Cara Angelo

Hist 10
3/26/23
English vs. Spanish Approach to Native Americans

The 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries saw four European powers, the Spanish, French,

Dutch, and English, vying for control of North America. This was a period of exploration,

conquest, and settlement, and it had very significant effects on the indigenous peoples of the

continent. The Spanish, French, Dutch, and English each had their approaches to dealing with

Native Americans, and these approaches had profound consequences for Native American

societies and cultures. In this paper, we will compare and contrast the English and Spanish

approaches to the settlement and treatment of Native Americans, and we will explore how these

approaches affected Native Americans and shaped the ways that race and ethnicity would come

to be defined in North America by the late 18th century.

The Spanish were the first Europeans to explore and settle in North America. They

arrived in the early 16th century, and their approach to Native Americans was characterized by a

desire for domination and exploitation. The Spanish viewed Native Americans as inferior, and

they believed that it was their God-given right to subjugate them. They saw their religious

practices as less than and disgraceful to God. In 1635, Father Jean de Brébeuf wrote about the

customs and beliefs of the Hurons. In this primary source he goes into detail about the Hurons

view of religion and their practices. He did not think very highly of them. He claimed the Hurons

to be beggars, liars, thieves and lazy. This only adds to the Spanish agenda of using religion as an

excuse to enslave the Natives. Brébeuf was glad to see that they believed in divine spirit

although we believed they did not understand how to worship properly, “they misapprehend him

grossly. For they have neither Temples, nor Priests, nor Feasts, nor any ceremonies,” (Brébeuf).

The Spanish used military force to conquer Native American lands, and they established

a system of encomiendas, in which Native Americans were forced to work for Spanish
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Hist 10
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landowners in exchange for protection with the Spanish military and the opportunity to be

converted to Christianity. The encomienda system was extremely harsh, and it led to the deaths

of millions of Native Americans. The Spanish forced Native Americans to work long hours in

dangerous conditions, and they were often subject to brutal punishment for failing to meet their

quotas. The Spanish also introduced diseases that decimated Native American populations, as

they had no immunity to European diseases.

The English arrived in North America in the early 17th century, and their approach to

Native Americans was very different from that of the Spanish. The English saw Native

Americans as potential trading partners, and they believed that it was possible to coexist with

them peacefully. The English established trading posts, and they worked to establish alliances

with Native American tribes. The English also established colonies, but they did so in a different

way than the Spanish. The English established colonies on the East Coast of North America, and

they did so intending to build permanent settlements. They did not view Native American lands

as something to be conquered and exploited, but rather as something to be purchased or traded

for. The English also recognized the importance of diplomacy, and they often established treaties

with Native American tribes.

The Spanish and English approaches to settlement and treatment of Native Americans

were very different. The Spanish saw Native Americans as inferior, and they believed that it was

their God-given right to dominate and exploit them. The Spanish used military force to conquer

Native American lands, and they established a system of encomiendas that led to the deaths of

millions of Native Americans. The Spanish also introduced diseases that decimated Native

American populations. The English, on the other hand, saw Native Americans as potential

trading partners, and they believed that it was possible to coexist with them peacefully. The
Cara Angelo
Hist 10
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English established colonies intending to build permanent settlements, and they recognized the

importance of diplomacy. The English often established treaties with Native American tribes,

and they worked to establish alliances with them.

There are multiple sources available to us that show the true dynamics between the

Spanish vs the English with Native Americans. One primary source from Juan Ginés de

Sepúlveda, excerpts from The Second Democrates (1547), shows just how the Spanish viewed

the Native Americans. They saw the Native Americans as being barbaric people with no

customs, “And so it is with the barbarous and inhumane peoples [the Indians] who have no civil

life and peaceful customs,” (Sepulveda). From this excerpt, we can deduce that the Spanish

thought very little of the Native Americans. They saw them as less than others, viewing their

murders as just and virtuous.

The English can be seen having a very different interpretation of the Native Americans,

one that is read as much more respectful than some of the other documents we have from

colonization. To understand how the English viewed the Native Americans we can look at New

England Canaan on the Native Americans of New England (1637). In this excerpt, we read how

Thomas Morton praises some aspects of the Native Americans' way of life while condemning

others. He states, “According to humane reason, guided only by the light of nature, these people

lead the more happy and freer life, being void of care” (Morton). In this small excerpt, we can

start to see how much Morton truly looked up to some aspects of how the Native Americans

lived. Praising them for finding happiness within things other than religion. Although in this

writing Morton does explain that the Native Americans would be happier with Christianity, he

can see how they have been able to manage without it. From his writings, we can tell he finds

this quite remarkable.

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The Spanish and English approaches had very different effects on Native Americans. The

Spanish approach led to the deaths of millions of Native Americans, and it had a devastating

impact on Native American societies and cultures. These effects can still be seen today. The

population of people living in America of indigenous descent is very small compared to any

other ethnicity. The Spanish introduced diseases that decimated Native American populations,

and they forced Native Americans to work in dangerous conditions in the encomienda system.

The Spanish also imposed their religion and culture on Native Americans, which led to the loss

of many Native American traditions.

In conclusion, the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries were a time of exploration, conquest,

and settlement in North America. The Spanish, French, Dutch, and English vied for control of

the continent, each with their approach to dealing with Native Americans. The Spanish saw

Native Americans as inferior, and they believed that it was their God-given right to dominate and

exploit them. The English, on the other hand, saw Native Americans as potential trading

partners, and they believed that it was possible to coexist with them peacefully. These different

approaches had profound consequences for Native American societies and cultures. The Spanish

approach led to the deaths of millions of Native Americans, while the English approach had a

different impact on Native Americans. The English recognized the importance of diplomacy and

often established treaties with Native American tribes. However, it is important to note that

despite the different approaches, both the Spanish and English contributed to the shaping of race

and ethnicity in North America by the late 18th century, as Native Americans were often seen as

inferior and subordinate to European settlers.