Christianization Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === British North America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Africa === Colonies in the Americas experienced a distinct type of colonialism called [[settler colonialism]] that replaces indigenous populations with a settler society. Settler colonial states include Canada, the United States, Australia, and South Africa.{{sfn|Barker|Lowman|n.d.}} Great Britain's colonial expansion was for the most part driven by commercial ambitions and competition with France.{{sfn|Britannica|British Empire|2023}} Investors saw converting the natives as a secondary concern.{{sfn|Robinson|1952|pp=152β168}} Historian of British history and culture, Laura Stevens, writes that British missions were "more talk than walk".{{sfn|Schacter|2011|p=2}} From the beginning, the British talked (and wrote) a great deal about converting native populations, but actual efforts were few and feeble.{{sfn|Schacter|2011|p=2}} Historian [[Jacob J. Schacter|Jacob Schacter]] says these missions were universally Protestant, were based on belief in the traditional duty to "teach all nations", the sense of "obligation to extend the benefits of Christianity to heathen lands" (just as Europe itself had been "civilized" centuries before), and a "fervent pity" for those who had never heard the gospel.{{sfn|Schacter|2011|p=5}} Schacter adds that "ambivalent benevolence" was at the heart of most British and American attitudes toward Native Americans.{{sfn|Schacter|2011|p=3}} The British did not create widespread conversion.{{sfn|Schacter|2011|p=2}} ==== In the United States ==== {{main|History of immigration to the United States}} Missionaries played a crucial role in the [[acculturation]] of the [[Cherokee]] and other American Indians.{{sfn|Noll|1992|p=188}} A peace treaty with the Cherokee in 1794 stimulated a cultural revival and the welcoming of white missionaries, says historian [[Mark A. Noll|Mark Noll]]. He has written that "what followed was a slow but steady acceptance of the Christian faith".{{sfn|Noll|1992|p=188}} Both Christianization and the Cherokee people received a fatal blow after the discovery of gold in north Georgia in 1828. Cherokee land was seized by the government, and the Cherokee people were transported West in what became known as the [[Trail of tears]].{{sfn|Noll|1992|pp=188β190}} The history of [[American Indian boarding schools|boarding schools]] for the indigenous populations in Canada and the US is not generally good. While the majority of native children did not attend boarding school at all, of those that did, recent studies indicate a few found happiness and refuge while many others found suffering, forced assimilation, and abuse.{{sfn|Eder|Reyhner|2017|p=6}} Historian [[William Gerald McLoughlin]] has written that, humanitarians who saw the decline of indigenous people with regret, advocated education and assimilation as the native's only hope for survival.{{sfn|McLoughlin|1984|p=abstract}}{{sfn|Eder|Reyhner|2017|p=3}} Over time, many missionaries came to respect the virtues of native culture. "After 1828, most missionaries found it difficult to defend the policies of their government" writes McLoughlin.{{sfn|McLoughlin|1984|p=abstract}} The beginning of American Protestant missions abroad followed the sailing of William Carey from England to India in 1793 after the [[Great awakening]].{{sfn|Noll|1992|p=185}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page