Francisco de las Casas was born in Francisco de las Casas was born in Trujillo, Caceres in 1469.…
Information in Las Casas’ accounts that may be misleading or exaggerated are his reports of the cruelty inflicted on the Indians by the Spaniards. From the way the priest wrote his account, it gives the appearance that in his eyes, the Indians could do no wrong and the Spaniards were only capable of wrong. Because of this bias, events might have seemed more severe or extreme than they actually were. The accounts he gives contain both facts and opinions. Because opinions were included, it’s possible that they could muddy the facts. The account could also sound more extreme than the actual events if the priest was trying to get the attention he believe the situation needed in order for anything to be done.…
3. Bartolone de Las Casas- a priest who was the most influential defender of the Amerindians in the earl colonial period. He became the first bishop of Chiapas in southern Mexico and he served as the most important advocate of the native peoples. His greatest achievement was the enactment of the New Laws in 1542, which outlawed the enslavement of Amerindians and limited other forms of force.…
Under this new law signed by King Charles the V of Spain, encomiendas were no longer considered a hereditary grant, the owners now had to set their Indian serfs free after a single generation. In order to enforce this new laws, De las Casas was appointed bishop of Chiapas, and together with 44 Dominicans he set seal for America once again in July 1544. “Upon his arrival in January 1545, he immediately issued, Admonitions and Regulations for the Confessors of Spaniards, the famous Confesionario, in which he forbade absolution to be given to those who held Indians in encomienda. The rigorous enforcement of his regulations led to vehement opposition on the part of the Spanish faithful during Lent of 1545 and forced Las Casas to establish a council of bishops to assist him in his task” (Encyclopedia Britannica Online). However, his strong position in favor of the Indians, cut off the support he received form his colleagues thus forcing him to return to Spain in…
Bartolome de Las Casas was born around 1484 in Sevilla, Spain. He went to Granada in 1497 to be a soldier, but he ended up enrolling in the Sevilla cathedral in order to study Latin. He went to Hispaniola with the governor in 1502. He was given an Encomienda for his participation in multiple expeditions. He became a lay teacher of catechism and evangelized the natives.…
Juan Gines de Sepulveda was a Spanish priest, theologian, and philosopher who wrote “A Second Democritus: on the just causes of the war with the Indians”. Sepulveda is most widely known for his involvement with Bartolome de la Casas in the debate at Valladolid in 1550 where he defended the position of the colonists by arguing that the Native Americans were barbaric, inferior, and incapable of self-governance. He believed that the Indians should be “natural slaves” and that violence was needed to make them be amendable to conversion. Sepulveda stated that, "Those whose condition is such that their function is the use of their bodies and nothing better can be expected of them, those, I say, are slaves of nature. It is better for them to be ruled thus." Juan Sepulveda is known as the ‘father of modern racism’ and the adversary of Bartolome de las Casas.…
“From the fact that the Indians are barbarians it does not necessarily follow that they are incapable…” (de Las Casas 3). In For the Record, it starts off right away in this section of how the Europeans while not sure of what to make of the Indians they knew that these were not the savages as some had described. De Las Casas goes on to describe of a people that were both loyal and committed to the community and to their fellow man. De Las Casas main adversary, Gines Sepulveda, failed to see the parallel in the fate of the Spaniards at the hands of the Romans and Caesar Augustus. “Now see how he called the Spanish people barbaric and wild” (de Las Casas 3) demonstrates the same philosophy of the thoughts of Europeans as they encountered the Indians. Shall those that are fearful for the loss of all they have worked for not fight back and retain what is rightfully theirs. The Indians, especially the Aztecs had built cities, established political and economic organizations and created richly diverse civilizations. In The Jesuit Relations they recount the gratitude shown to the hospital nuns “The Savages who leave the hospital, and who come to see us again at St. Joseph, or at the three Rivers,…
Bartolome` de Las Casa had a very different view of the Indians than the majority. Las Casa was against the mistreatment of the Indians. Las Casa tried to convince the Spanish to change their attitudes towards the Indians. He committed his life to being an advocate for the Indians and urging people to treat them better.…
6. What major issues does Bartolome de las Casas bring up regarding Spanish expeditions in the Caribbean?…
These traditional account make it clear that food was and still is an important part of life. The traditional account dictates to the reader that food is a source of life and it highlights the importance of food and nature, which makes food available. I think that the natives relied on stories like these to convey that message because it's memorable. Since the story is memorable it makes it easier to pass along orally and easier for children to understand. This story format make that concept attainable for all people not just the educated. His story in particular almost identically reflects the book of Genesis. Both accounts almost included something that only the earth can provide being incorporated into human. In Genesis, that is the clay and In this account that…
