1. Junipero Serra:
saint or tyrant?
Two sides of an American issue

2. Does history have
two sides?
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
“Columbus had all the spirit of
a crusader, and, at the same
time, the investigating nature
of a modern man of science.”
– Edmund Arthur Helps
“Columbus' government was
characterised by a form of
tyranny.” – Conseulo Varela

3. Or how about…
GEORGE W. BUSH
Bush Country: How
George W. Bush Became
the First Great Leader of
the 21st Century—While
Driving Liberals Insane
Worse Than Watergate:
The Secret Presidency of
George W. Bush
(actual book titles)

4. Father Junipero Serra
• Spanish Franciscan friar
• Founded first nine of 21
Spanish missions in
California
• Converted and housed
Native Americans
• Beatified by Pope John Paul
II in 1988
• Up for canonization by
Pope Francis in 2015

5. Canonize him…
“Serra faced government and settler demands for
retributive justice against the Indians and put his
life in jeopardy by insisting on radical mercy. I see
his devotion to Native Californians as heartfelt,
plain-spoken and borne out by continuous
example. When the pope canonizes Serra in
September in Washington, I would like to be
there.”
—Gregory Orfalea, Los Angeles Times

6. …or don’t?
“Pope Francis' decision to declare Father Junipero
Serra a saint in recognition of his work as ‘the
evangelizer of the West in the United States’
represents a profound insult to Native Americans
and an injustice to history. … Even by 18th century
standards, Serra's religious fanaticism was over
the top. … Over a period of about 150 years, the
native population declined by more than 90%.”
—Tony Platt, Los Angeles Times

7. So, where do we
start?

8. Pre-reading exercise:
Anticipation guide
•What do we know?
•What do we presume to know?
•What are our attitudes?
•Are we biased?

9. Question 1
Is one culture
ever justified
in entering
and converting
another? If so,
when and
why?

10. Question 2
Does a “saint”
need to be
perfect? If so,
what is our
standard for
perfection? And if
not, which good
qualities are
enough to
outweigh flaws?

11. Question 3
Do the ends always
justify the means? Is
it acceptable to resort
to violence or strict
discipline for the
greater good of the
world?

12. Later in this lesson…
• We will read two op-eds about Junipero
Serra and do additional research online
• We will form pairs and have in-class
debates about whether Serra deserves to
be canonized

13. Good luck!
…and have fun being
historians and
debaters.
Remember, history
will be in your
generation’s hands
one day!