Doctrine of Discovery

Introduction

In 2012, New York Yearly meeting's Indian Affairs Committee brought to the Yearly Meeting a minute of conscience for the body's approval that repudiated the so-called Doctrine of Christian Discovery, a principle of international law that orginiated with papal bulls issued in the late 15th and early 16th centuries that granted "Christian princes" sovereignty over the lands being "discovered" in the New World and over its indigenous peoples.

This web page gathers all the materials that have been approved or published regarding New York Yearly Meeting and the Doctrine of Discovery, including minutes approvied by the body and other efforts to resist the Doctrine's influence on American and international law and policy.

NYYM Documents relating to the Doctrine of Discovery

NYYM Actions

Resources on the Doctrine of Discovery

Indian Affairs Committee

Indian Affairs Committee web page

 

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