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 you by the people of these parts of the world, who sought themselves, and to make great advantages by you, rather than be examples of justice and goodness unto you” (Penn). Penn explains his disdain for the way other settlers in the south have been treating Natives. His reasoning for mentioning the atrocities of the south is to further distance his colonies intentions from that of the southern settlers. The religious settlers of the north wish for only a loving and neighborly relationship with the Natives due to their strong Christian morals and understanding of oppression from experience. This is a vast contrast from the intentions of southern settlers in their quest for profit. Settlers of southern colonies, such as the Jamestown Colony and Spanish conquistadores, came to the New World in search of profit, and from this different reasoning we see a wildly different treatment of the indigenous. These settlers of the Virginia Company and others had heard of the Spanish success in the New World and wished to obtain some of these riches for themselves. The Spanish plundered the Indies in the mid-16th century, some of these events and unjust actions were documented by a priest named Bartolome Las Casas (Las Casas). In his works Las Casas brings to light many of the unjust and unholy acts that the Spanish conquistadores are committing against the Natives. “ The Indians [ of Hispaniola] were totally deprived of their freedom, and were put in the harshest, fiercest, most horrible servitude and captivity which no one who has not seen it can understand”(Las Casas). Las Casas is a man of God and is accompanying the conquistadors in an attempt to convert as many of the natives as possible. However, as he is just one man, and the conquistadors have become hungry in their search for the largest profit, he is unable to provide aid to the now exploited and damaged Native culture. The conquistadores captured and enslaved the Natives of the Indies and forced them to work in the Spaniards best interest. The Natives were treated as lower than cattle and worked until they became useless or died (Las Casas). This treatment shows an entitlement that comes with power hungry and profit hungry imperialism. Though both of these men, Las Casas and Penn, wrote first-hand accounts of intentions and personal experience, one cannot simply blindly believe the black and white. A historian must look at all aspects and motives when analyzing a primary source. Penn, for example, may have had ulterior motives in his heartwarming outreach to the Natives. “Human history is the sad result of each one looking out for himself.” – Julio Cortazar. Penn just like any other man in history is operating on personal self-interest. The reason Las Casas joined the conquistadores was in an attempt to gain more people for his religion, self-interest. However these are both men of god and have strong Christian morals, thus leaving their first-hand accounts as viable primary sources. The primary documents from Penn and Las Casas lead us to the conclusion that there is one major difference in the treatment of Natives between southern and northern colonies, motive for settling in the New World. The kind and accepting treatment the indigenous peoples received from the northerners is directly related to the strong religious motive for settlement. Just as the cruel and tragic punishment received by southern and island tribes was a direct result of the Spanish conquistadors’ greed. Perhaps had the religious freedom seekers settled the southern states and vice versa we would not have the United States we have today.