severe violence. He even noted in one of his journals that the natives looked like they'd be good servants. Columbus also put natives to work for profits.
One of the lasting impact the Spanish settlements had; the settlers created a bad relationship with the natives. The natives had several purposes to contemn the settlers. One reason being, in document c, that it states that the natives inculpated the settlers, or more specifically priests, for transporting disease from Spain to the native’s motherland. Corresponding to the natives, the settlers also have their motives for resenting the natives. For instance, the Apache and Comanches tribes had slaughtered several innocent settlers and soldiers, as well as raiding a couple of missions around San Antonio and La Bahia (doc b).
The Europeans could also eat all the food, and not leave any for the Native Americans, which could starve them. With all things in mind, the Europeans made the Native Americans suffer by
The colonist issued a counter-attack on the natives to rid the natives of the Region. The counter- attack killed hundreds of Natives. In my opinion, if the natives were considered barbaric for their reactions to the colonists’ intensive control of lands that was once theirs, than the colonist should also be considered barbaric. The colonist could have reacted more maturely about the situation. The colonist could have created a peace treaty with the natives instead of just counter-attacking them killing more people.
Thousands of Natives died at the hands of Columbus and his men. They found their way into settlements and slaughtered just about anyone who got in their way. about 40,000 natives died on the first expedition, mostly from being thrown to wild dogs, being forced into slavery, or being subjected to torture. Columbus’ main goal in all of this? He wanted to be as rich as possible, cutting off their hands if they didn’t comply with his orders to find him gold.
Age of exploration Dbq 90% of the Native Americans population was killed by European colonizers’ harsh treatment. These colonizers came during the Age of Exploration which was a time when Europeans, especially Spaniards, came and enforced very harsh treatment on Native AmericansWhen the Europeans were coming over they were searching for gold,land and other resources that Europe did not provide. Due to the Europeans the native americans were exposed to warfare,disease,and had their resources taken from them which made them suffer badly. The first reason the Native Americans suffered was disease.
In this Spanish exploration, Christopher Columbus created a genocide to the Taino Indians after they found gold and conquered land. Christopher Columbus and his
Christopher Columbus’s journal describes the Natives as having “marks of wounds on their bodies” and that they indicated the wounds are from “people from other adjacent islands came with the intention of seizing them, and that they defended themselves”. This is what many accuse Columbus of doing, and while he did seize natives, it was already happening before he got there. There we much worse occurrences, such as terrible acts of “sacrifice” done by the Aztecs. Schweikart and Allen said in the book A Patriot’s History of the United State that “A four-day sacrifice in 1487 by the Aztec king Ahuitzotl involved the butchery of 80,400 prisoners by shifts of priests working four at a time at convex killing tables who kicked lifeless, heartless bodies down the side of the pyramid temple. This worked out to a killing rate of fourteen victims a minute over the ninety-six-hour bloodbath”.
“ It should be kept in mind that their insatiable greed and ambition, the greatest ever seen in the world, is the cause of their villainies.” (Las Casas) The people of Spain used murder and slavery as a means to depopulate the Islands due to their greed. According to Casas, the number of slain Indians is about 15 million in the fourty years that the Spaniards have intruded on the Natives land. Young men and rulers were killed, while women and young children were forced to be slaves to the Christians.
All the Spaniards had done was killing of innocent lives for personal greed and acquiring as much goods as they could for their Majesty, doing so for the money was their justifications for killing the natives. Then we have Cortes, who instead of killing off the Natives of Tenochtitlan, he opened their eyes to the horrors of their religious ways and gave them the revelation of Christianity. Cortes didn’t mention any genocide of the natives, he spoke about the geography and religious views of the natives. He stated, “I will simply say that the manner of living among the people is very similar to that of Spain, and considering that this is a barbarous nation shut off from a knowledge of true God or communication with enlightened nations, one may well marvel at the orderliness and good government which is everywhere mentioned” (SB, 8). Cortes is only praising the natives and their life style because he feels the people have everything figured out in terms of being dominant and true government but, lacked in religion which he left them
Guatemala is located in Central America and was once heavily populated with the Mayan population. Ever since the Spaniards took over the land that the Mayans called theirs, the Mayans became enslaved in their home country and have been struggling to regain power ever since. For many years the people of Guatemala have been poorly treated and have been constantly fighting to keep their land against the government. Guatemala has been at civil war for a very long time due to economic and political inequalities which in turn lead to the Mayans protesting against the governments that were causing damage to their land. Although the Mayans believed that these protests would solve the issues that they were facing but in reality the government just invested
De Vaca and his men were stranded and were discovered by the Natives. Instead of killing them or making them go away, the natives let the Spaniards live and provided them with food (56). It was after De Vaca and his men unsuccessfully tried to leave the island and lose a few men, when De Vaca saw a new side of the Natives besides “wild, untaught savages” (57). He acknowledged the Natives as people who were empathetic of others
However, the Colonists believed that they were superior to the natives and had many men who believed that all the Indians should be dead, which developed into plans to kill all of them