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An essay about modern slavery
Effects of europeans on native americans
An essay about modern slavery
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In the exert Sepulveda vs. Las Casa, the readers are first introduced to Sepulveda. Sepulveda makes a very strong case that he is okay with using Indians in slavery. Sepulveda starts by stating that Indians are incapable of learning, have no written language, and have no documents of history. He continues to follow this argument up by saying they are barbarians who have zero form of government and live without a sense of reason. Sepulveda also believes that the Indians are just blood thirsty cannibals who ate their enemies during war and offer no greater tribute to their god, the devil, than human hearts. Sepulveda states that these barbarians do display a certain talent of craftsmanship, but still have no proof of human intelligence. He continues …show more content…
Unlike Sepulveda, Las Casa argues that slavery is wrong. Las Casa comes right out in the first line and says, "Indians are so skilled in every mechanical art that with every right they should be far ahead of all the nations of the known world." Las Casa believes that these Indians are remarkably talented in grammar and logic because they have been brought up in it till now. Las Casa mentions that the Indians are capable of having a government and do not need to be ruled by others. He brings up a new point that these Indians once had their own civilization that was prosperous. Las Casa argues that they will embrace the teachings of the Gospel and would be better than most people in the world. Las Casa finishes by saying all men are equal and no one is born with knowledge. He uses a comparison between Indians and uncultivated soil that is useful, but within itself holds natural virtues that with work could become something …show more content…
My first thought when reading the exert was shock that Sepulveda could so strongly believe in the right of slavery. It surprised me that someone could talk so harshly about another human. After reading Sepulveda, it was refreshing to read Las Casa case. Sepulveda had made good points for his argument, however; I have to agree more with Las Casa. I think this is because Las Casa fought both sides. He still compared the Indians to barbarians but then directed his case right back to why they were good. I also think I was more influenced by Las Casa because I was always told that slavery was wrong growing up. I think it would be interesting to know background information on Sepulveda and Las Casa. This way I could better understand why each one has these feelings about Indians. From the way the writers wrote their cases, I would say that Sepulveda may have had an occurrence in the past with Indians that did not turn out good. This would explain why he made such harsh arguments but that is only something I can infer. Some questions that came to mind while reading are where are these writers from and what kind of social class did they come from. I think it would be interesting to see if the location affected their mind
Columbus and de las Casas were both explorers of the new world. They both encountered Native Americans and their treatment of them was both similar and different. Columbus viewed the Native American as subhumans. He did not have much respect for the people of the land and treated them as such. In his letter to Luis de Santangel, Columbus says how he took possession of the native’s highnesses by proclamation. He also discloses how no one fought back which then made native Americans seem weak. He also states how he already took Indians aboard with him.At one instance Columbus had a dispute with Spainards and decided to give up Indians as a peace offering. Which he states in the letter to that tey were not his to give
In the book Bad Indians, Miranda talks about the many issues Indigenous People go through. Miranda talks about the struggles Indigenous people go through; however, she talks about them in the perspective of Native Americans. Many people learn about Indigenous People through classrooms and textbooks, in the perspective of White people. In Bad Indians, Miranda uses different literary devices to show her perspective of the way Indigenous People were treated, the issues that arose from missionization, as well as the violence that followed through such issues. Bad Indians is an excellent example that shows how different history is told in different perspectives.
The source of the first passage that I read was History of the Indies written by Bartolome de Las Casas written in 1528. Bartolome was a 16th century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar/priest, who condemned the treatment of Indians in the Spanish empire. Bartolome widely disseminated History of the Indies and helped to establish the Black Legend of Spanish cruelty (Give Me Liberty, 28). The source of the second passage that I read was the “Declaration of Josephe” which was created by Josephe on December 19, 1681, and Josephe was a Spanish-speaking Indian questioned by a royal attorney in Mexico City investigating the Pueblo Revolt, which is the revolt of the indian population, in 1680, which temporarily drove Spanish settlers out of present day New Mexico
As a result, when the Spanish colonizers arrived they felt that the native race was inferior to their race. As the chapter continues, this false perspective of the Spanish colonizers proves to be wrong. The California Indians knew so well how to use their natural resources that they made it a success the adaption to their environment. They acquire a grand understanding of natural resources which aided them for their everyday survival. The state natives also were capable of inventing a system that would allow them to reuse and replenish their soil by burning the ground; presently a practice used in field plantation to renew the soil.
