Propaganda, Prejudice and Greed
When I was in elementary school, a long, long time ago, I hated History. That was the era when we had two separate subjects - History and Geography. Now a days it’s called Social Studies, which is actually one of my favorite subjects to teach. It is a 5 fold subject, covering History, Geography, Government, Economics and Culture. Some people might think I’m a bad teacher because of this, but I don’t make my students memorize important dates, nor do I require that they can name all 50 states and their capitals.
I mention this, because I just completed a course called “Teaching Hispanic History and Culture to the Southwestern Child.” Our professor was a Latino, born and raised in New Mexico, whose ancestors have lived in this part of the world for nearly 500 years. Since the LORD has given me such a heart for the Native American, this course required that I look at this area from a different perspective. It was very interesting. The things I saw first and noticed the most were the vibrant colors and beautiful churches. The thing that interested me most was an article by Joseph P. Sanchez, Ph.D. called “The Spanish Black Legend - origins of Anti-Hispanic Stereotypes.” Over the past few days, I’ve done some historical research, and I discovered that I still hate history. It is really hard to uncover the truth, because everyone who writes about it seems to have some sort of bias.
I went into this with a bias. The article states that:
“While Spain’s claim to the New World had become a source of contention among the have-not nations, another historical trend fueled the flame of anti-Spanish propaganda. In 1517 the Protestant Reformation erupted. Spain and Portugal remained staunchly loyal to Catholicism and claimed to be the conservators of the One True Faith. Before the Reformation had run its course, England France and the Germanys , the Dutch lowlands and several other nations had aligned themselves with Protestantism. The schism was an event that shook all of Europe.”
As I studied Luther, and the Reformation, over the past few months, which was a consequence of my reluctance to accept the doctrine of predestination and divine election, I came to the conclusion that this doctrine led to the American concept of Manifest Destiny, and the near annihilation of the Native American population, justified by the belief that obviously these creatures were sub-human, savages, predestined for damnation and it was God’s will that the White European take over their lands, from sea to shining sea.
So then I read Dr. Sanchez’s words, “Manifest Destiny expounded the belief that God had blessed and preordained U.S. expansion and parenthetically, that He would punish Mexico for it’s depravity. …there was a widespread belief that the God-forsaken Mexicans were unworthy to keep the valuable resources that they had inherited from Spain.”
So, here is how the Black Legend started, according to the article. Spain had laws that protected the rights of the indigenous people in the “New World.” However, many of the gold hungry Spanish settlers were not obeying these laws. Several conquistadors had been brought to court and imprisoned for abuses of such laws. But a Dominican monk, Fray, Bartolome’ de las Casas believed that not enough was being done. He sent a report to the King of Spain that included documentation that supported his case that the Spaniards abused Indians, giving negative examples, not including the positive things that were happening. As a result, reforms were made. However, some years after his bid to reform the Indies had run its course, the Dutch aquired a copy of his report and published it. The English and French followed suit. Spain’s foes presented this as proof that Catholic Spain was bigoted. Catholic Spaniards, they wrote had exterminated and brutalized Indians. Dr. Sanchez writes “Fueled by the Protestant Reformation, the propaganda underwent an anti-Catholic phase in which Spain stood accused of bigotry.” Propaganda, prejudice, and greed. From this perspective, I would conclude that the Catholic Spanish were not as bad as the European Protestants in their dealings with the indigenous people they encountered in America. And for now, that’s all I have to say about this. Time to do my chores.
7 comments:
Mary Ellen: Here is an excerpt from an article written by one of our Bishops in Rochester New York. I think you will like it - it's kind of long though but I don't know your email address:
Catholic Spain, who is virtually eclipsed in modern American history, has perhaps had a greater honor than any other in her contributions to the "New World." Her attitude is truly that of a good Christian. She sent priests and missionaries to instruct and baptize natives. The natives were not pushed aside or considered as non-human, they were civilized and considered equal to the Spaniard; equal humans, equal citizens, and equal Catholics. As such there was not any taboo concerning intermarriage. There was never the label of second class citizen or second class humans. All were created by the same God and have the same destiny and all are equal in the eyes of God. Thus, the Catholics freely mixed and associated and dealt with the natives. Even with the Negroes from Africa who were brought to this country as slaves, we see that the Spaniard had no difficulty associating with them and elevating them to the same station as themselves. There was no taboo or prejudice which forbad their intermarriage. The taboo, segregation and prejudice, again was totally a Talmudic-Protestant attitude.
