The United States adopted this legal principle and applied it to the Indian Nations. The Doctrine of Discovery is the name for a body of Catholic law that granted land rights to whichever European Christian nation settled territory in the New World. At any rate, the ongoing and current impact of the discovery doctrine was an absolute fact. The Doctrine of Discovery is similar to Terra Nullius, with its basis in US law. The Doctrine of Discovery, 1493 The Papal Bull “Inter Caetera,” issued by Pope Alexander VI on May 4, 1493, played a central role in the Spanish conquest of the New World. WHEREAS the UUA Board of Trustees has submitted to the member congregations a report explaining the Doctrine of Discovery and why the Board believes it to be contrary to Unitarian Universalist Principles. The Doctrine of Discovery. The Doctrine of Discovery The “doctrine” of discovery is a legal convention or principle that was not codified until 1823 by a decision of the US Supreme Court,1 thereby making its way into American common law. The Doctrine of Discovery refers to a set of Papal Bulls that justified the invasion and confiscation of lands, and the genocide of the original inhabitants of those lands who did not declare themselves to be Christians. the “Doctrine of Discovery” is a philosophical and legal framework dating to the 15th century that gave Christian governments moral and legal rights to invade and seize indigenous lands and dominate Indigenous Peoples. The Doctrine of Discovery, formalized in the Papal Bulls of the 13th and 14th centuries, specified that the entire world was under the jurisdiction of the Pope, as God’s representative on earth. The Discovery Doctrine is a concept of public international law expounded by the United States Supreme Court in a series of decisions, intially in Johnson v. M’Intosh in 1823. “Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen lands, Strong Hearts” is a film about a devastating decision, made over 500 years ago, which continues to profoundly impact Indigenous and Settler people worldwide. The Doctrine of Discovery was used by European monarchies, beginning in the mid-fifteenth century, as a means of legitimizing the colonization of lands outside of Europe. Marc Lescarbot, a French lawyer, articulated this warped Christian law in 1618 in his explanation of France's right to Acadia (now the Canadian Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island): In 1823, the Christian Doctrine of Discovery was quietly adopted into U.S. law by the Supreme Court in the celebrated case, Johnson v. This current pandemic and the escalating climate chaos clarify to everyone that there are consequences to the devastation humans have … The Doctrine of Discovery also legalized piracy, and European ships hunted each other on the open sea and seized ships and cargo. It means that if a country was not under the control of a king who was from Europe and Christian, then any European Christian country could take control of the land.The discovery doctrine ignores any claim to … An important Supreme Court Decision stated that "the "Doctrine of Discovery" was an established legal principle of English and American colonial law that had also become the law of the American state and federal governments." This “Doctrine of Discovery” became the basis of all European claims in the Americas as well as the foundation for the United States’ western expansion. Religion was a significant aspect of the Doctrine of Discovery. The Discovery Doctrine was a recognized principle of international law, which of course arose out of the relationships between European countries. The document supported Spain’s strategy to ensure its exclusive right to the lands discovered by Columbus the previous year. The Doctrine of Discovery is the root of the problem, and the reason that it is discussed at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Doctrine of Discovery in U.S. Law. The Doctrine of Discovery is the root of the problem, and the reason that it is discussed at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Doctrine of Discovery and its Enduring Impact on Indigenous Peoples WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY? The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, which meets annually for two weeks, devoted its entire 2012 session to the doctrine. 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