USA HISTORY

FIRST CONTACTS 28000 BCE 1821 CE

SPANISH COLONIES

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
The social pyramid of colonial Spain was
A
Not based on birth
B
Merit Based
C
Not based on personal input
D
Race-based
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -This system was organized as a hierarchy of race depending on the amount of Spanish blood that each person had. **** This meant that the more Spanish blood a person had, the higher they ranked in the system of castes. The less Spanish blood you had, the lower you were placed on the system.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Spanish Caste system was a societal structure that placed worth in one’s heritage and skin color, determining the types of job one could have and what one could own. White Europeans were at the top of the system, and black slaves were at the bottom.

Detailed explanation-3: -Catholic Monarchs and origins of the empire With the marriage of the heirs apparent to their respective thrones Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile created a personal union that most scholars view as the foundation of the Spanish monarchy.

Detailed explanation-4: -An elaborate system of social stratification based on skin-color and phenotypical characteristics reinforced the political, economic and social power structure that kept the Spaniards at the top even as the indigenous and African groups were exploited.

Detailed explanation-5: -In the Spanish colonies, the hierarchical social classes started with the peninsulares, Creoles, mestizos, mulattoes, Native American Indians, and and ended with slaves. The peninsulares were the original Spanish people who came into the colonies, and they held the highest position in the colony.

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