The Dawning of the Apocalypse

Historian Gerald Horne argues that the creation myth of settler colonialism and the formation of the United States must be revised by taking into account the sixteenth century from 1492 until the arrival of settlers on the northeast coast in 1607; in other words, he refers to the historical context preceding initial European colonization of eastern North America.

Furthermore, Horne says that enslaved Africans were brought to South Carolina by the Spanish in the 1520s, and their rebellion against their captors led to a significant but little-known moment in the history of colonialism. Indigenous peoples and Africans resisted violently and sometimes succeeded in the short term, especially when they could join or find allies among competing empires at the borders of one colony or another. The defeat of the Spanish Armada and the English alliance with Holland further weakened Spanish dominance and opened an opportunity for England to colonize eastern North America.

During this time, "whiteness" transformed into "white supremacy," allowing England to bring together various nationalities and religious minorities throughout Europe to oppose Indigenous nations and enslaved Africans. In this manner, Horne argues, race became a factor in dividing people against each other and presented the new colony as a paragon of republican and religious freedom while attracting European settlers in a context of displacement of indigenous nations' exploitation of African labor. The profits from these colonial activities would further enable British expansion in Africa, India, and beyond, leaving in its tracks the settlement of South Africa, which would give us apartheid, and starting the first multinational capitalist organizations such as the East India Company.

According to Counterfire's Jamal Elaheebocus: "Horne’s book is an insightful account of how the creation of race and racism by ruling classes allowed for the accompanying rise of capitalism and imperialism and can explain much of the oppression across the capitalist world today. The events of the long sixteenth century are also vital to breaking down liberal ideas of racism as an individual attitude, instead showing how it is very much systematic and has its cause in capitalism."[2]

• The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism (book)
• Settler colonialism
• White supremacy
• White nationalism

• Chopra, R. Horne, Gerald. The dawning of the apocalypse: the roots of slavery, white supremacy, settler colonialism, and capitalism in the long sixteenth century. CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, vol. 58, no. 6, Feb. 2021, p. 596.
• McIlvenna, Noeleen. The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century. North Carolina Historical Review. 2022;99(3):332-333.
• Lyons, David. The Dawning Of The Apocalypse: The Roots Of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, And Capitalism In The Long Sixteenth Century. Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Book Reviews. 2020-10-05. [3]
• Podcast, Gerald Horne interview at Who belongs? July 2020. Berkley.edu

• Bessis, Sophie (2003). Western Supremacy: The Triumph of an Idea? Zed Books. ISBN 9781842772195 ISBN 1842772198
• Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne (2015). An indigenous peoples' history of the United States. Beacon Press, Boston. ISBN 9780807000403
• Lindqvist, Sven (1996). Exterminate all the brutes. New Press, New York. ISBN 9781565843592