Racial Ideology of Americas Essay

In the period from 1500 to 1830, racial stereotypes were prominent in the regions of Latin America/Caribbean and North America and they had a tremendous effect on society, especially societies with multiple ethnicities. The racial ideologies of these regions can be seen through the treatment of native peoples and the treatment of slaves. However, because of the strong influence of differing European nations,and their differing standards, contrasting societal effects can be seen. When the Europeans discovered and settled the â€Å"New World† and Latin America their ideology of European dominance and superiority had a direct effect on the natives of these regions. In North America, the Native Americans were often oppressed or forced to live on a confined piece of land. The Europeans would often devise treaties with the Native Americans on where there territorial boundaries were and where the settlers were not allowed to intrude. The European governments did not enforce this, so eventually all of these treaties were broken. This shows that the Europeans did not regard the natives claims to the land as legitimate and that they did not have any rights to the land. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the natives were enslaved and forced into servitude and labor. The dominant European racial ideology also fueled the slave trade in both North America and Latin America. The slave trade revolved around slave ships that would transport masses of Africans to the colonies to increase productions. The slave trade grew in the periods from 1500 to 1830 because slaves became cheaper to buy then hiring indentured servants who would work only a certain amount of years and then be free when their debt was paid off where as a slave is kept for life, unless they are sold. The slaves were bought, sold, and treated like property, not human beings. The colonists, were those who traveled from Europe to the Americas or those born in America who had come from European descent implemented the total colonization of North America and Latin America and the Caribbean. The colonies in North America were predominantly British and had a desire to become like their mother country. This united the colonists and so they did not discriminate against each other like they discriminated against the Native Americans and African slaves. This contrasts the predominantly Spanish dominated colonies because they had no sense of unity. The Spanish racial ideology prompted those in power, the royal sangres azules, and the commoners, translated into discrimination within the colonist populations. The colonists born in Spain were considered better than those who born in Americas, even if you came two fully Spanish parents. Those who were of â€Å"mixed blood† , who were children of native and Spanish parents were even lower.