California Indian Suppression
Modern America has established and continues to maintain a positive view of the California Mission System instituted by the Spaniards in the late 1700's and early 1800's. This attitude has been popularized due to the United States desire to see their nation as a place of freedom, free of blame, originally based on Christian morality. The problem lies in that history has become subjective. Early historians denied the barbaric nature of the mission system, releasing the Spanish Catholic Church and the eventual Anglo-Saxon conquerors of fault in regards to the decimation of the Native California Indian population. In contemporary America, despite revisionist history, people continue to celebrate a mythical past full of positive reformation that never truly existed. To understand the situation we must first examine the true nature of the history that occurred. The Franciscans first arrived in California in 1769, establishing their first mission in San Diego the same year. Then came San Gabriel in 1771, San Juan Capistrano in 1776, San Buenaventura in 1782, San Fernando in 1797, San Luis Rey in 1798, La Purisima Concepcion in 1787, and finally Santa Ynez in 1804. According to Carey McWilliams, author of Southern California Cou
However it is seen as preserving a beautiful piece of our history. Both movies are heroic blood filled films where the Americans are the victims, forced to fight for what is rightfully theirs. The fact is that this courtyard was once the sight of floggings and other forms of discipline implemented by the Spanish priests in order to "tame" the savage Indian population. McWilliams once again comments on California's fabricated but popular history. A large statue of a Franciscan priest comforting or teaching a young Indian depicts a sense of paternal care. They intended to purify the church, and simplifying life itself. The Spanish and eventually Anglo-Saxon conquest of the Indians is celebrated in our modern culture as the triumph of civilization over savagery. Known as Epicureanism, this philosophy focused directly on simplification. If this were an effort to remind visitors of the atrocities one culture could accidentally commit against another it would make sense. Cook, a professor at the University of California, estimated that nearly 15,250 Indians were killed due to disease brought on by their "saviors". It is an interesting thought; why do we build millions of track homes with stucco walls, mission style arches, and tiles roofs. They intended to reach out to these savage peoples, bringing them salvation through the Gospel of Christ. This glorified view of the past is maintained and celebrated in a number of ways. 29)It is clear that, based on the statistics presented by McWilliams, that the Padres did little to benefit the livelihood of the Indian population.
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Acceptance Essays
