explorers and missionaries from western Europe used all of the following justifications for the conquest of native people during the sixthteenth and seventeenth century EXCEPT

a. Social Darwinism

Explanation:

Social Darwinism applied Charles Darwin's theories on Survival of the Fittest to a more social setting and insisted that people who were better off in society were so because they were simply better and had better adapted to society.

With people thinking they were innately better than others, they justified acts such as racism and imperialism.

This was not used as justification by explorers and missionaries from western Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth century conquests of the Americas most likely for the simple reason that it did not exist as a term then. Darwin only posited his theories in the 19th century which was after the conquests.