Columbus Day Celebrates a Christian Doctrine That Authorized Centuries of Violence — and Continues to Threaten American Democracy
…pon and indeed helped crystallize: the Christian Doctrine of Discovery. As Spain and Portugal ramped up their exploration and colonization efforts in the latter half of the fifteenth century, the self-described Christian kings and queens sought a moral mandate that would simultaneously address their obligations to newly discovered peoples and mitigate bloodshed between themselves. They turned to the closest thing to international law that existed…
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