The beautiful practice and belief in the equality of all men regardless of their race or station in life has been historically attested by many honest observers who have compared the Spanish Catholic customs with those of the Protestant.
"It is a Spanish maxim — `Never magnify any man for his riches, nor esteem him less for his poverty, however great it may be.' And again: `The dignity of the man must rise in proportion as his rank descends.' An English traveler, Mr. Scott, says: `There is no such thing as a Spanish snob; that odious social monstrosity is indigenous only to Anglo-Saxon soil.'
The most beautiful example of the true Christian attitude came with the Spanish Franciscans, and the Spanish Southwest missions. History has completely overshadowed the fact that it was the Catholic missionaries who made it safe for the "white" man to enter and explore the great West. Even though these missionary cities often still bear their Catholic Franciscan names, few know that these cities were named by Catholics in honor of Catholic Saints. Even fewer know of the great history that Catholics have brought to this New World.
If the Spanish Catholics had such a great influence in this New World, why is it that we hear so little of this?
"Winners write the history books, so, even though the Spanish dominated the New World for almost a century before the English settlers arrived in Jamestown, the Spanish were eventually supplanted in North America and the new era of English supremacy began." (Don't Know Much About History, Kenneth C. Davis, 1995, p. 11)
The Protestants moved in, betrayed all the trust that the Catholics had established with the natives, burned the Catholic Churches and missions, chased the natives out of the land, and hunted them down like animals.
Does anyone wonder why in the French and Indian War the Indians fought with the French (Catholics) against the English (Protestants)? It is really no mystery. The French (Catholics) treated the natives as humans and traded with them as equals. The English (Protestants) never traded with the natives as equals, and more often than not they just took what they wanted from the natives not even considering them as humans nor as someone with even basic natural rights.
"In 1819 he (Jackson, who later became president.) embarked on an illegal war against the Seminoles of Florida. Claiming that Florida, still in Spanish hands, was a sanctuary for escaped slaves and marauding Indians, Jackson invaded the territory, unleashing a bloody campaign that left Indian villages and Spanish forts smoldering. Jackson's incursion set off a diplomatic crisis, eventually forcing the Spanish to sell Florida to the United States in 1819 on terms highly favorable to the Americans. Again,(This had become a pattern for him.) Jackson became governor of the newly conquered territory. As a land speculator, Jackson knew that he and his friends would profit handsomely by moving the Indians off the land. (The Indians apparently had no problem living there when it was in Catholic Spain's possession!)
"But the harsh treatment of the Indians by Jackson as a general, as well as throughout earlier American history, was later transformed. It went from popular anti-Indian sentiment and sporadic regional battles to official federal policy initiated under Jackson and continued by his successor, Martin Van Buren. The tidy word given this policy was `removal' … The Indians called it the Trail of Tears (ibid. p. 121)
Jackson is quoted as saying it is "better to move them, than to slaughter them." Which was already happening.
"Contrary to popular sentiment of the day and history's continuing misrepresentation, the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole tribes had developed societies that were not only compatible with white culture, but even emulated European styles in some respects. … The Cherokees, at the time of their removal, were not nomadic savages. In fact, they had assimilated many European-style customs, including the wearing of gowns by Cherokee women. They built roads, schools, and churches, had a system of representational government, and were becoming farmers and cattle ranchers. A written Cherokee language had also been perfected by a warrior named Sequoya. The Cherokees even attempted to fight removal legally by challenging the removal laws in the Supreme Court and by establishing an independent Cherokee Nation." (Ibid. p. 122)
This white Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) superiority complex did not end with the boarders of America. "One popular writer of 1885 was the clergyman Josiah Strong, who argued that the United States was the true center of Anglo-Saxon virtue and was destined to spread it over the world. `This powerful race,' wrote Strong in the best-selling book OUR COUNTRY, `will move down upon Mexico, down upon Central and South America, out upon the islands of the sea, over upon Africa and beyond.' … `Can any one doubt that the result of this competition of races will be the "survival of the fittest"? Strong left no doubt as to who he thought the `fittest' were." (ibid., p. 217)
The Spanish American War was another attack of the Protestants against the Catholics. The ostensible reason for the war was to "liberate" Cuba, a Spanish Catholic colony. America acted the part of the outraged sympathizer. It was a convenient excuse. The true reason was the prejudiced Protestants knew there was already a black republic in Haiti, and they did not want another one in Cuba.
