American Holocaust For centuries, the indigenous people of America endured a long period of slavery, mass murder, brutality, and outbreak of imported plagues since the arrival of Columbus in San Salvador in 1492. This year marked the mass extermination of the Natives. In a short period of time, Natives were wiped off so rapidly that, between disease and killings of conquerers, the number of tribal groups decreased by an average of 95% in the first century of contact. The unjustified killing and outright sadism had carried out and was repeated decade after another. Even after with Columbus’ departure, the colonies continued similar annihilation. Many methods were used to wipe out Native population, as Standard mentioned; Natives were given
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This “new world” was distinct by language, politics, style of agriculture, and ritual practices. Upon their arrival to the “new world”, Europeans found Natives very strange and called them all “savage” because they couldn 't master the “Arts of civil life and humanity”. The saw themselves superior to the Indians and that they are a threat to European progress. Stannard quoted, “The Puritans delighted in discovering, not only because the diseases they brought with them from England left the Puritans themselves virtually unaffected but because the destruction of the Indians by these plagues was considered an unambiguous sign of divine approvals for the colonial endeavor” (Pg 109) Clearly, they felt that it was God’s will that Natives were easy to kill. A horrific example is when the Aztec’s opened their arms to Cortes, welcomed his men into their ceremony. Once everyone became comfortable, they began their …show more content…
At least that is what I was taught in grade school. According to history text books at school that America had been discovered by Columbus when this is not near the truth. Actually, the Natives had been occupied America long before Columbus discovered the “new world”. After reading the American Holocaust by David Stannard, my viewpoint of american history has diminished. In my opinion, the ugly truth is American historians don 't want to own to their own part of the most horrifying event. They want to believe that epidemic disease was the overwhelming cause of the population
This “new world” was distinct by language, politics, style of agriculture, and ritual practices. Upon their arrival to the “new world”, Europeans found Natives very strange and called them all “savage” because they couldn 't master the “Arts of civil life and humanity”. The saw themselves superior to the Indians and that they are a threat to European progress. Stannard quoted, “The Puritans delighted in discovering, not only because the diseases they brought with them from England left the Puritans themselves virtually unaffected but because the destruction of the Indians by these plagues was considered an unambiguous sign of divine approvals for the colonial endeavor” (Pg 109) Clearly, they felt that it was God’s will that Natives were easy to kill. A horrific example is when the Aztec’s opened their arms to Cortes, welcomed his men into their ceremony. Once everyone became comfortable, they began their …show more content…
At least that is what I was taught in grade school. According to history text books at school that America had been discovered by Columbus when this is not near the truth. Actually, the Natives had been occupied America long before Columbus discovered the “new world”. After reading the American Holocaust by David Stannard, my viewpoint of american history has diminished. In my opinion, the ugly truth is American historians don 't want to own to their own part of the most horrifying event. They want to believe that epidemic disease was the overwhelming cause of the population