Amerindian Genocide: Difference between revisions

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==History==

===Genocide by Spain===

When [[Christopher Columbus]] first landed in Mesoamerica in 1494, he took several members of the Arawak tribe captive in the hope that they could lead him to gold. Upon writing to King Ferdinand of Spain of his discovery, Columbus was granted permission to enslave the native population and use them to find gold. Columbus's troops immediately set about raping, killing and torturing in an attempt to force the natives to tell them where the gold was. Columbus organized several groups of armed men to search for the non-existent gold, leading to the deaths of thousands of sick and unarmed natives. Captives were used for sword practice, with Columbus's soldiers attempting to decapitate them or cut them in half with one blow. The situation was so bad that about 50,000 Taíno natives chose to commit suicide rather than live under Spanish rule.

When [[Christopher Columbus]] first landed in Mesoamerica in 1494, he took several members of the Arawak tribe captive in the hope that they could lead him to gold. Upon writing to King Ferdinand of Spain of his discovery, Columbus was granted permission to enslave the native population and use them to find gold. Columbus's troops immediately set about raping, killing and [[Torture|torturing]] in an attempt to force the natives to tell them where the gold was. Columbus organized several groups of armed men to search for the non-existent gold, leading to the deaths of thousands of sick and unarmed natives. Captives were used for sword practice, with Columbus's soldiers attempting to decapitate them or cut them in half with one blow. The situation was so bad that about 50,000 Taíno natives chose to commit suicide rather than live under Spanish rule.

Columbus enslaved the population of Hispaniola and set up a system wherein all natives over 14 were responsible for gathering a certain amount of gold each month, awarding them with a copper token to hang around their neck if they succeeded. If a native was caught without a token they would have their hands cut off and be allowed to bleed to death. Natives who attempted to flee slavery were torn apart with attack dogs. Sexual slavery was also widespread, with Columbus forcibly marrying native women to his men. During this period the native population of Hispaniola plummeted rapidly until it was practically wiped out, partly due to being killed and partly due to smallpox introduced by the Spanish which the natives had no immunity to. Columbus was eventually arrested by agents of the Spanish Crown for his atrocities, but the charges against him were dropped.

After approximately three million natives were killed, the Spanish colonial authorities reformed their approach, adopting the ''encomienda'' system; a system of slavery wherein certain grant holders were awarded a monopoly on the labour of certain groups. Natives were allocated to certain ''encomiendero'' and put to work mining for gold. This ended up being deadlier than traditional slavery because there was no incentive to keep the native slaves alive as they could be replaced for free, resulting in the Spanish abusing and killing the native slaves regularly. The ''encomienda'' system has been described by modern historians as explicitly genocidal because it resulted in the intentional deaths of millions and the eradication of potentially thousands of native cultures.

After approximately three million natives were killed, the Spanish colonial authorities reformed their approach, adopting the ''[[encomienda]]'' system; a system of slavery wherein certain grant holders were awarded a monopoly on the labour of certain groups. Natives were allocated to certain ''encomiendero'' and put to work mining for gold. This ended up being deadlier than traditional slavery because there was no incentive to keep the native slaves alive as they could be replaced for free, resulting in the Spanish abusing and killing the native slaves regularly. The ''encomienda'' system has been described by modern historians as explicitly genocidal because it resulted in the intentional deaths of millions and the eradication of potentially thousands of native cultures.

===Genocide by Portugal===

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====[[American Indian Wars]]====

Many wars were fought against Native American tribes in the United States of America, first by colonial powers and then by the United States government. These wars left thousands, if not millions, of Natives dead and are generally viewed as xenophobic and genocidal, often leading to colonists adopting policies of outright extermination against the natives if they started winning (notable examples of this tactic being seen in the Pequot War, King Philip’s War the French and Indian War and the First Seminole War among others).

Many wars were fought against Native American tribes in the United States of America, first by colonial powers and then by the United States government. These wars left thousands, if not millions, of Natives dead and are generally viewed as [[Xenophobia|xenophobic]] and genocidal, often leading to colonists adopting policies of outright extermination against the natives if they started winning (notable examples of this tactic being seen in the Pequot War, King Philip’s War the French and Indian War and the First Seminole War among others).

