Culture Collision: The Spanish and Native Americans APUSH – SPICONARDI

Noble Savages  Noble Savage – oxymoronic term used to described the European belief that Native Americans were  Untouched by the immorality and vices of civilization  Natural life is glorified  Innocent of Europe’s worst characteristics

Noble Savages  Europeans simultaneously lauded the simplicity of the indigenous way of life, but pitied the Native Americans for their “backwardness”  Native Americans are savage in regards to technology, but beautiful and wise when it comes to nature “I am as free as Nature first made man, Ere the base laws of servitude began, When wild in woods the noble savage ran” ~The Conquest of Granada by John Dryden

Myth of the Noble Savage  Native Americans experienced  War  Complex social and political structures  Hereditary succession  Widespread trade networks  Ter Ellingson, an anthropologist debunks the myth  Claims Europeans only saw savages

European Hegemony  Europeans felt compelled to “civilize” the Native Americans for the following reasons  Native Americans were not Christian  Animistic religions needed to be eliminated  Native Americans lacked writing  Europeans believed the gender roles of many Native Americans unfathomable (product of matrilineal societies)  Native Americans were more open about their sexuality

The Spanish & the Black Legend  Encomienda System  Spanish colonists could demand tribute and labor from Native American Indians, if they instructed the natives in the Spanish language and Christianity

The Spanish & the Black Legend Juan Ginés de SepúlvedaBartolomé de las Casas Charles I

The Spanish & the Black Legend  The Black Legend – a style of historical writing or propaganda that demonizes the Spanish Empire  Term coined in 1914 by a Spanish historian to describe the anti-Spanish writings and illustrations  The English propagated the legend to justify their own colonization of the New World  Portrayed themselves as altruistic, while Spanish were depicted as cruel and greedy

The Spanish & the Black Legend

 End of the Encomienda System  1537  Pope Paul III outlaws the enslavement of Native American Indians  1542  New Laws declare that Indians no longer be enslaved  1550  Spain abolishes encomienda system and establishes repartimiento system  Repartimiento System  While natives were still required to provide labor, they were paid wages and could not be sold

Social Hierarchy  Intermarriage  Spain mandated that wives of colonists to join them in America  Female population remained low despite the mandate  Intermixing began and approved by Spanish government  Seen as way to bring Christianity to the natives

The offspring of a Spaniard and Indian is a mestizo

A Spaniard and a mestiza produce a castizo

The child of an Indian and a mestiza is a coyote

And the child of an Indian man and African woman is a chino

Short Answer Assessment  For this question, address all three parts A. Briefly explain the system depicted in the illustration B. Briefly explain how the scene impacted the Atlantic World C. Cite one specific event and briefly explain the development of the labor system mentioned in part A