Juan Sepulveda was a man who strongly felt he could define a person or group as “civilized or “barbarians.” Sepulveda’s purpose in his article/primary source analysis was mainly to inform the Spanish about the Native Americans “barbaric” society and how could either try and convert them to Christianity or destroy them. His audience is mainly the Spanish royalty, and also the Christian community. Sepulveda explains what the government and activity of the Natives are like, and degrades who they are so his audience could have a feeling whether they should be enslaved or converted.…
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is best known as the first Spaniard to explore what we now consider to be southwestern United States. His nine-year odyssey is chronicled within the book The Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition. His account is considered especially interesting because it is one of the very first documents that illustrates interactions between American natives and explorers. However, when examining the exploration of the modern United States, there are many arguments that have to do with the entitlement to the land and the motivations behind settling in the first place. Most explorers were obviously in favor of their own conquests and Cabeza de Vaca is of course no exception. In Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition, Cabeza de Vaca seems to be in favor of this exploration by outwardly expressing superiority and pity towards the Indians while secretly appreciating their accommodating nature throughout the conquest in order to justify his entitlement to their land to the rest of . As him and his Spanish conquistadors make their westward journey on foot they encounter many obstacles among these having to do with natural disasters and the Indians they come across that all prove to be extremely telling of the differences between western cultures and that of the Indians and the historical motivations behind conquest in general. This physical and emotional struggle of accommodation between races…
Columbus viewed the Indians as very generous and kind people. However De Las Casas refuses to see Indians are just like Columbus said. He feels or wants to mistake the Indians’ kindness for a weakness, easily manipulate them into enslavement, and do all these cruel and inhumane things to the Indians. De Las Casas and the Christians on the island of Hispaniola began their destruction. Families were being broken up, women and suckling children were being separated. In analysis this very thing is happening in modern times such as terrorism that has people fearing for their lives. Casas stated, “For everyone Christian that the Indians slew, the Christians would slay an hundred Indians” (69). Shockingly De Las Casas was one of the ones that introduced Africans to slavery as well (67). However De Las Casas plan didn’t go as plan for very long because people like Spanish emperor Charles V followed suit with the New Laws of the Indies, which gave Indians full protection and forbade enslavement on any…
The argument of Juan Gines de Sepulveda is that of negative feedback to what was experienced in the first encounter of the Spaniards and American Indians in the Sixteenth Century. Also, Sepulveda demonstrates through his opinion that war against the Indians is a rightful act due to the fact that the Indians are seen as lower beings. The proof that Sepulveda uses to support his position is the glimpse the Spaniards noted in the short time they observed the Indians. Sepulveda thought that the Indians were uneducated individuals that were uncivilized in the way they conducted their lives. This can be seen in that Sepulveda comments on how Indians are not educated because they seem not to have an alphabet, any knowledge of the sciences, or any means of preserving their history as the Spaniards do. Due to the reason of not understanding the ways of the Indians Spaniards such as Sepulveda came to conclusions that were unjust to the Indians. The Conquistadors believed that the "little men" they encountered were inhumane in that for purposes of sacrifice the Indians killed their own people by taking out their hearts and placing them on alters. Sepulveda sees this as disgusting and unimaginable for a human being. In order to support his views Sepulveda turns to Aristotle 's doctrine of natural slavery and agrees that those more powerful are made to be masters to rule over the weak. Another point that is being discussed by Sepulveda is that of the Indians not being in charge of their own destiny, that they leave their lives to be ruled by their gods. This goes against all of the Conquistador 's beliefs in Christianity and the faith they contain in God. Sepulveda looks upon the Indian 's way of life, such as them not having their own land but sharing it with one another, as a ridiculous notion. He does not comprehend how the Indians can be slaves to their King and still have to pay taxes when Spaniards have rule over their own lands. In all, Juan Gines de Sepulveda 's…
In 1494, Queen Isabella sent out and edict saying that “Indians have souls” therefore, it is the duty as a conquistador to save them. As a result, an encomienda system was established in 1512 by Fray Nicolas de Ovando. The encomienda system regulated Native labour and behavior during Spanish colonization. In exchange, the encomenderos were to take responsibility for the Natives via converting to the Christian faith, protect them from warring tribes and pirates, as well as educate the Natives the Spanish language and infrastructure. The Natives would give tributes to the encomenderos in the form of metals, maize (corn), wheat, pork, and several other agricultural products. By 1730, the system was formally abolished; however, the system lost its effectiveness much earlier…