...Excerpt from, Bartolomé de las Casas, “In Defense of the Indians” (1550) Contrary to the stereotype of their monolithic wickedness in the subjugation of the Americas' indigenous peoples, some Spaniards protested the brutality of conquest and colonial rule. None was more influential than Bartolome de las Casas, the long-lived Dominican bishop of Chiapas in Mexico. Although later to be blamed for supposedly exaggerating his countrymen's cruelty and advocating the enslavement of Africans instead of Indians as a "lesser evil," the aristocratically born Andalusian was a tireless champion of Indian rights. His writings were widely read in colonial Peru. This excerpt from “In Defense of the Indians," a passionate response to court theologian Juan Gines de Sepulvedas's assertion of Indian inferiority, give a flavor of his forthright criticism of Spain’s role in the New World. And so what man of sound mind will approve a war against men who are harmless, ignorant, gentle, temperate, unarmed, and destitute of every human defense? For the results of such a war are very surely the loss of the souls of that people who perish without knowing God and without the support of the sacraments, and, for the survivors, hatred and loathing of the Christian religion. Hence the purpose God intends, ... for the attainment of which he suffered so much, may be frustrated by the evil and cruelty that our men wreak on them with inhuman...
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...Bartolome de Las Casas, a brave and famous explorer. There was not much known about his early life except he was born in a Seville, Spain in 1484 (Issues). He became a missionary, and was quickly inspired to study Latin. After studying, he became a priest and never graduated from any university (Las Casas Facts). Bartolome de Las Casas was an explorer mostly known for working against the cruel behavior and slavery towards Native Americans. This cruel behavior was completed by the Spaniards and Europeans that traveled to the Americas (19). Because he wrote uplifting articles about Natives while freeing them from bondage and slavery, Bartolome de Las Casas belongs in the hall of fame. Firstly, Casas teamed up with King Ferdinand II to make...
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...In the 16th century, Bartolomé de Las Casas was a Spanish historian who became famous for defending the rights of the Native Americans. Spaniards brutality and devastation to the Natives allow Bartolomé to stand against all odds on the conquest and colonization of the New World. He was ultimately named the sole protector of the Natives. Additionally, with his family being connected with Christopher Columbus during the second voyage, Bartolomé de Las Casas became editor for Columbus journals further on in history. On the voyage to creating the New World by the Spaniards, Bartolomé was part of the audience who witnessed the devastation the Christians brought upon the Indians. Abundance of food was taken, women and children were put to death,...
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...In the reading of Bartolome de las Casas explains about Las Casa’s testimonial on the events witnessed on the Indies during Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the eastern world. Through writing his brief account of the destruction of Indies, Casa provides documented proof of the atrocities committed by the Spaniards and the devastation of the Indies opened up the Spanish doings in the east , and in this way the main argument in this documentary is that the actions of the Spanish behavior was harsh and vehement and deserves criticism and disapproval. The Spanish invasion to the eastern world is shown as a demographic and cultural disaster, with thousands of the Native Indians were brutally slaughtered and enslaved for benefits of the...
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...Morton portrays Native American life in great detail in the perspective of an English colonist. His accounts offer historians insight into the habitats of the Native Americans in the 1600’s. Though most of the article features falsely portrayed opinions, it does allow us to see the lifestyles of the Native Americans. Bartolome de las Casas writes about the treatment of Indians in his book History of the Indies published in 1528. He offers a different angle on how the Spanish dealt with Native Americans. He reflects on the years that the Spanish used Native American slaves allowing historians a glimpse of the conditions of the Indians. Having Thomas Morton’s work...
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...Bartolomé de Las Casa was born in 1484 in Seville, and is a priest in the Dominican Order. His Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies was written in 1542 and dedicated to Phillip II. The document he wrote is an account and somewhat a letter to the king of Spain about what was happening in America and that it needed to stop or that God would punish all of Spain. This account was written shortly after he witnessed “the ravages and atrocities of the Spanish colonists and the tragic failure of his own project for a peaceful colony in Cumaná” (1). The intended audience of Bartolomé de Las Casa’s account was the king of Spain, and was meant to be more public because he wanted everyone to know of the horrific things happening back in America....
