Introduction
Religion has been used as a form of excuse throughout history. Religion acted as the driving force for worse atrocities ever imagined in America. The Spanish made use of several atrocities to carry out the colonization process that ranged from offering human sacrifices, killing of innocent people and torturing people all in the name of religion. The main reason for Spanish colonization in North America was to explore, conquer and settle politically in most of the western hemisphere. The colonization process was started by the Spanish conquistadors and accelerated by the Monarchy of Spain. Since then, the Spanish have claimed most territories that today form the United States. The following paper discusses Spanish colonization in North America focusing on the main processes involved, and its effects.
Spanish colonization
The European arrived in America in 1492, and since then America has never been the same again. Over 35 years following the arrival of Europeans the Spain ruled America in a vast empire that was based on labor and exploitation of the Indian population. Spanish colonization in North America lasted for over four hundred years, from 1492 to 1898. The Spanish initiated colonization process with the motives of expanding trade and spreading Christian faith through native expansions. The Spanish went to North America with the hope of teaching Catholicism to the people while extracting off their riches. Thousands of Spaniards went across the oceans to America with self interests of gaining great riches with the name of religion. Some of the most common atrocities conducted included the Buddhist Burma, Thuggee Murders and the Inquisition.
After their entry in America, the Spanish established a strong and elaborate empire that covered the entire Western coast of North America, South America, the Caribbean and parts of the United States. Before the fifteenth century, the Spanish had no idea of the fact that the whole hemisphere of the world was not owned by anyone. The emergence of indirect discoveries led to direct contract leading to the Spanish constructing massive overseas kingdom. They brought diseases to new world dwellers. Greatest tragedies ever experienced in the human history followed as people were infected with various diseases such as the smallpox, influenza and other communicable diseases. These diseases killed millions of people since they had no immunity against them. The Spanish claimed they had no intention of destroying people who lived on this new world but, they were only interested in using Indian labor to gain riches.
The arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 accelerated the expansion of the Spanish Empire across most regions of America. Revolutionary movements were started that resulted into the independence of most Spanish colonies in the Americas except Cuba and Puerto Rico. The Spaniards used effective technologies and other devices that helped them discover the new world. Many people have been credited for their efforts in finding the new world and the development of the Spanish Empire in America. All the strategies and tactics used by the Spaniards were aimed at generating massive profits and power. Under the Spanish colonization, several indirect results were observed in America and Europe with the effect extending to other regions like Africa. Generally, the Spanish colonization in North America changed the ways of life for everyone because it the modified the international economies, integrated social cultures, and changed political structures and beliefs.
The Spaniards aimed at using the Indian labor to gain wealth. The Indians had their own atrocity called Thuggee Murders. Members of India’s Thuggee killed people and offered them as sacrifices in order to appease the bloodthirsty goddess. They practiced this ritual in order to prevent the Spaniards from exploiting their labor. The ritual claimed over 20,000 lives every year until the British stopped them. Despite the above sacrifice, the Spaniards continued using Indian labor in their massive factories and big plantations.
As a result of natural attrition and harsh misrule, however, the number of laborers became too small for the Spanish who started importing African slaves. The introduction of African cultures and traditions to North American cultures resulted into a richer social mixture compared to most parts of the world. Despite this, racism was still practice. The colonial society was discriminative when it came to hierarchies. People were offered jobs and issued with land titles depending on the amount of Spanish blood an individual had. Discrimination and repression characterized the Spanish colonial rule throughout the 406 years of colonization in North America.
Conclusion
The Spanish colonization in North America lasted for 406 years, a period which the Americans experienced the worst empire ever. In the 17th century, the Spanish colonial administration realized that they had decreased in number in many parts of New Spain. They introduced a policy reform that allowed people to practice their own religion and, forced labor ended. The use of atrocities during the Spanish colonization was too effective leading to loss of many lives. In addition, the introduction of Spanish Empire and their movement in America introduced many deadly diseases that also claimed lives of many Americans.
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