====[[Conestoga Massacre]]====

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On 4 March 1782, Lieutenant Colonel [[David Williamson]] lead the Pennsylvania Militia in a raid on Gnadenhutten, a Moravian Indian village inhabited mostly by Lenape and Mohican tribesmen. They first came across the half-Lenape Joseph Schebosh and hacked him to death before proceeding on to the village, where they acted friendly and falsely promised the Moravians that they would take them to Fort Pitt to keep them safe from potential enemies. Several militiamen also persuaded Moravian Indians from the nearby town of Salem to come to Gnadenhutten for safety.

Once all the Moravian Indians had gathered, the militia confiscated their guns and axes (which they used for hunting), tied them up and announced that they had been found guilty of false charges of murder and espionage. The militia voted in favour of killing them (with the exception of eighteen who refused to take part in the massacre) before taking them to “killing houses” where they were beaten, scalped and hacked to death while singing hymns and praying. Many native women were [[Gang Rape|gang-raped]] by the militia before being killed. Overall, 96 Moravian Indian men, women and children were killed. The militia planned to commit another massacre at a nearby Moravian Indian settlement but the inhabitants were alerted to the events at Gnadenhutten and fled before the militia arrived.

Once all the Moravian Indians had gathered, the militia confiscated their guns and axes (which they used for hunting), tied them up and announced that they had been found guilty of false charges of [[murder]] and espionage. The militia voted in favour of killing them (with the exception of eighteen who refused to take part in the massacre) before taking them to “killing houses” where they were beaten, [[Scalping|scalped]] and hacked to death while singing hymns and praying. Many native women were [[Gang Rape|gang-raped]] by the militia before being killed. Overall, 96 Moravian Indian men, women and children were killed. The militia planned to commit another massacre at a nearby Moravian Indian settlement but the inhabitants were alerted to the events at Gnadenhutten and fled before the militia arrived.

====[[The Trail of Tears]]====

On 28 May 1830, President [[Andrew Jackson]] signed into law the Indian Removal Act, which authorized the US government to confiscate Native American land. The Act was strongly enforced under Jackson’s Presidency and that of his successor [[Martin Van Buren]].

On 28 May 1830, President [[Andrew Jackson]] signed into law the [[Indian Removal Act]], which authorized the US government to confiscate Native American land. The Act was strongly enforced under Jackson’s Presidency and that of his successor [[Martin Van Buren]].

Under the Indian Removal Act, the government had a mandate to remove 50, 000 Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw people from their homeland and seize it for themselves. No means of transportation were provided after the Natives were removed, meaning they were forced to walk 2, 200 miles to Indian reservations. 4,000 deaths were reported on one march alone, and estimates of the total death toll range from 5,000 to 25, 000.

Under the Indian Removal Act, the government had a mandate to remove 50, 000 Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw people from their homeland and seize it for themselves. No means of transportation were provided after the Natives were removed, meaning they were forced to walk 2, 200 miles to Indian reservations. 4,000 deaths were reported on one march alone, and estimates of the total death toll range from 5,000 to 25, 000. Others Natives were herded into [[concentration camp]]s until new land was found for then to settle on, but this was generally used as a last resort.

====[[California Genocide]]====

Following the American conquest of California, the American government decided to remove the native population of approximately 150, 000 in order to make room for white settlers. This started with the first meeting of the California State Legislature in 1846, when it was decided that white settlers had the right to forcibly adopt native children against their will and instituted enslavement as the punishment for any crimes committed by natives, up to and including minor crimes such as loitering and drunkenness.

When it became apparent that the natives were prepared to resist these abuses, Governor [[Peter Hardeman Burnett]] formed several state militias tasked with hunting down and killing natives, declaring that “[A] war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races until the Indian race is extinct”. The militias raided tribal outposts and shot and scalped natives, and local people soon began to form their own militias to do the same. Entire tribal populations were wiped out during the massacres, and rape of ~~native~~ women by white settlers was common. Even when the massacres ended in 1873, violence was still rife and thousands continued to die from starvation and illnesses introduced by the settlers.