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...Bartolome De Las Casas’ A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies describes the massacre of innocent natives, the atrocities committed against them and other horrific excesses by the Spaniards who came under the pretext of religious guidance. These native inhabitants were described by Casas’ as “people who should surely have been a joy and delight to any true Christian (pg. 52).” The natives welcomed the Spaniards with open arms and even revered them as gods. However, after being subject to the Spaniard’s unprovoked declaration of war and immense cruelty, the native people began to realize that “these men could not, in truth, have descended from the heavens (pg. 14).” Understanding the ethics of the Spanish conquistadors requires...
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...Juan Ginés de Sepulveda and Bartolomé de Las Casas, describe the Spanish conquistadores’ treatment of the indigenous people during the age of exploration. While one historian claims that both accounts of exploration are valid outlooks on Spanish colonization, only half of that claim upholds as true. Based on the provided text, Juan de Sepulveda did not proved to give a “tempered and academic outlook” on Spanish conquests due to his prominent biases; however, Las Casas did set a president for ideologies against racism and imperialism. Right from the beginning of Sepulveda’s account, his bias is shown as he refuses to acknowledge the indigenous people as human beings, “The Spanish have a perfect right...
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...Bartolome’ de las Casas was a priest maintainer of records for Christopher Columbus. De la Casas was also called a traitor. He describes his accounts of how the Spaniards treated the Indians even with a high chance of repercussions to himself. He was the first to push for the Indians to receive rights. He does this through the use of his document, “The Devastation of the Indies”, to lay out the mistreatment of the Indians in the New World. His focus was on the differences on both Indians and Spaniards character, and the way the Spaniards treated the Indians. De las Casas’ view of the Indians was that they were a meek, and quiet culture, without being wicked to others, and faithful to even the Spaniards. He saw that they were slow to anger and did not take things personally. Indians had no interest in the same worldly goods as the Spaniards. Without immunities to the ailments from the Spaniards it greatly affected the health of the Indians. Unfortunately, this typically led to death in most situations. This peaceful group did not have or want tangible items,...
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...1) Why does Chasteen believe that Latin-Americans come to the United States? Chasteen believes that Latin Americans wanted to be able to live and work in conditions similar to the United States middle class, along with poverty and proximity. 2) Who was Hernán Cortez? Cortez was a Spanish explorer and conquistador that led an expedition to overthrow the Aztec empire of Tenochtitlan. 3) Who was Bartolomé de las Casas? What is he best known for? Bartolome de las Casas was a university-educated, fortune-seeking young man. By the age of 40, he preached against Spanish exploitation of encomiendas to protect indigenous Americans from the system. He is best known for protection of the Indians and the famous writing “A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies”. 4) What is the “encomienda”? A system that started in Spain where the conquerors were rewarded with people. Indigenous people were assigned to each conqueror, who had the responsibility of Christianizing them and using them for labor. 5) What does “mestizo” mean? “Mestizo” is a person of mixed race, such as indigenous and European heritage. ESSAY QUESTIONS 1. Give three examples of things that all Latin-Americans have in common according to Chasteen. According to Chasteen, Latin Americans are interpreted as “Hot-blooded Latins” with too much “nonwhite blood”. He mentions that as...
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...Bartolome De Las Casas’s timeless human rights classic Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Explain the significance of De Las Casas’s autobiography during the colonial period? Bartolome de las casas the author was a Spanish historian as well as a social reformer. His extensive writings mainly focused on the mayhems carried out by the colonizers against the home-grown people. He had witnessed these violence first hand during the colonization and thus felt obligated to document them. Casas reports that the Spaniards once they came to the Indian villages they would torture and kill them for the gold that they might be hiding or more so force them into slavery (Felix, 2002). These people whom he referred to as “blackguards” would worse more kill pregnant women, the elderly and children by burning them alive, running them through with lances or setting brutal dogs on them. According to him he sarcastically explains that the Indians welcomed the Spaniards only to be rewarded with torture, murder slavery and to serve them. De Las Casas helps us understand the torture that the innocent souls at the island were suppressed to by the foreign kings losing so many people and more so rendering the land to wastage. What were its lessons for humanity? According to the Spaniards their aim to destroying these innocent souls were to subject the king of Spain who had passed out the command to kill and enslave. Their main aim of destroying the vast and blameless souls was to acquire...
