Introduction
The source that is being reviewed in the paper is a book written by Bartolome de las Casas and Stafford Poole titled In De Fense of the Indians. The piece was written at a time in history when the Spaniards colonized part of America and were exploiting the original habitants to acquire silver and gold. The Spaniard government assembled to determine what was going on in the new world and consequently what should be done about it. The author was addressing the assembly informing them of the plea of the oppressed Indians and at the same time disagreeing with the points brought up by another scholar, Gines Sepulveda. Sepulveda wanted the continuation of mining in the new world at the expense of the Indians terming them as barbaric and uncivilized, He gave a weak argument that made him look particularly selfish and greedy. Las Casas’ arguments were genuinely true and trustworthy whike Sepulveda’s were half thought and illogical. The thesis of the paper states, “The main goal of colonization is to effect positive change; however, colonialists quickly lose sight of this fact after discovering riches and other benefits.”
Summary …show more content…
Some defenders who were not happy with the outcome of the meeting recruited Gines Sepulveda who would support their views. Then there arose an activist, Las Casas, who, unlike Sepulveda had spent time in the new world and understood the plight of the local occupants. He brought forth his case and explained to the best of his ability the challenges that the Indians were facing in conjunction with what can be done to remedy the situation. He gave an example of how the Indians are praised for their talent by Paolo Giovio, a well-known bishop. Las Casas further pointed out that given a chance the Indians will become one of the most prosperous people and civilization in the