So, seeing that Thanksgiving has once again come up, I decided to do a bit of research on the reason for the season, the three C's: Capitalism, Colonization, and Colonialism. I started by researching North America and then I spread out into all of the Americas. I found out some very interesting things that I knew, but didn't understand the significance of.
My focus was primarily on Spain. After all, Christopher Columbus was Spanish, and his trip was paid for by Spanish royalty. What was interesting, however, was the often times omited fact that Colombus captured slaves during his visit to the New World. 6 slaves, to be exact. In a journal entry on the day of his arrival to the new world, Columbus had the following to say regarding the natives, "They should be good servants .... I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses."
And Columbus' exploits grew darker after that. On his second trip to the New World, Columbus brought attack dogs. He began to capture the natives, cutting off ears and noses should they resist. Others he had burned alive. Then the sexual slavery trade started.
And Columbus is the most famous Spanish Conquistador, but by no means was he the worst. Every Spaniard that came to South America had conquest and gold on their minds. Even Francisco Pizzaro was famous for his subjugation of the natives. He captured the leader of the Inca in exchange for a room of gold. He got what he wanted. The Spanish also captured Africans and the like as slaves throughout the Spanish Americas.
But, slavery wasn't just a Spanish institution. In the Colonies of the English, slaves were taken even by the first settlers. John Smiths' lieutenant, Thomas Hunt, had captured the famous Native American, Squanto, with the intention of selling him to the Spanish as a slave.
Slavery in America is just one small part of what my research has uncovered. For now, a cig break, then I'll come back and write some more.
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