When I think of the first American Colonies, usually the British come to mind. However, as we have learned through our class lectures and readings, the British were not the first to colonize the Americas. I think that most people are not aware of the impact the Spanish had upon the native peoples of America.
In the textbook there is a section about the Requerimiento, a document that was read by the Spanish conquistadors to the natives. This document basically called for the native people to submit to Spanish Religious practices and authorities. The punishment for not adhering was a forcible takeover by the Spanish. The purpose of the document was to justify Spanish Colonization, knowing the natives would not submit because most could not understand Spanish. Prior to reading about the Requerimiento in the textbook, I had not heard of it before.
3 comments:
Hey Grant! I also typically think of the English as the first American colonists. I would assume the reason for this is because they ended up ultimately having the greatest political effect on the region, and therefore are what we learn about primarily in schools today, despite their late arrival. I also found the Requiremento to be quite ridiculous! What a crazy idea! Not unlike reading someone’s Miranda Rights in an unknown language! Simply mind bottling!
Just to add to this, I thought it was very interesting to learn that the Spanish actually struggled quite a bit when they first colonized North America. Usually when I think of colonization I think of large groups of people taking over vast amounts of land and the people on it. This class is showing me that, just like native peoples, colonizers weren't all the same. And the European colonies did not have the same success rate.
The French to me just seemed completely clueless. We taked about Cartier's expeditions and he seemed like a colossal fool. I thought it was funny learning about the trick that was played on him, when after months of murdering Indian villages, he didn't find it suspicious to be praised and treated lavishly by those he was hurting. seems like typical pompous behavior from these early explorers.
Post a Comment