But the fate of Indians in South America differed from the fate of Indians in the North: “a larger native population has survived in South America,” Hegel wrote, “despite the fact that the natives there have been subjected to far greater violence, and employed in grueling labors to which their strength was scarcely equal.” He thought the difference stemmed from a single fact: “South America was conquered, while North America was colonized.” Whereas “the Spanish took possession of South America in order to dominate it and to enrich themselves both through political office and by extracting
...more
