words like wild and savage that questioned our humanity and value—was first used against the Irish when England colonized that island. The English, whose history is rooted in their colonization by ancient Rome, saw themselves as Rome’s heirs and better for having been “civilized” by Rome. In their writing and retelling of history, Rome had brought Christianity to the British Isles and, along with it, civilization, and they would do the same for the rest of the world. Whether the rest of the world liked it or not.
