“The first colonial leaders, however, would have none of this. Most of them were military men, trained in the Irish wars. Whatever they thought of the Indian way of life, they never failed to regard the Indians themselves as peoples… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
“As with Hispaniola, Tenochtitlán, Cuzco, and elsewhere, the Spaniards’ mammoth destruction of whole societies generally was a by-product of conquest and native enslavement, a genocidal means to an economic end, not an end in itself. And therein lies the central difference between the genocide committed by the Spanish and that of the Anglo-Americans: in British America extermination was the primary… — David E. Stannard Copy Share
“Should Indian adults attempt to use the California courts to bring such killers to justice, they invariably were frustrated because the law of the land prohibited Indians from testifying against whites. Even some otherwise unsympathetic settler newspapers observed and protested this situation (to no avail), since in consequence it encouraged and legalized the open-season hunting of Indians. As one San… — David E. Stannard Copy Share
“I certify to you that, with the help of God, we shall powerfully enter into your country and shall make war against you in all ways and manners that we can, and shall subject you to the yoke and obedience of the Church and of Their Highnesses. We shall take you and your wives and your children, and shall make… — David E. Stannard Copy Share
“Given the shortage of women in California during these early years of white settlement, “a likely young girl” might cost almost double that of… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
“Elie Wiesel is right: the road to Auschwitz was being paved in the earliest days of Christendom. But another conclusion now is equally evident:… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
“And on April 30th, one month later, a royal decree was issued suspending all judicial proceedings against any criminals who would agree to ship… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
“No sooner were the ships unloaded, however, than sickness broke out among the crews. It quickly spread among the natives, who had come to… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
“For while those like Señor Coma of Aragon were drawing a parallel between darkness of flesh and commitment to cannibalism—while Columbus and others were expounding on an opposite relationship (but one with identical consequences) involving light skin, intelligence, and closeness to God—still more Spaniards were locating evidence for the Indians’ alleged inferiority within their very biology, in what was said… — David E. Stannard Copy Share
“On the very day that Columbus finally set forth on his journey that would shake the world, the port of the city he sailed from was filled with ships that were deporting Jews from Spain. By the time the expulsion was complete between 120,000 and 150,000 Jews had been driven from their homes (their valuables, often meager, having first been… — David E. Stannard Copy Share
“For among the many things that warfare does is temporarily define the entire enemy population as superfluous, as expendable—a redefinition that must take place… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
“The destruction of the Indians of the Americas was, far and away, the most massive act of genocide in the history of the world.… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
“Such brutishness was beyond the English capacity for tolerance. Especially when the vulgarians in question occupied such lovely lands. So, as they had for… — David E. Stannard Copy Share Image
