Preview

Las Casas' Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
295 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Las Casas' Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Bartolome' De Las Casas stated that "those who have traveled to this part of the world pretending to be Christians have uprooted these pitiful peoples and wiped them from the face of the earth (Las Casas, 12). After reading the horrific accounts of what has occurred to those "unassuming, long suffering, unassertive and submissive" peoples of the Indies that "are with out without malice or guile, and are utterly faithful and obedient both to their own native lords and to the Spainards in whose service they now find themselves" (Las Casas, 10). As a god-fearing man of the priesthood, I utterly deplore the use of my Christian faith as a ruse of the Spaniards in the Indies to justify their agenda of greed and destruction.
<br>
<br>It is my personal inclination that the text I have just read finds it's way into the hands of all the peoples of Spain, in hopes that they to agree that our men in the Indies to have "lost all fear of God, all love of their sovereign and all sense of self-respect" (42). In belief that with their support our Prince Phillip will find a means to regulate the activities in the Americas and put an end to the hardships of her natives and possibly unearth a way to avenge the use of his good name, country and faith for such a merciless show of power. As for those Conquistadors who possess sin filled hearts and who have taken so many innocent lives, they must "wait until the Day of Judgment when all shall be made clear and God will come to punish the wickedness and atrocious behaviour towards the inhabitants of the New World of men masquerading as Christians" (Las Casas,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    During the sixteenth century, Spanish expeditions to the New World were pursued under the power of the Spanish King, who enforces Spanish law. Specific people were appointed certain positions on these journeys and the entire crew was expected to follow Spanish law and fulfill their responsibilities, on of which includes converting any natives to Christianity. Despite the fact Cabeza de Vaca essentially failed as being treasurer of his expedition, he believes that he, unlike the majority of the other Spaniards, carried out Spanish law correctly and is willing to prove himself to his King with his account. Throughout his document, Cabeza de Vaca carefully selects his choice of words to convince the King he is not one of the men responsible for the deterioration of the voyage. The purpose of chapter thirty-four is to specifically demonstrate how the Christians differed from Cabeza de Vaca and his men in carrying out their duties as Spaniards and as Christians. Since Cabeza de Vaca witnessed the disasters that happened, he doesn't hold Spanish law in high regards. He also believes the King should change certain aspects in order for a society to run successfully in a new environment as well as approach the act of converting any natives to Christianity in the correct manner.…

    • 1335 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies The view of Las Casas in relation to the Spanish treatment of the indigenous people of the Indies was humanly considering all of the savagery and horrible acts going on. After the killings of innocent people, depopulation of villages and kingdoms-Las Casas went to the royal court of Spain to tell the Emperor about the slaughtering’s caused by the colonizers. Las Casas also published the summary ‘A Short Account of the West Indies’ which in the title itself describes the writing.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Las Casas describes the Natives as “gentle lambs” and as “never quarrelsome or belligerent or boisterous, they harbor no grudges and do not seek to settle old scores” and so on. He describes the Spaniards as the complete, opposite saying they behaved like tigers and lions. He also says that “the diabolical behavior of the Christians has, led to the unjust and totally unwarranted deaths of more than twelve million souls”. Las Casas goal was to inform the King of Spain and get him to act against the horrible acts being committed in the New World by his subjects. He describes the Natives in this way to show that they were the main victims of the settling and conquering of the New World.…

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This mantra would initially lead a small band of six Jesuits to the shores of Salvador on the Bay of All Saints in 1549 alongside the first Portuguese Governor of Brazil. In the Colonial Latin America: A Documentary History, the focus of Chapter 13 is a series of letters that documents the struggles that the Jesuits faced in converting Tupi Indians to Catholicism. Also the chapter highlights the controversy of unorthodox practices that are used for conversion in Colonial Latin America, and the questionable means used to sustain a Jesuit Society and Catholic infrastructures, both physically and spiritually,. From the surface controversy can be attributed to the Jesuits pushing against the Eurocentric ideas of what conversion practices should be like in Colonial Latin America in comparison to conversion practices on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the Jesuits were not opposing the way that the Catholic Church functioned on the Iberian Peninsula, instead the Jesuits were having to adapt by necessity to the environment, culture and practices in Colonial Latin America and specifically in…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    However, the Christian Spaniards had a different agenda that involved the killing millions of people for their gold. The common phrase “money is the root of all evil” would epitomize these occurrences. As humans, we associate wealth with power and power leads to greed which leads to unjust and immoral actions. The Christians Spaniards were described by De Las Casas as inhumane, tyrannical, cruel and evil. In contrast, the Indians were seen to be pure, peaceful and innocent people. This view can be seen as slightly biased because he was once just like the Christians which can lower the credibility of the author. Las Casas recalled that the soldiers took advantage of the hospitality the Indians provided so that they could take over their land and resources with the least resistance. They acquired gold, jewels, and slaves. Slavery was a recurring theme faced through history which is linked to power and greed. The Spaniards also devastated millions of natives Indians by raping women and killing innocent children and infants. It could be presumed that in this society women were of no value to these men so they used them for their pleasure without any regard. In conclusion, though De Las Casas had a change of heart and defended the Indians, he could have been less biased when trying to get his point across to the King of…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The second Spanish conquistadors’ motive that greatly affected the people living in the new world was Christianity. This motive is easily seen in documents 1, 4, 7, and 8. Document one is an excerpt that was to be read to the Indians stating that if they did not except the Christian Church as their superior and listen to Christian priests that the Spanish would invade their country and take them all as slaves. Document four is Cortez talking about how he overturned the Indians idols and rolled them down the stairs. Then he goes on to say he replaced the idols with Christian images and Cortez knew that these images were really important to Aztecs and he didn’t care. In document seven it is a royal decree from Charles I. It states that the written down volumes of the Indians rites, idols, and…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bartolome de Las Casas

