Sweet Tooth for Empire: Sugar and the British Atlantic World

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such a wonderful idea in practice, because the Indians became the virtual slaves of the landholder and rarely received instruction in the faith and rarely had their basic necessities of life met. 84 However, in “1503 Queen Isabel authorized the capture of those in the Caribbean who were considered ‘cannibals.’ The legal basis of this decision rested on the right to enslave captives in a just war; therefore, it affected those Indians who were perceived as a threat to the colonization effort.” 85 One author noted that, “in the case of the Caribs, the association between the habit of eating human flesh and their sustained resistance to the Spanish invaders served as a basis for the decision to declare them slaves.” 86 In addition to using cannibalism as the justification for the enslavement of the Caribs, “both cannibalism and sodomy continued to be justifications for the kidnapping of any [emphasis added] Indian by any Spaniard.” 87 Modern authors, for the most part, tend to agree that negative perceptions of cannibalism had a strong role in justifying enslavement. One author wrote, “reports of cannibalism provided the means of justifying the enslavement and deportment of those creatures so clearly beyond the pale of God’s favor that they could be rightfully regarded as beasts,” 88 Another wrote, “one cannot help wondering whether they really were cannibals/…/or whether Columbus and his men used this to justify what would ensue. Slaughtering cannibals would be fulfilling God’s wrath/…/demonization of the victims was a way of justifying genocide.” 89 The negative perceptions of the cannibalism of the Indians had a great effect because even humanists like Martyr and Scillacio and educated men like Geraldini condemned the cannibals for their 84 Thomas, 180. 85 Cristián Roa-de-la-Carrera, Histories of Infamy: Francisco López de Gómara and the Ethics of Spanish Imperialism, (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2005), 112. 86 Ibid. 87 Thomas, 427. 88 Sale, 34. 89 Brinkbäumer and Höges, 155.
ehavior and regarded it as low, inherently unworthy of human beings, and the mark of a savage people who could be enslaved. Unfortunately, one of the legacies of the decision to allow the enslavement of the cannibals was the fact that the slave traders then began to call everyone a cannibal and enslave them. King Fernando attempted to provide some protection for the Indians under the Laws of Burgos, which stated, in part, “We order that these Indians be treated without the rigor and harshness of slaves elsewhere, but rather with love and gentleness, to incline them more effectively to the practices of our Faith.” 90 The King would discover, however, that just as he could not control the colonists who branded innocent Indians as cannibals and subsequently enslaved them, he could not enforce the Laws of Burgos from over three thousand miles away, so the laws remained little more than a dead letter. Using Cannibalism to prove a Point: In the later part of the sixteenth century, three famous writers utilized the cannibalism of the Indians either to prove a specific point or as a method of critiquing their own society. These three writers were Hans Staden, Michel Montaigne, and Jean de Léry. Staden, a German mercenary, fell in with the Portuguese in the Brazil, and was subsequently captured by the anti- Portuguese and pro-French Tupinambá tribe of Indians. Though he was forced to remain the “guest” of the Tupinambá for many months, Staden eventually was liberated with the help of some of his fellow Europeans and when he returned to his native Germany, he wrote an account of his trials and tribulations. The book was mainly published because Staden, who “was a very pious Lutheran and was ready to see the hand of God stretched out for his special safety in every 90 “From The Laws of Burgos (1512-1513), Royal Ordinances for the good Government and treatment of the Indians,” in An Account, Much Abbreviated of the Destruction of the Indies, ed. Franklin W. Knight (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 2003), 91.
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 and 22: hanging from large trees on poles,
Page 23 and 24: was posed: “Also, if the know and
Page 25: which would continue for decades in
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
Page 55 and 56: enabled them to distinguish themsel
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Page 61 and 62: Pushkin and Gannibal: Ethnic Identi
Page 63 and 64: After Peter’s death in 1725, Gann
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Page 67 and 68: Dwight D. Eisenhower, The National
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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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