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What Assumptions Did The Europeans Make About The Indians?

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Asgmt. 1: Primary Source on the Conquest of the America’s What assumptions did the Europeans make about the Indians? Why did they feel justified in conquering the Indians? Why does las Casas criticize the Spanish conquest of the Americas, and what does he think the Spanish should do instead? Finally, how do the Clatsop Indians view the first Europeans they encounter? What assumptions do the Clatsop people make about the Europeans? The Europeans made many assumptions about the Indians. They assumed that they were uncivilized and very primitive in their ways because they were not as “advanced” as the Europeans were. They thought that their own advancements could be applied to the Indians in order to progress their society and better develop them to fit into their “new world”. They also believed that the Indians had no concept of land ownership or private property, which is why they exploited the Indians’ native lands. The Europeans felt justified in conquering the Indians because they believed that due to the Indians having a different religion besides Christianity, they needed to be converted to the “true” faith. The concept of “manifest destiny” was very well known at the time, which led the Europeans to believe that they were doing God’s will by …show more content…

Las Casas did not agree with the harsh, violent acts being committed towards the Indians and thought that, since they were human beings as well, they should be treated with dignity and respect. He also made the point that the Indians were not any less intelligent than the Spaniards and that if they wanted to convert to Christianity, they should be able to do so of their own free will and not because of coercion. If they wished to learn more about Christianity, they should be free to do what they wish and not be forced to convert to a religion they neither understand nor want to

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