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To underline another significant point, these native Indians are totally defenseless, and vulnerable to every single dangerous attack by the Spaniards. When Indians flee to mountains, these inhuman, cruel Spanish captains pursue them with fierce dogs to attack and tear them into several pieces. In addition to that, if Indians kill only one Christian, they would kill a hundred Indians in return. This is the misconception of our modern times that one individual feels himself superior to other, this one to that, that one to this; thus there occurs hierarchical relationships which can not be changed easily.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though the techniques of the Spanish were vicious in that they slaughtered tribes, pilfered their fortunes, and tried to convert them to the catholic faith; ultimately in the end they eternally associated a portion of the tribes of the Americas. They killed about 25 million of the indigenous people of the Americas but that doesn’t even measure up to how much money they robbed from the tribes. Through their conquests they connected the tribes through their singular language, and catholic religion that they imposed on the people. Consequently, even though they killed, stole from, and force fed the indigenous people the catholic religion. They forever connected them through all of the pain and suffering they…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Bartolome de Las Casas compares the native people to sheep, describing them as "...without malice or duplicity, most obedient, most faithful, the most humble, most patient, most peaceful and calm, without strife nor tumults; not wrangling, nor querulous, as free from uproar, hate and desire of revenge as any in the world..." He calls the "Christians" wolves, tigers and hungry lions ready to attack and torture them.Las Casas gives a graphic and detailed description of how the "Christians" tortured and murdered men, children, pregnant women and even babies without mercy, asking Spain to aid in their protection It's very clear that Bartolome de Las Casas feels deep sympathy for the indigenous people and expresses his pain and indignation toward the "Christians" for their crimes against them.…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    _Myths of the Spanish Conquest_ is broken into seven chapters, each dedicated to a different myth or mis-conception regarding the Spanish conquest. In debunking these myths, Matthew Restall works with three themes regarding the conquest. First, that the European discovery of the Americas was one of the greatest events in human history. Second, that the conquest was the achievement of "a few great men," which he subsequently describes as "a handful of adventurers." These two themes lead to a third theme, or question. "If history's greatest event - the European discovery and conquest of the Americas - was achieved by a mere "handful of adventurers," how did they do it?"…

    • 915 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Spanish Dbq

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    God and religion was such an important factor that the Spanish used it against the Indians. In document 1, the Spanish ask the Indians to acknowledge the Christian church as the superiority and receive love and charity in return. If not, the Spanish would forcefully enter into their country and start war & produce slaves. This document, however, is very reliable in my opinion. Taking into consideration about how the Spanish thought, converting people to their religion would not only help them become more successful under God’s terms, but in the New World as well. (POV) In addition to this, the Spanish also believed that Indians are truly men and may not be capable of understanding the Catholic faith, but in all terms desire to receive it. (Document 8) God…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Destruction of the Indies

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages

    It is my personal inclination that the text I have just read finds it's way into the hands of all the peoples of Spain, in hopes that they to agree that our men in the Indies to have "lost all fear of God, all love of their sovereign and all sense of self-respect" (42). In belief that with their support our Prince Phillip will find a means to regulate the activities in the Americas and put an end to the hardships of her natives and possibly unearth a way to avenge the use of his good name, country and faith for such a merciless show of power. As for those Conquistadors who possess sin filled hearts and who have taken so many innocent lives, they must "wait until the Day of Judgment when all shall be made clear and God will come to punish the wickedness and awful behavior towards the inhabitants of the New World of men masquerading as…

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    What really shocked me was when the Spaniards had the audacity to say they are doing this as a “testimony to the great deeds and holy miracles performed by these dauntless missionaries of the holy Catholic faith” (8:40). I am still trying to figure out how exactly torturing or harming the natives is a “great…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Jose Rizal Summary

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rizal had published books such as the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as his weapons against the dominions of Spain in our country. These novels became an inspiration over the “KATIPUNAN” or the “Sons of the People.” Andres Bonifacio condemns the friars and he said that the Spain is deaf and blind, they only make people become imbeciles and criminals. The only way for independence and freedom is through revolution. The Katipunans tear their ‘cedulas’ that symbolizes to end all of their ties with Spain and unity with revolution.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays