Christopher Columbus Dbq Analysis

When Columbus first set out on his journey, his goal was India, but unexpectedly, he landed in the Americas. The Spaniards believed that they were superior to the Natives. Christianity was the religion they grew up believing. The Europeans believed the practice of other religions was erroneous, and when they saw human sacrifices, it only solidified their belief that the Natives must be cleansed. The Spanish only saw them as a tool to use in their own favor. The Natives of the New World gave the impression of wanting to be saved from their savage and barbaric ways; thus, through forcing conversion to Christianity, the Europeans believed they were justified in not just giving them the gift of religion, but also giving them the gift of morality …show more content…
When the Spanish saw this, they forced the Natives to dress like " 'reasonable ' men" (Doc 1). Not only did the Spaniards think that they dressed inappropriately, they also thought that the Natives bathed too much. Contact with water meant that the pores of the body opened up, and the Spaniards believed that this cause them to be more susceptible to disease (Blake). These notions were engraved in their minds when they came from Spain. For the Natives it was unreasonable for excess clothing to be worn given the climate, but because the Spanish believed only their version of society was right, the Spaniards forced the Natives to change to adapt to their way of life. Most Europeans believed that those who did not observe the Christian faith were brutes and that they were dumb, but Cortez believed that the Natives were men and they wanted to be converted so they should not be treated harshly (Doc 6). The Natives would be treated as real men and given freedom, if they agreed to be converted. If the Natives did not agree to this, war would be waged against them (Doc 2). Europeans believed that this would not be a problem, as they believed the Natives wanted to be cleansed of their sins and their savage practice of human