Ap World History Dbq Research Paper

Words: 1011
Pages: 5

Europeans came into the Americas believing the land was for the taking. With their Eurocentric mindset, the Spanish and British thought that so long as they cultivated the land and set up physical barriers, life in the colonies would be easy and clear. A rude awakening occurred when the natives began to revolt and exerted more power over the land than the Europeans expected. However the conflicting accounts between the natives and Europeans express the complications that occurred between the battling cultures. Due to Europeans often wanting to push the blame away from themselves, as well as European ethnocentrism constantly present, the reality about land control in the Americas has been skewed in the favor the Europeans. The main idea brought on by the Europeans was that they laid claim to the land by settling and cultivating. Back in Europe, land was owned, and there were laws and property rights that came along with that ownership. In the New World, in order for the British to have land they used the claim that if they were using the land, it was owed by the British. While this idea worked among the Europeans, the natives found this ides foreign. As Greer comments in …show more content…
As stated previously, these laws appeared to be in favor the natives. The Spanish would have to protect the indigenous people, such as fair working and living conditions (The New Laws). These acted like a modern-day union, where those with power have to look out for those who are less powerful, but this power was instead abused. The Spanish in the Americas knew that the laws were enacted to control their power over the land, and thus exerted more force and brutality on the natives. The need for land caused the Spanish to become reckless, pushing their way into historically native territory. While this had been the common thought held by many, natives did have their moments where they were in