Background of the spanish colony
The colonization of American land by the Spanish changed the lives of the Native Americans in many ways that led to conflict and endless suffering. The first permanent settlement claimed by the Spanish was Augustine, Florida in 1565. The conquest of coming to the New World for the Spanish was driven by gold, glory, and gospel. The way they pushed this on the Native Americans led to many different conflicts. The Spanish came over and felt a sense of entitlement because they believed that they were the superior group. Not only did conflicts occur, but there was also a lot of disease that came along with the Spanish. Smallpox killed thousands of Native Americans.
Conflict and cultural differences
Many things can contribute to the conflicts that the Native Americans and Spanish had, but the way that many look at it can be defined in one word; greed. When the Spanish first set foot on new land, it became clear that they believed that they were more superior than the Natives due to the fact that they had cultural differences. The Spanish had a sense of
entitlement that ended up making the Natives suffer. The initial quest for more land led to the orders by the Spanish government that the
Encomienda system should be brought into the New World. The primary purpose of the Encomienda system was to convert the Native Americans into the Catholic faith. The Encomienda system was totally abused by the Spanish Conquistadors. They had an insane amount of power in America and they abused, oppressed, exploited and ill-treated the Native Americans. In 1513, King Ferdinand told the Native Americans that God believed the Pope ruled all people. He states:
entitlement that ended up making the Natives suffer. The initial quest for more land led to the orders by the Spanish government that the
Encomienda system should be brought into the New World. The primary purpose of the Encomienda system was to convert the Native Americans into the Catholic faith. The Encomienda system was totally abused by the Spanish Conquistadors. They had an insane amount of power in America and they abused, oppressed, exploited and ill-treated the Native Americans. In 1513, King Ferdinand told the Native Americans that God believed the Pope ruled all people. He states:
The navajos:The first reported tribe that the Spanish ran into was the Navajos in 1540. At the time, the Navajos were known as the "Apaches." Don Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, a Spanish Explorer, led an expedition from Mexico into the American southwest in search of gold. When the Spanish came over, they brought over some valuable products to the natives, including sheep and horses. The natives were particularly excited about these new products due to the fact they could use them for weaving.
At first, the natives thought that this would be a great thing for them, until the Spanish got more controlling. They started taking over more land and natives started being sent to concentration camps. That year, 2000 Navajos died from smallpox and starvation. Years later, they were finally released and free to go to their homeland. Sources:
1) Ojibwa. “16th Century Spanish Religious Views of American Indians.” Native American Netroots, 2010, nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/745. 2) Spanish Colonization .” Digital History, 2016, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3573. 3) Carey, Harold. “First Contact with the Navajo – 1540.” Navajo Code Talker, 24 May 2012, navajopeople.org/blog/first-contact-with-the-navajo-1540/ 4)Birchfield, D.L. “Navajos.” Countries and Their Cultures, www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Navajos.html. |