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...Bartolome de Las Casas was a Spanish historian, a religious leader, and a social reformer who has gone down in history as the “protector of the Indians.” He abolished the use of encomiendas, stressed equality, and influenced the Spanish crown to grant the native americans human rights. His brutally honest accounts of Spanish mistreatment have influenced not only the way people view natives, but, how they view the Spanish. As a young man, Las Casas found himself disgusted at the treatment of the Natives, and, when working as a merchant, he refused to use an encomienda for cheap labor (Stacy). In 1512, Las Casas was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest, and he dedicated himself to stand up for the rights of the Native Americans, arguing that they were “sons of God” with religion, history, and government. Las Casas sailed back to Spain in 1540 with a mission to reform laws that regulated relations between the races. The New Laws were adopted in 1542, limiting ownership of natives to one generation. In 1544, Las Casas returned to Spain to enforce the New Laws, which were met with great resistance by many...
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...The settling of the New World brought gold and riches for some, religious freedom for others, but death and the loss of culture for those already residing in the Americas. People came to the New World for one of two main reasons, religious freedom and personal financial growth. William Penn, a pacifist, was a member of a group in search of religious freedom, while Bartolome De Las Casas, was a priest who traveled with the Spanish in search of God, glory and gold. Through analysis of William Penn’s Letter to the Indians, combined with an understanding of Las Casas’ documentation of Spanish treatment of Native Americans, one can conclude that the motive for settling determined the treatment of Native Americans. The north was comprised of colonies who settled on the basis of finding religious freedom in the New World. This reason for settling helped to shape the nature of the relationship the settlers would have with the Natives. William Penn, in an attempt to achieve good standing with the Natives, sent a letter explaining his intentions and hopes for a harmonious relationship. Penn opens the letter stating his position with God and the lessons instilled upon him and his people through the word of God (Penn). This is an attempt to show the good nature with which he plans to treat the Natives, this is also a good way for him to bring up God in a first attempt at conversion of Natives. “I am very sensible of the unkindness and injustice that hath been too much exercised towards...
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...the entire truth about Christopher Columbus. All they know about is how the three ships sailed across the ocean blue. Little do they know about the mass murder, mass rape, enslavement, torture and the spread of Christianity using their swords. Columbus Day shouldn't be worth celebrating or having parades for. Columbus's "discovery" led directly to torturing and killing innocent souls on the island of Hispaniola. Initially, Bartolome de Las Casas states about the Europeans, "they behaved with such temerity and shamelessness that the most powerful ruler of his island had to see his own wife raped by a Christian officer" (Bartolome de Las Casas). In other words, the Europeans had no feelings towards the Natives and treated them like they owned them, which no one deserves to be treated like that anyday. Secondly, according to Bartolome de Las Casas, the Europeans, "...spared neither the children nor the aged nor pregnant women... not only stabbing them but cutting them into pieces as if dealing with sheep in the slaughterhouse" (Bartolome de Las Casas). The Europeans would also torture the Natives by making them work and then just eating the food the Natives...
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...Around fifteen and sixteenth century, the understanding of politics, religion, and race have been very simple. The comprehension of Bartolomé De las Casas and Mary Rowlandson on these three areas were pretty mistaken and different, many a atrocities and massacres were caused, specifically, to the Indians of the “New World”. Therefore, these two character provide their opinions and actions in order to clarify what’s right and wrong for them. On the Spaniard priest, Bartolomé De las Casas perspective, he states that God’s christianity from the Roman Catholic Church, must be followed and so his teachings in order to prevent disasters, massacres and so on. For his compatriots, they looked for the conquest of the Americas, even, if it they had...
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