DOCTRINE of DISCOVERY

.Doctrine of Discovery

http://www.doctrineofdiscovery.org/
.

Papal Bulls of the 15th century gave Christian explorers the right to claim lands they "discovered" and lay claim to those lands for their Christian Monarchs. Any land that was not inhabited by Christians was available to be "discovered", claimed, and exploited. If the "pagan" inhabitants could be converted, they might be spared. If not, they could be enslaved or killed
.

The 17^th century English knew that
the Americans were Catholics,
who spoke Norse.
.
But the English hoped that, if they suppressed that knowledge by omitting it from publication, then they could claim that the Americans were savage pagans, which could be enslaved or killed.