The Spanish were actually the first known Europeans to enter America, although they are not as often mentioned in America’s history as the English settlers. The Spanish contributed much to the New World from astounding missions to art and institutions. One Spanish explorer, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, while searching for gold, discovered the American West instead. The Spanish even introduced the concept of ranching for which the American West is so famous for.
Yet, in spite of Spain’s many contributions, the nation receives little credit for its shaping of America. In fact, according to the Black Legend, Spain carries much of the burden for the mistreatment of the Native Americans and has been accused of only having had an interest in America for the wealth it had to offer. However, there are other perspectives that need to be taken into consideration before condemning the Spanish.
First, the Spanish were not the only group of people who were cruel to the Indians. Other Europeans brought diseases to America, such as smallpox and cholera, which the Native Americans were not immune to. Consequently, thousands of Indians died. Also, many other countries which sailed to the New World were not adverse to reaping some economic benefit. The French and the Dutch became involved in the fur trade while the English employed indentured servants in the southern mainland and the Caribbean to produce crops for sale in Europe.
Even though the Spanish are accused of Indian mistreatment, they were really the least racist of the nations. They even married into the Native Americans, though they kept the marriages confined to classes. They actually considered the moral questions of how to deal with the Indians, such as how far Europeans should press their customs and beliefs on the people.
In addition, not all of the Spanish people condoned the treatment of the Native Americans. Many priests, most specifically Father Bartolomé de las Casas, were outraged at the cruelty directed towards the Indians and protested against it. Las Casas was a slaveholder himself and after reading a certain scripture in the Bible, released all of his slaves and called the exploitation of the Indians unjust. He even went so far as to appeal to the King of Spain on the matter, King Charles I.
Most monarchs would pay no attention to the rampages of one of the cleric, but Spain’s ruler did. He instituted laws which were intolerant of Indian mistreatment, yet still it occurred. The ruler even went so far as to disallow further conquest of America until after a convention had been held concerning the ethics of such.
These many reforms failed to staunch the flow of the Black Legend, though. Spread by anti-Hispanics and anti-Catholics, it still persists. Las Casas’s allegations became published in Spain and have many times been used as ammunition against the nation, most expressly during the Protestant Reformation. It has also for many years been mentioned in political debates in Europe and America. Moreover, it has become even more unlikely that the legend will expire due to the many historians who have recounted it in their writings.
The Black Legend of Spain is remembered, whereas Spain’s benefits to the New World are not. Certainly the many contributions that Spain made towards America should receive more recognition. Much of the culture that defines America, especially in the West, is due to the Spaniards. Perhaps were the image of the Spanish settlers not so misconstrued by the Black Legend, more of Spain’s accomplishments in the new frontier would be more prominent.
