The Holy See and the Conversion of the Aboriginal Peoples in North America, 1760-1830

The years from 1760 to 1830 seem to confirm the tendency that I have observed for the previous period, namely, that while missions to the aboriginal peoples of North America continued to be one of the proclaimed objectives of European expansion, these missions had long since lost the central relevance they had prior to 1660. The years after the Seven Years' War also confirmed another tendency that was already observed with regard to the early missionary era, that of a major difference between missionaries in the field and faraway jurisdictional authorities or would-be missionaries. In fact, this difference became even wider after 1760. Missionaries in the field acted mostly according to their own conscience and personal whims, which almost invariably showed little personal sympathy for the aboriginal peoples and certainly no attraction to their societies and cultures. Faraway jurisdictional authorities, on the other hand, although prey to the customary stereotypical representations of the aboriginal cultures, proved to be more open-minded, optimistic, and often fascinated by them. This pattern is very much in line with the pre-1760 period, and might be said to be typical of all missionaries and church officials who dealt with "primitive" societies. What was typical of the 1760-1830 era and provided variations on familiar themes was, first, the unexpected alliance between the Catholic Church and the British Crown.70 This was part of a more general political alliance that was to last well into the twentieth century. This alliance affected the aboriginal missions positively as well. The second variation was the threat represented by the Protestant churches, which had now become a real competitor in the field. This threat provided another major reason for the Catholic Church to continue its involvement with the aboriginal peoples.