When it became apparent that the natives were prepared to resist these abuses, Governor [[Peter Hardeman Burnett]] formed several state militias tasked with hunting down and killing natives, declaring that “[A] war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races until the Indian race is extinct”. The militias raided tribal outposts and shot and scalped natives, and local people soon began to form their own militias to do the same. Entire tribal populations were wiped out during the massacres, and rape of Native women by white settlers was common. Some have tried to claim that the use of rape against Native women during the California Genocide qualifies as [[genocidal rape]]; this claim, however, remains disputed.

Even when the massacres ended in 1873, violence was still rife and thousands continued to die from starvation and illnesses introduced by the settlers.

====[[Wounded Knee Massacre]]====

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====Forced sterilization====

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Indian Health Service performed thousands of sterilizations on Native American women between the ages of 15 and 44, with 3,406 women being sterilized between 1973 and 1976. Most of these sterilizations were performed without informed consent, with the women being either tricked into thinking the process was reversible, blackmailed into consenting with threats of losing welfare or simply forced to undergo the procedure with no prior knowledge. This was part of a wider policy of eugenics which also included African-Americans and the poor. It was halted in 1976 when the General Accountability Office found the sterilizations to be noncompliant with IHS ethics and policy and declared a moratorium on all sterilization procedures.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Indian Health Service performed thousands of sterilizations on Native American women between the ages of 15 and 44, with 3,406 women being sterilized between 1973 and 1976. Most of these sterilizations were performed without informed consent, with the women being either tricked into thinking the process was reversible, blackmailed into consenting with threats of losing welfare or simply forced to undergo the procedure with no prior knowledge. This was part of a wider policy of [[eugenics]] which also included African-Americans and the poor. It was halted in 1976 when the General Accountability Office found the sterilizations to be noncompliant with IHS ethics and policy and declared a moratorium on all sterilization procedures.

[[Category:Villainous Event]]

[[Category:United States of America]]

