Compare And Contrast Christopher Columbus And Native American

In 1492, Christopher Columbus set out on a journey, hoping to find riches and pride for himself and the royalty of Spain. Columbus was convinced that God had gifted him the skills and intellect to take on such a project, and that his journey was part of a larger prophecy written by God (Sivers et al. S16-2). When Columbus and his men arrived in what is now considered the Caribbean, they immediately recognized the potential in exploiting the land and its peoples. Although they seemed to act with no conscience at all in the beginning, some rationale and justification was necessary to continue the European’s actions toward the indigenous populations of the Americas. The argument for indigenous subjugation and murder was threefold: their actions were …show more content…
At the time, Europe was suffering from anxieties due to the changing world, characterized by globalization, and the upheaval of the feudal system in favour of capitalism (82). To combat these anxieties, Europeans desperately needed a stable sense of identity in the changing world. They created a hierarchy in which they were clearly powerful, and the natives inferior. Therefore, the basis of two major justifications of the war on indigenous peoples was a fabrication, meant to address the Europeans economic interests and identity crisis.
The triad of justifications for the war on indigenous peoples is completely intertwined, each argument inseparable from the others. Religion was used as a justification and tool of destruction against the indigenous identity, and it was allowed such a powerful stage in the era due to its synonymity with empire. Spreading the word of God was part and parcel of the expansion of European empires: a larger Christian population on the globe meant a stronger