William of Orange once stated, "Spain committed such horrible excesses that all the barbarities, cruelties, and tyrannies ever perpetrated before are only games in comparison to what happened to the poor Indians." This statement can be viewed in several different ways: truthful, hypocritical, harsh...the list goes on. William was correct in his statement except for the first word, "Spain." Even though Spain did commit horrible offenses against the Indians, William of Orange, and the rest of the European settlers, should be included in that statement. Every settler that came over to the New World, whether they were aware of it or not, condoned the "horrible excesses" bestowed upon the Indians.
Although several other nations were involved in the horrific crimes against the Indians, Spain may have been the worst in their treatment of the natives they encountered. The Spanish felt that
While some officials were taking measures to condemn the harsh treatment of the Indians, others were making their case for just the opposite. In 1547 Juan Gines De Sepulveda wrote "Democrats Alter," which ultimately condoned the war against the natives. He was saying that Indian civilization is not civil and his war is a "just war." Spanish conquistadors felt that Spain was the center of earth and everything revolved around it. The crown, or other high officials, may have disagreed, but they weren't the ones over in the New World making the rules.
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