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 ==History==
 ===Genocide by Spain===
-When [[Christopher Columbus]] first landed in Mesoamerica in 1494, he took several members of the Arawak tribe captive in the hope that they could lead him to gold. Upon writing to King Ferdinand of Spain of his discovery, Columbus was granted permission to enslave the native population and use them to find gold. Columbus's troops immediately set about raping, killing and torturing in an attempt to force the natives to tell them where the gold was. Columbus organized several groups of armed men to search for the non-existent gold, leading to the deaths of thousands of sick and unarmed natives. Captives were used for sword practice, with Columbus's soldiers attempting to decapitate them or cut them in half with one blow. The situation was so bad that about 50,000 Taíno natives chose to commit suicide rather than live under Spanish rule.
+When [[Christopher Columbus]] first landed in Mesoamerica in 1494, he took several members of the Arawak tribe captive in the hope that they could lead him to gold. Upon writing to King Ferdinand of Spain of his discovery, Columbus was granted permission to enslave the native population and use them to find gold. Columbus's troops immediately set about raping, killing and [[Torture|torturing]] in an attempt to force the natives to tell them where the gold was. Columbus organized several groups of armed men to search for the non-existent gold, leading to the deaths of thousands of sick and unarmed natives. Captives were used for sword practice, with Columbus's soldiers attempting to decapitate them or cut them in half with one blow. The situation was so bad that about 50,000 Taíno natives chose to commit suicide rather than live under Spanish rule.
 Columbus enslaved the population of Hispaniola and set up a system wherein all natives over 14 were responsible for gathering a certain amount of gold each month, awarding them with a copper token to hang around their neck if they succeeded. If a native was caught without a token they would have their hands cut off and be allowed to bleed to death. Natives who attempted to flee slavery were torn apart with attack dogs. Sexual slavery was also widespread, with Columbus forcibly marrying native women to his men. During this period the native population of Hispaniola plummeted rapidly until it was practically wiped out, partly due to being killed and partly due to smallpox introduced by the Spanish which the natives had no immunity to. Columbus was eventually arrested by agents of the Spanish Crown for his atrocities, but the charges against him were dropped.
-After approximately three million natives were killed, the Spanish colonial authorities reformed their approach, adopting the ''encomienda'' system; a system of slavery wherein certain grant holders were awarded a monopoly on the labour of certain groups. Natives were allocated to certain ''encomiendero'' and put to work mining for gold. This ended up being deadlier than traditional slavery because there was no incentive to keep the native slaves alive as they could be replaced for free, resulting in the Spanish abusing and killing the native slaves regularly. The ''encomienda'' system has been described by modern historians as explicitly genocidal because it resulted in the intentional deaths of millions and the eradication of potentially thousands of native cultures.
+After approximately three million natives were killed, the Spanish colonial authorities reformed their approach, adopting the ''[[encomienda]]'' system; a system of slavery wherein certain grant holders were awarded a monopoly on the labour of certain groups. Natives were allocated to certain ''encomiendero'' and put to work mining for gold. This ended up being deadlier than traditional slavery because there was no incentive to keep the native slaves alive as they could be replaced for free, resulting in the Spanish abusing and killing the native slaves regularly. The ''encomienda'' system has been described by modern historians as explicitly genocidal because it resulted in the intentional deaths of millions and the eradication of potentially thousands of native cultures.
 ===Genocide by Portugal===
@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ====[[American Indian Wars]]====
-Many wars were fought against Native American tribes in the United States of America, first by colonial powers and then by the United States government. These wars left thousands, if not millions, of Natives dead and are generally viewed as xenophobic and genocidal, often leading to colonists adopting policies of outright extermination against the natives if they started winning (notable examples of this tactic being seen in the Pequot War, King Philip’s War the French and Indian War and the First Seminole War among others).
+Many wars were fought against Native American tribes in the United States of America, first by colonial powers and then by the United States government. These wars left thousands, if not millions, of Natives dead and are generally viewed as [[Xenophobia|xenophobic]] and genocidal, often leading to colonists adopting policies of outright extermination against the natives if they started winning (notable examples of this tactic being seen in the Pequot War, King Philip’s War the French and Indian War and the First Seminole War among others).
 ====[[Conestoga Massacre]]====
@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 On 4 March 1782, Lieutenant Colonel [[David Williamson]] lead the Pennsylvania Militia in a raid on Gnadenhutten, a Moravian Indian village inhabited mostly by Lenape and Mohican tribesmen. They first came across the half-Lenape Joseph Schebosh and hacked him to death before proceeding on to the village, where they acted friendly and falsely promised the Moravians that they would take them to Fort Pitt to keep them safe from potential enemies. Several militiamen also persuaded Moravian Indians from the nearby town of Salem to come to Gnadenhutten for safety.
-Once all the Moravian Indians had gathered, the militia confiscated their guns and axes (which they used for hunting), tied them up and announced that they had been found guilty of false charges of murder and espionage. The militia voted in favour of killing them (with the exception of eighteen who refused to take part in the massacre) before taking them to “killing houses” where they were beaten, scalped and hacked to death while singing hymns and praying. Many native women were [[Gang Rape|gang-raped]] by the militia before being killed. Overall, 96 Moravian Indian men, women and children were killed. The militia planned to commit another massacre at a nearby Moravian Indian settlement but the inhabitants were alerted to the events at Gnadenhutten and fled before the militia arrived.