Cronon raises the question of the belief or disbelief of the Indian’s rights to the land. The Europeans believed the way Indians used the land was unacceptable seeing as how the Indians wasted the natural resources the land had. However, Indians didn’t waste the natural resources and wealth of the land but instead used it differently, which the Europeans failed to see. The political and economical life of the Indians needed to be known to grasp the use of the land, “Personal good could be replaced, and their accumulation made little sense for ecological reasons of mobility,” (Cronon, 62).
The rhetor for this text is Luther Standing Bear. He was born in 1868 on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He was raised as a Native American until the age on eleven when he was taken to Carlisle Indian Industrial School: an Indian boarding school. After graduating from the boarding school, he returned to his reservation and now realized the terrible conditions under which they were living. Standing Bear was then elected as chief of his tribe and it became his responsibility to induce change (Luther Standing Bear). The boarding schools, like the one he went to, were not a fair place to be. The Native American children were forced to go there and they were not taught how to live as a European American; they were taught low level jobs like how to mop and take out trash. Also, these school were very brutal with punishment and how the kids were treated. In the passage he states, “More than one tragedy has resulted when a young boy or girl has returned home again almost an utter stranger. I have seen these happenings with my own eyes and I know they can cause naught but suffering.” (Standing Bear 276). Standing Bear is fighting for the Indians to be taught by Indians. He does not want their young to lose the culture taught to them from the elders. Standing Bear also states, “The old people do not speak English and never will be English-speaking.” (Standing Bear 276). He is reinforcing the point that he believes that they
Both Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and John Smith hold different attitudes regarding their accounts of Indian life. The difference in attitudes may have resulted from the difference in treatments that each man received while in captivity.
Las Casas emphasizes on three main issues throughout his account. First, in almost each chapter, Las Casas writes about the luscious qualities of the land and the different indigenous peoples that inhabit them. Second, he explains and describes in detail how the natives were rapidly being massacred by the invading Christian Europeans. Finally, Las Casas discusses how God had brought justice to the Europeans for their diabolical acts upon the natives. Las Casas, a former slave owner himself, realized that those whom he previously enslaved were just as much human and capable of learning and practicing the Christian faith as he was. As a bishop, he realized he could do little for the Natives except document his experiences (in as much detail as possible) and hope that the royal administration would have sympathy for the Natives and establish laws to protect them from the Europeans.
Cabeza de Vaca, like many other Spaniards, wanted to seek fortune in the new world, but things did not go as planned, and he eventually lost everything. Although he came to conquer in the name of Spain, he ended up living amongst the Native Americans in need for survival and became very close to them. Although originally the Spaniards were very narrow minded and believed the Indians were uncivilized and barbaric, Cabeza de Vaca shortly found out that they were not uncivilized, but quite the opposite. He saw that they were just as human as the Spaniards were and were no less than they were. His perception of humanity altered as a result of living with “the others.”