The Cubans were not trying to fight off the Catholic Spanish and gain their freedom, but the Talmudic-Protestants needed a reason to destroy the Catholic influence in the New World. "When the artist Frederick Remington (1861-1909) went to Cuba to send back pictures for Hearst's papers, he told his boss he couldn't find a war. `You furnish the pictures,' Hearst responded in a fury. `I'll furnish the war.'" (ibid. p. 219)
The Battleship Maine mysteriously exploded while anchored in Havana harbor. America claimed it was caused by a mine in the harbor, Spanish authorities assert it was an internal explosion, perhaps in the heavily loaded ship's magazine. Nonetheless the Protestant battlecry arose: "Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!"
After declaring war with Spain, America launched a surprise attack on Spanish Philippines. Spain was not prepared for this war now fought on two different fronts and sued for peace. President McKinley announces the following terms: independence for Cuba; the United States takes control of Puerto Rico; the United States will occupy Manila until further negotiations. The Filipinos did not want American control and there was a Philippine incursion that was bloodier than the one with Spain. Since the Filipinos were "brown" the bigoted Protestant Americans were able to remove all excuses for civility in their treatment of the natives. In this war there were massive strikes against civilians, war atrocities, and a brutality that had been missing from American wars with white Europeans.
President Roosevelt continued this Protestant bigotry. In 1904 he sent troops into the Dominican Republic, which had reneged on debts to Great Britain (most probably Talmudic bankers in Great Britain). Roosevelt put Americans in charge of Dominican revenues until the debt problem was solved. "Though effective, Roosevelt's overbearing treatment of nations he viewed as racially inferior won America no friends in Latin America, which had been reduced to a collection of vassal states.
"Ironically, in the wake of policing the Caribbean and overseeing the subjugation of the Philippines, Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize by mediating an end to the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Divvying up substantial chunks of Asia, the treaty may have created more trouble than it solved. Japan got Korea and guaranteed that it would leave its hands off the Philippines, now in the American `sphere of influence.' But the high-handedness of Roosevelt's dealings left a bitter taste in the Japanese mouths." (ibid. p. 228)
There is much more that could be said, but hopefully this little bit has been enough to whet the desire for truth and has opened up a few eyes to the reality around us. It is a shame that Catholics are so ignorant of their wonderful heritage. It is a crime that Catholics are made to feel ashamed or embarrassed for things they should be rightly proud of. The good things in the history of this world were by and large, made possible by true and faithful Catholics. The evil that is in our history (whether recorded or conveniently omitted) is by and large, the work of Talmudic-Protestants who knowingly or unknowingly are working for Satan and the overthrow of Christ's kingdom and His Mystical Body here on earth.
Let us hold up the great Catholic heroes of the Faith for our emulation and that of our children. Let us denounce as loudly and openly as we can the evil hypocrisy of the Talmudic-Protestants this country has had the misfortune to call its leaders. And let us not forget that only true Catholics can be true patriots!
I do find this article very interesting. But I would be amiss if I didn't make note of the bias here as in any other account of "history". I do not agree or approve of the term: Talmudic-Protestant, which of course indicates an anti semetic bias. Luther "hated" the Jews as much as any Catholic of his time. And from my blog reading, I have discovered that presently certain Catholics, in particular the pre-Vatican II group, still spread some serious anti-semetic propaganda, even presenting some horrific stories that have long since been proved false, while most protestants faithfully pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
by the way, brokm is me
Bridget - "The good things in the history of this world were by and large, made possible by true and faithful Catholics. The evil that is in our history (whether recorded or conveniently omitted) is by and large, the work of Talmudic-Protestants who knowingly or unknowingly are working for Satan and the overthrow of Christ's kingdom and His Mystical Body here on earth."
An interesting quote. The Spanish Inquisition then was done by those evil protestants marauding as Catholics? 39 years before Martin Luther's 95 theses? The Malleus Maleficarum again the product of these protestants 31 years before the same document of Martin Luther?
Acknowledged, the Catholics have done good for some people. They are not free of blame from several horrible points in history. Don't blame this blanketly on the Protestants. The Catholic church has done as many wrongs as they, and as many rights.
Wanderer, the inquisition did indeed happen all over Europe, before and after Luther actually.
my son won't let me finish my comment, he has someplace to go and he has to drop me off...so what I have to say will have to wait.
I didn't say it only happened in Spain. The part that I specifically quoted didn't restrict itself to the spanish either. It paints the Catholics as saintly victims or evil Protestants. I was just pointing out that she couldn't, as she tried, point the finger at the protestants for all of the harms done by the catholic church. Nor are the protestants blameless of atrocities. In both cases you have men who warp the teachings to fit their agenda.
exactlly right wanderer, and a fair, objective observation.
Post a Comment