The Spanish empire was one of the largest empires in history and its own personal rise to power would coincide with the transition of power from the Asian continent to the European world. As colonial possessions lead to unprecedented wealth and conflicts between Spain and other European nations escalated the ensuing friction would further anti-Spanish sentiment, this escalation in anti-Spanish sentiment would further lead to the creation of the Black Legend that has characterized history in regards to Spanish presence in colonial Latin America.
[...] The creation of the White Legend as a mechanism of defense does little to discredit the Black Legend, however when comparing how and when the Black Legend rose to the similar rise of anti-Spanish sentiment a link is created. The Spanish themselves went through a time where they almost could not justify their own conquest and rule of the indigenous peoples. The Black Legend marked the beginning and would set the tone for the age of European Colonialism. Spanish colonialism was one of the first to exploit the indigenous population, but it was not the last. [...]
[...] The White Legend fails to really find any firm basis to stand upon in comparison to the Black Legend. The origins of the Black Legend however can be traced back to the usage political propaganda in Europe. Political Propaganda played a large role in the creation of the Black Legend stereotype. The highest point of anti-Spanish sentiment occurred when European nations entered into conflict with Spain[15]. For the French it was during their ventures in Florida, with the Dutch it was during revolts against the Spanish in the Netherlands, and for the English it was during the Spanish Armada and during the Glorious Revolution in 1689[16]. [...]
[...] Silke, “Review: The Black Legend in England: The Development of Anti-Spanish Sentiment”. The Journal of Modern History, (1973), 98-99. Keen, “White Legend” Keen, “White Legend”, 340-342. Keen, “White Legend” L. Hanke, “More Heat and Some Light on the Spanish Struggle for Justice in the Conquest of America”. The Hispanic American Historical Review, (1964) Hanke, “More Heat” Hanke, “More Heat” Hanke, “More Heat” J. F. Bannon, “Review: The Black Legend: Anti-Spanish Attitudes in the Old World and the New”. The Hispanic American Historical Review, (1972) K. [...]
[...] The White Legend relies on focusing on government policies set to protect natives in colonial Latin America, discounting the writings of Bartolomé de Las Casas, and crediting the Black Legend's beginning to foreign nations that attempt to tarnish Spanish reputation for their own political goals. Laws or decrees that were created by the Spanish monarchy may have intended to protect Indigenous populations however what the laws or decree's attempted to do clashed with social reality. Examples of the protective legislation included include Phillip the II's decree to assuage forced labor in the mitas, the New Laws of 1542 designed to end the Encomienda system (which would lead to rebellion by conquistadors in 1544)[8]. [...]
[...] In England Spain was not only vilified for its act in colonial Latin America, but also as a symbol of the counter-reformation[19]. Typical propaganda for British colonial aspirations was Daniel Dafoe's New Voyage Round the World” which used the stereotype of a “Spaniard” to generalize the entire Spanish population. In the book itself the Spaniard comes across as a decent man, but practically invites the British to invade as the Spanish commit atrocious acts and do not develop the land they live on properly[20]. [...]
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