I was taking the time to reflect upon my previous thoughts, especially those entitled: “AMERICAN HISTORY! TREASURES | LOST OR FOUND?” As I reflected upon the pieces of historical discovery, I felt a deep sadness of histories that have been covered up, or we could say; lost. Lost within the perspectives that we have learned that desire introspection, Lost in the sense that at present day we don’t celebrate Christopher Columbus and his expeditions, for the finding of America, or the fact that these explorations followed by more, from what was started by the Spanish, is actually the reason why America was first placed upon the world map. Many will argue and say that the native way of life was disrupted, because of first contact. This argument can be termed as valid. And of course we can call this as sui generis. However, it must be said that there was a time within history, where the Spanish were able to create good and productive relations with the Spanish.
“Indigenous peoples rights constitute a sui generis category of rights that arise from a positive law system. They are ‘pre-exisiting rights in the sense that they are not developed from the legal system of surrounding states but [they] arise sui generis from the condition of indigenous peoples as distinctive societies with the aspiration to survive as such'” (Gilbert, 2007).
This is also true for the European and Anglo-settlers who established settlements within the Colonial states. For instance: When we watch the classical film entitled “Little Women” we find examples of the Caucasian / white women depicted as frail or falling ill. Contracting disease / illness that arrived within the settlements / states / or established colonies and also contact with the native people. These inferences / references within the film are related to the historical Columbia exchange. This involved the exchange of products from Europe, Africa and the Americas. We can further draw references to the film industry name of “Columbia Pictures.”
This idea of naming continues to provoke thought, and also creates sadness to the flourishing history that desires to be known.
- BOLIVAR – There is a port in Galveston, Texas, USA named after Simòn Bolivar. Bolivar was famed for his independence movements of Venezuela, Peru, Columbia and Latin America.
- “In 1610, Spanish settlers established themselves at Santa Fe—originally named La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asís, or ‘Royal City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi’—where many Pueblo villages were located. Santa Fe became the capital of the Kingdom of New Mexico, an outpost of the larger Spanish Viceroyalty of New Spain, which had its headquarters in Mexico City.” US History – Open Stax.
- St. Augustine, Florida, USA was a settlement established by the Spanish Colonists.
- The natives were named as “Indians” because Christopher Columbus thought that he had reached the East Indies – India and China, during his sailing expedition.
- In 1515 – Le Casas a Spanish explorer denounced the treatment of the native people and called for new laws in place for the protection of the Native.
The formation of America is vital to the history of America. It does not mean that one should live in a past. But discovery should create excitement at present day – what can one do with present history? It’s like finding ancestry that always longed and belonged to a nation.
Within the discovery of history, there are always going to be harsh truths which is why it is important to create humour, or find ways to balance the harsh with happiness. Which is what I also did during this instagram post.
From this reflective writing, and the posts that are written upon the same topics we can truly say that Spanish history is deeply entrenched within the USA, even if it is not given mass public attentions, or there are disparities that are found within the hispanic / Latino populations. A negation of history up to present day does not suggest non-existence.
A negation of history up to present day does not suggest non-existence. #ShaziaBlog #Quote #SpanishAmerica #AmericanHistory
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References:
- Gilbert, J. (2007). Indigenous Rights in the Making: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. International Journal of Minority and Group Rights. 14, 207-230.
- U.S. History OpenStax – Please note that a complete reference is not available at this time and upon doing so will be added to this page. Thank you.
Notes” These thoughts were originally hand-written on August 6th, 2020. Please utilize the keywords “American History” within the search bar for more writings. Thank you!
My Thoughts To Share With Love & Kindness! 🙂
{HEART'S, FOREVER!} 
