Sweet Tooth for Empire: Sugar and the British Atlantic World

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a consequence the boys have become large and fat, they eat them. When fully mature men come into their hands, they kill them and divide them into portions; they make a feast of their guts and their extremities while they are fresh; they pickle their limbs in salt, as we do hams, and preserve them for later occasions.” 69 He added, for good measure, a description similar to that of Chanca, “entering the houses they discovered that they had pots of every kind/…/and in their kitchens human flesh, some boiled along with flesh from parrots and ducks, some fixed on skewers ready to be roasted/…/they realized the bones from human arms and shins were being very carefully kept in their homes to manufacture arrowheads/…/they throw away the other bones when they have eaten the flesh off them. They also found the head of a youth recently killed hanging from a beam, still dripping with blood.” 70 Martyr concludes, somewhat self-righteously, “there is no one who saw them, who did not confess that a kind of shudder clawed at his stomach, so savage and hellish is the look implanted by nature and by their own brutality.” 71 From the information presented in these various primary sources, it is easy to see the Europeans had very negative conceptions about the cannibalism of the Indians; some even going so far as to regard it as the work of Satan. Soon the idea of cannibalism was so sunk into European culture and thought, that during the Colombian lawsuit, there is one interesting consistency in the questions put before the witnesses. In the evidence of the Admiral of the Indies given in Puerto Rico on 30 September 1514, this question appeared. “Also, if the know, believe, or heard it said and it is public and well known that the admiral discovered the islands that are more easterly than the islands of Española, which are called the Cannibals.” 72 In the evidence of the Admiral of the Indies given in Puerto Rico on 12 February 1515, this question 69 Ibid., 46. 70 Ibid., 51. 71 Ibid., 53. 72 “Evidence of the Admiral of the Indies. Puerto Rico, 30 September 1514,” in Repertorium Columbianum Volume 8: Testimonies from the Colombian Lawsuits, ed. William D. Phillips (Turnhout, Brepols Publishers, 2000), 79.
was posed: “Also, if the know and believe and have heard it said and it is public and well known that the admiral don Cristóbal Colón discovered many islands that are to the east of Española, such as San Juan and Santa Cruz, including the islands of the Cannibals.” 73 In the evidence of the Admiral of the Indies taken in Puerto Rico on 15 February 1515, two witnesses were examined. The first one was “Bartolome Colín, citizen of this town, a witness sworn and presented in the stated cause was asked the general questions.” He provided the information that “he said that he knows that the admiral don Cristóbal Colón, deceased, discovered the islands of San Juan and the cannibals and Santa Cruz.” 74 The second witness, “Andrés Martín de la Gorda, citizen of this town, sworn, judged, and brought in the same case, was asked the general questions.” 75 He answered, “he knows it, he said because this witness in company with the late admiral went to discover the cannibals and the other islands contained in the question.” 76 In every question the islands were referred to as the islands of the cannibals, thus invariably linking them with the presence of the cannibals, which is how they would be remembered for a long time. Now that it is patently obvious that Europeans had negative perceptions of cannibalism and that they believed it flourished throughout the New World, it is time to analyze the repercussions, both positive and negative, of these perceptions. Enslaving the “Cannibals” Since Spain, through Admiral Columbus, had discovered the New World, the Catholic Kings, Fernando of Aragon and Isabel of Castile bore the onus of creating all of the policies which dealt with the newest part of their empire. However, for all that they created many new policies for the New World; it would be a more sensible idea to look at the policies of the crown 73 “Evidence of the Admiral of the Indies, Puerto Rico, 12 February 1515,” in Phillips, 97. 74 “Evidence of the Admiral of the Indies, Puerto Rico, 15 February 1515,” 108. 75 “Evidence of the Admiral of the Indies, Puerto Rico, 15 February 1515,” 109. 76 “Evidence of the Admiral of the Indies. Puerto Rico, 15 February 1515,”110.
Page 1 and 2: The Gettysburg Historical Journal V
Page 3 and 4: Walfield ’10 examines how colonia
Page 5 and 6: originally as a new, curious, and r
Page 7 and 8: Columbus and his men went expecting
Page 9 and 10: easonably similar to that of Chanca
Page 11 and 12: the middle of their shoulders, larg
Page 13 and 14: hear.” 32 Dal Verde also noted wh
Page 15 and 16: In his account of Columbus’s seco
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Page 19 and 20: Contarini was talking about the Azt
Page 21: hanging from large trees on poles,
Page 25 and 26: which would continue for decades in
Page 27 and 28: ehavior and regarded it as low, inh
Page 29 and 30: was not able to eat, but the chief
Page 31 and 32: huts.” 109 Staden explained that
Page 33 and 34: piety and religion) than in roastin
Page 35 and 36: Throughout the course of the late f
Page 37 and 38: viewpoints. The general trend in th
Page 39 and 40: Evan Haefeli and Kevin Sweeney’s
Page 41 and 42: “parallel war.” 26 The authors
Page 43 and 44: captivity narratives coincided with
Page 45 and 46: hand and to see that our help is al
Page 47 and 48: The perception of the American wild
Page 49 and 50: demonstrates Whittier’s belief th
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Page 53 and 54: Female captivity narratives serve a
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Page 61 and 62: Pushkin and Gannibal: Ethnic Identi
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Page 67 and 68: Dwight D. Eisenhower, The National
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information at his disposal and at
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asked to stay on. 30 Based on the a
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cumbersome. However, the Planning B
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make it work to his liking.” 48 P
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In January of 1954, France had been
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the Vietminh, but a political one.
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problems. NSC 5405 had not made pro
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he “expanded the advisory process
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and psychological warfare operation
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United States. Also present were Ri
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the U.S. intervened. MacArthur judg
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of Defense. To do otherwise,” Rid
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objectives.” 123 Dulles would use
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later, Eisenhower let the matter dr
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Planning Board report was too optim
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establishment of such a coalition a
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allied powers before Geneva. 150 Th
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Stassen countered that the U.S. cou
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In the first five weeks after Dien
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particularly Britain, for his decis
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crucial role of all presidents,”
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egularly in the first place and his
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vetoed their request, “for the re
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people.” 14 A large crowd gathere
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Revolution.” 21 This was held on
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held the Bank’s presidency until
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Spectrum was published in 1892 it c
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solutions to the town’s problems.
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impromptu address at the church’s
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“Com. [Commonwealth] vs. Henry Ga
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familial atmosphere provided a soli
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with thievery after he stole goods
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could have been stopped by Mrs. Net
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Photograph by William H. Tipton of
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Men gathered outside of Landau’s
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