+Once all the Moravian Indians had gathered, the militia confiscated their guns and axes (which they used for hunting), tied them up and announced that they had been found guilty of false charges of [[murder]] and espionage. The militia voted in favour of killing them (with the exception of eighteen who refused to take part in the massacre) before taking them to “killing houses” where they were beaten, [[Scalping|scalped]] and hacked to death while singing hymns and praying. Many native women were [[Gang Rape|gang-raped]] by the militia before being killed. Overall, 96 Moravian Indian men, women and children were killed. The militia planned to commit another massacre at a nearby Moravian Indian settlement but the inhabitants were alerted to the events at Gnadenhutten and fled before the militia arrived.
 ====[[The Trail of Tears]]====
-On 28 May 1830, President [[Andrew Jackson]] signed into law the Indian Removal Act, which authorized the US government to confiscate Native American land. The Act was strongly enforced under Jackson’s Presidency and that of his successor [[Martin Van Buren]].
+On 28 May 1830, President [[Andrew Jackson]] signed into law the [[Indian Removal Act]], which authorized the US government to confiscate Native American land. The Act was strongly enforced under Jackson’s Presidency and that of his successor [[Martin Van Buren]].
-Under the Indian Removal Act, the government had a mandate to remove 50, 000 Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw people from their homeland and seize it for themselves. No means of transportation were provided after the Natives were removed, meaning they were forced to walk 2, 200 miles to Indian reservations. 4,000 deaths were reported on one march alone, and estimates of the total death toll range from 5,000 to 25, 000.
+Under the Indian Removal Act, the government had a mandate to remove 50, 000 Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole and Chickasaw people from their homeland and seize it for themselves. No means of transportation were provided after the Natives were removed, meaning they were forced to walk 2, 200 miles to Indian reservations. 4,000 deaths were reported on one march alone, and estimates of the total death toll range from 5,000 to 25, 000. Others Natives were herded into [[concentration camp]]s until new land was found for then to settle on, but this was generally used as a last resort.
 ====[[California Genocide]]====
 Following the American conquest of California, the American government decided to remove the native population of approximately 150, 000 in order to make room for white settlers. This started with the first meeting of the California State Legislature in 1846, when it was decided that white settlers had the right to forcibly adopt native children against their will and instituted enslavement as the punishment for any crimes committed by natives, up to and including minor crimes such as loitering and drunkenness.
-When it became apparent that the natives were prepared to resist these abuses, Governor [[Peter Hardeman Burnett]] formed several state militias tasked with hunting down and killing natives, declaring that “[A] war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races until the Indian race is extinct”. The militias raided tribal outposts and shot and scalped natives, and local people soon began to form their own militias to do the same. Entire tribal populations were wiped out during the massacres, and rape of native women by white settlers was common. Even when the massacres ended in 1873, violence was still rife and thousands continued to die from starvation and illnesses introduced by the settlers.
+When it became apparent that the natives were prepared to resist these abuses, Governor [[Peter Hardeman Burnett]] formed several state militias tasked with hunting down and killing natives, declaring that “[A] war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races until the Indian race is extinct”. The militias raided tribal outposts and shot and scalped natives, and local people soon began to form their own militias to do the same. Entire tribal populations were wiped out during the massacres, and rape of Native women by white settlers was common. Some have tried to claim that the use of rape against Native women during the California Genocide qualifies as [[genocidal rape]]; this claim, however, remains disputed.
+Even when the massacres ended in 1873, violence was still rife and thousands continued to die from starvation and illnesses introduced by the settlers.
 ====[[Wounded Knee Massacre]]====
@@ Line 74: / Line 76: @@
 ====Forced sterilization====
-During the 1960s and 1970s, the Indian Health Service performed thousands of sterilizations on Native American women between the ages of 15 and 44, with 3,406 women being sterilized between 1973 and 1976. Most of these sterilizations were performed without informed consent, with the women being either tricked into thinking the process was reversible, blackmailed into consenting with threats of losing welfare or simply forced to undergo the procedure with no prior knowledge. This was part of a wider policy of eugenics which also included African-Americans and the poor. It was halted in 1976 when the General Accountability Office found the sterilizations to be noncompliant with IHS ethics and policy and declared a moratorium on all sterilization procedures.
+During the 1960s and 1970s, the Indian Health Service performed thousands of sterilizations on Native American women between the ages of 15 and 44, with 3,406 women being sterilized between 1973 and 1976. Most of these sterilizations were performed without informed consent, with the women being either tricked into thinking the process was reversible, blackmailed into consenting with threats of losing welfare or simply forced to undergo the procedure with no prior knowledge. This was part of a wider policy of [[eugenics]] which also included African-Americans and the poor. It was halted in 1976 when the General Accountability Office found the sterilizations to be noncompliant with IHS ethics and policy and declared a moratorium on all sterilization procedures.
 [[Category:Villainous Event]]
 [[Category:United States of America]]