White Superiority During the Colonial Period
Max Bender
Ms. Rackley
APUSH, 2A
5 August 2013
Essay 1B: At the beginning of the colonial period, many, if not all Europeans had started to develop a sense of white superiority. This view allowed them to justify their subjugation and ultimate takeover of the natives and their land. With many similarities and differences between the Spanish, English, and French methods of subduing the natives, including the employment of missionaries and captivation and selling of natives, they all produced the same outcome: a universal belief in white superiority. In the Spanish colonies located in the new world, the conversion of the native population, including the prosperous Aztec Empire, stemmed from the recent union of Ferdinand and Isabella. They were the Christian monarchs that sought new converts who would supply them with a new stream of tax money. The Christian Spanish saw the religion of the natives as savage and pagan, justifying their treatment of the naive Indians. In attempt to convert the native population, the Spanish, like the French, employed missionaries in the new world, and because they were responsible for this, the Spanish felt that if it was not for them the natives would not be saved. Also, the Spanish viewed the native value of gold as a waste. The natives only used gold in ceremonial and religious cases whereas the Spanish relied upon the shiny substance as the base of their monetary system. Since the natives did not possess a form of currency, they were viewed as sub-human because all Europeans used money. The Spanish, looking for a quick return of capital, also raided villages for gold and quickly began to take the natives themselves in order to sell them as slaves to turn a profit. Because the natives were now viewed as a source of money, the Spanish viewed themselves as superiors to the natives, creating a sense of white superiority. Unlike the Spanish, the English took a different approach to subjugating natives and Africans. The English
Ms. Rackley
APUSH, 2A
5 August 2013
Essay 1B: At the beginning of the colonial period, many, if not all Europeans had started to develop a sense of white superiority. This view allowed them to justify their subjugation and ultimate takeover of the natives and their land. With many similarities and differences between the Spanish, English, and French methods of subduing the natives, including the employment of missionaries and captivation and selling of natives, they all produced the same outcome: a universal belief in white superiority. In the Spanish colonies located in the new world, the conversion of the native population, including the prosperous Aztec Empire, stemmed from the recent union of Ferdinand and Isabella. They were the Christian monarchs that sought new converts who would supply them with a new stream of tax money. The Christian Spanish saw the religion of the natives as savage and pagan, justifying their treatment of the naive Indians. In attempt to convert the native population, the Spanish, like the French, employed missionaries in the new world, and because they were responsible for this, the Spanish felt that if it was not for them the natives would not be saved. Also, the Spanish viewed the native value of gold as a waste. The natives only used gold in ceremonial and religious cases whereas the Spanish relied upon the shiny substance as the base of their monetary system. Since the natives did not possess a form of currency, they were viewed as sub-human because all Europeans used money. The Spanish, looking for a quick return of capital, also raided villages for gold and quickly began to take the natives themselves in order to sell them as slaves to turn a profit. Because the natives were now viewed as a source of money, the Spanish viewed themselves as superiors to the natives, creating a sense of white superiority. Unlike the Spanish, the English took a different approach to subjugating natives and Africans. The English