Essay On Native American Violence

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Recommended: European colonization of America

Violence acts without borders or race, but violence does not act on its own. Throughout the creation of New World violence played a vital role among the Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans. The colonial era brought about devastating violence such as murder, rape, kidnapping, slavery, and racism. Columbus justified the enslavement and murder of the Native people by dehumanizing them, making them less than human. The Portuguese seems to expect complete submission from the Cape Verdians upon sight. The argument in this analysis is to historically examine justifications used for violence in the New World.
The process of committing a violent act is psychological in and of itself, to be able to physically hurt someone you must believe they are less then you. What must you believe to commit murder, much less mass murder or genocide? In an impressive display of cognitive dissonance Columbus went from admiring the Native American using words and phrases such as “well built”, “of quick intelligence”. When justifying going to war he calls them “cruel”, “warlike and numerous”, and “stupid”. Columbus justified the enslavement and murder of the Native people by dehumanizing them, making them less than human. Even when Columbus is complimenting the Caribbean Natives he is already thinking …show more content…

Wood only cares about Native American women as far they are useful to men. At one point Wood implies that Native American woman feel inferior to British woman because of this, “comparison hath made them miserable, for seeing the kind usage of the English to their wives.” The idea that Native American woman were suffering in the presence of Native American men must have given great justification for kidnapping woman and children under the guise of civilizing

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