Speaker
Description
In this paper, I contrast Smith’s description of the condition and character of native American peoples with his view of the progress made by European settler colonies in the Americas. In doing so, I intend to show that there is a tension between, on the one hand, the recognition of the crimes committed by the European conquerors against pre-Columbian populations and, on the other hand, the acknowledgment of the civilizational superiority of the new and prosperous settler colonies vis-à-vis the native, “miserable and helpless” societies of the Americas. Although Smith condemns the genocide and enslavement of native peoples, he cannot help but recognize the great and rapid progress brought about by European colonization of the New World, in contrast to the alleged misery, lack of civilization, and stagnation of the native populations. I argue that this tension stems, on the one hand, from the inherent logic of the four stages theory and, on the other, from Smith’s sympathy for the European settlers and his discontent with European colonial policy.
