01-27-2016, 06:53 PM
(01-27-2016, 05:49 PM)Mike M (the other one) Wrote: I will not deny that atrocities were committed by all sides, however there was never any straight up attempt to exterminate them.
The introduction of diseases was not biological warfare (if you read up on Columbus's 2nd voyage, you will note that he claims several of his men got ill after they landed), the Early Europeans had no idea that simply meeting them would cause so many deaths amongst the Natives. Their goal was simply to make GOLD, whether that was with new trading partners, selling them as slaves and find places to establish some colonies to further advance their gold earnings. If their intent was to exterminate, they certainly wouldn't have sold them as slaves, they would have outright killed them. The Natives warring with others and amongst themselves will result in displacement and impoverishment (starvation), and make them even more susceptible to diseases.
Fast Forward to the United States. The early US did not promote policies that were to physically eliminate all Indians, in fact, they actually created policies that promoted assimilation. The only time the US agreed to "exterminate" the Natives, was when a group the Natives would refuse to cede their lands to the Americans per the signed treaty.
Treaties were also another killer that undid the Indians, they didn't know what exactly they signed away. In many cases they signed their lands away for next to nothing. Once they signed, and the US started enforcing the treaties, about the only land left that they didn't sign over to us was in Oklahoma.
Intent is the key word here.
It's puff, puff, give. Not puff, puff, puff, puffity-puff puff, H.R. Pufnstuf, puffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff, puff, give.