“Ask him, before he comes into the presence of the Lord, if he is willing to conform to the laws of the country in which he lives, the country that guarantees his idle existence.” This is the general belief shared among the missionaries, in order for the Native Americans to enter the “utopia” which the evangelists have created, the Indians must throw away their way of life and adapt completely to the white man’s culture. Mrs.Rowell’s claim and Miss Evans acceptance of this ideology reveals that the American missionary society believes that they are above these Native American “heaths”. Furthermore, in Gretchen Ronnow’s, “Native American Writers of the United States”, Ronnow declares, “He [John M. Oskison] often juxtaposes issues without indicating his own opinion about them: traditional values versus mainstream values, formal education versus the teachings of Native American elders, intermarriage versus separatism… (254).” The relation between American settlers (in this case, the missionaries) and Native Americans is enlightened since Oskison has been exposed to both cultures as a Cherokee American by birth. Therefore, Oskison works are based upon his observations growing up. Overall, from the perspective of Oskison and history, it is easy to prove that Americans believed their ways to be better. With this understanding, it is not surprising that Mrs.Rowell and Miss Evans would treat Harjo with contempt and believe themselves to be
This account is a voice to create awareness for the silent indigenous people. It is a real account of what was happening in the new world real world. It was written by the bishop Don Bartolommeo de las Casas to inform the lord the Emperor. He talks about what is happening to the Indies, “Some of the things that have occurred in the Indies, however, are quite terrible, the slaughter of innocent people, the depopulation of entire villages, provinces, and kingdoms, and many other acts, on less horrifying’ (P:8) He also brings the topic of why, this so called Christians were acting like savagery. Their humanity was degraded by their greed, they were never content with the wickedness they have committed. On page 11 he talks about the some of the possible explanations to why this people committed this horrific acts. “The reason that the Christians have slain an infinite number of souls has been the desire to take the Indians gold, to enrich, themselves quickly, and to raise themselves up to the high social ranks that bears no relation to their humble origins in Spain.”
When we assess the evils of slavery, we typically think of the North American slaves plight. We think of the beatings, murders, hangings and mistreatment of the Southern slave. But what about the slaves of Latin America? Who hears their cries of woe because of their evil slave masters? Is their treatment the same of their brethren under slave rule in North America? In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to look into the lives of both North and Latin American slaves. For our purposes, we will utilize two slave narratives. One account will come from the North American slave, Frederick Douglass, and his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The other account will come from the narrative Autobiography of a Slave by the Cuban slave Juan Francisco Manzano. In analyzing these two slave narratives, we will compare the childhood, slave communities, slave/master relations, and literature of both Douglass and Manzano. By taking a comparative look at Frederick Douglass and Juan Francisco Manzano we will be able to hear the voices of the slaves and understand their plight.
Perspective is in the eye of the beholder. His narrative on the mistreatment of the indigenous people and the Spaniards actions are his truths as he witnessed them and therefore accurate. One has to understand who the narrative belongs to and the consistency of their accounts. Las Casas was severely criticized by those who studied him. Daniel Castro, an author, referred to Las Casas as an imperialist of the religious kind: fighting for the rights of the Indians, but never questioning the push of Christianity itself on the Indians, a contradiction.. Christianity never needed to be forced on the Indians since their customs and traditions did not deviate far from Christianity. LasCasas was able to persuade the Indians to convert. Persuading the Indians instead of forcing them to convert to Christianity, still allowed for religious freedom. Taking part in the encomienda system and owning Native slaves, was a contradiction to his teachings and in 1514 Las Casas rejected the encomienda system and freed his slaves. In doing so, he saw the err of his ways and understood that it went against his faith and everything it and he stood for,and forever more lived his life accordingly. It brought a more feverish rise to his crusade for better treatment of the
All men are created equal (Declaration of Independence). Yet, the Native Americans continue their fight for decades since colonization. There is a constant struggle to urge for equality from William Apess in his 1833 essay, An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man. In modern day, the fight continues after his lifetime. Equality and freedom is the goal for most Native Americans. Although securing the rights of the Native Americans are progressing, it is slow. Therefore, the inequality continues at a faster pace, as opposed to major changes that would impact the Native Americans positively. Throughout history, they are exploited for their land and natural resources and severely underfunded. As a matter of fact, the common theme seems to be that the Native Americans are continuously suppressed by the “superior race”, which showcases the prevalent thoughts in America. William Apess and
Although the work is 40 years old, “Custer Died for Your Sins” is still relevant and valuable in explaining the history and problems that Indians face in the United States. Deloria book reveals the Whites view of Indians as false compared to the reality of how Indians are in real life. The forceful intrusion of the U.S. Government and Christian missionaries have had the most oppressing and damaging effect on Indians. There is hope in Delorias words though. He believes that as more tribes become more politically active and capable, they will be able to become more economically independent for future generations. He feels much hope in the 1960’s generation of college age Indians returning to take ownership of their tribes problems.