How did Europeans justify the subjugation of Africans and Natives?
White racial superiority, Bible, view of groups as “savages”
Europeans justified the subjugation of Africans and Natives in several ways. Some of the main justifications include:
1. Racial Superiority: Europeans believed that they were superior to Africans and Natives because of their white skin, Christian religion, and superior culture. They believed that they had a duty to civilize and Christianize the “inferior” races and that they were justified in using whatever means necessary to achieve that goal.
2. Manifest Destiny: Europeans believed that they were destined by God to spread their civilization and way of life to other parts of the world. They saw Africa and the Americas as “primitive” lands that were in need of European enlightenment.
3. Economic Justification: Europeans justified their subjugation of Africans and Natives by claiming that they were bringing economic development and progress to these lands. They saw Africa and the Americas as sources of cheap labor, raw materials, and new markets for European goods.
4. Christian Missionary Zeal: European missionaries believed that they had a duty to spread Christianity to the world’s “heathen” peoples. They saw themselves as saviors of the souls of Africans and Natives and believed that they were justified in using force to convert them to Christianity.
5. Civilizing mission: Europeans believed that they had the moral and ethical obligation to civilize the “primitive” peoples of Africa and the Americas. They believed that their culture was superior to the culture of the people in Africa and the Americas and that colonization was a way of bringing progress and enlightenment to these areas.
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