[EGreg]

From what I understand, the Spanish conquistadores were far more brutal than the British, who were in turn more brutal than the French, who actually befriended the natives and gave them horses.

Having said that, most people die from “mundane” things like influenza and famines, and not necessarily cruelty. Those are the things we all have to try to prevent the most.

[JumpCrisscross]

There isn't a moral arc to history, but perhaps a moral regression. We tend towards goodness, simply because we each know more throughout time.