In A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Bartolomé de Las Casas vividly describes the brutality wrought on the natives in the Americas by the Europeans primarily for the purpose of proclaiming and spreading the Christian faith. Las Casas originally intended this account to reach the royal administration of Spain; however, it soon found its way into the hands of many international readers, especially after translation. Bartolomé de Las Casas illustrates an extremely graphic and grim reality to his readers using literary methods such as characterization, imagery, amplification, authorial intrusion and the invocation of providence while trying to appeal to the sympathies of his audience about such atrocities. 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. Bartolomé de Las Casas begins by providing a vivid description of each land being invaded by the Europeans and the type of peopl... ... middle of paper ... ...tence it at least allowed him to educate the natives about Christianity and that their experiences before now with the Europeans were not of a Christian nature. Throughout the letter, Las Casas seems careful to be very consistent and never veers from ensuring that his audience knows of the atrocities of the people of their own land to the natives fellow humans. God has a plan for everyone and this is not it. Works Cited De Las Casas, Bartolomé A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies Penguin Classics1992 Dutto, Rev. L. A. The Life of Bartolomé de Las Casas and the First Leaves of American Ecclesiastical History St. Louis, MO: B. Herder 1902 Torrens, James S. Las Casas: Defender of the Indians 07/18/92-07/25/92. 02/27/07. http://www.lib.utexas.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9210050328&site=ehost-live
The discovery and conquest of American Indians inspired efforts to develop an ideology that could justify why they needed to enslave the Indians. The Spanish monarch wanted an ideal empire. "A universal empire, of which all their subjects were but servants. Charles V remained for them the dominus mundi, the legitimate and God-ordained lord of the world." (Weckmann, The Transit of Civilization, 23) Gold and religious conversion was the two most important inspirations for conquistadors in conquering America. Father Bartolome De Las Casas was a Dominican priest who came to the New World to convert the Indians to become Christians. He spent forty years on Hispanolia and nearby islands, and saw how the Spaniards brutally treated the Indians and sympathized with them. The Devastation of the Indies was an actual eyewitness account of the genocide by Las Casas, and his group of Dominican friars in which he demonizes the Spanish colonists and praises the Indians. Father Las Casas returned to Seville, where he published his book that caused an on going debate on whether the suppression of the Indians corrupted the Spaniards' values. What Las Casas was trying to achieve was the notion of human rights, that human beings are free and cogent by nature without the interference of others.
What he and his men did to the Indigenous people is told in horrifying detail by the Dominican priest Bartolome de Las Casas, “whose writings give the most thorough account of the Spanish-Indian encounter.” Las Casas witnessed firsthand Columbus’ soldiers stabbing Natives for sport, dashing babies’ heads on rocks, and sexually abusing Indigenous women. His testimony was corroborated by other eyewitnesses, such as a group of Dominican friars, who addressed the Spanish monarchy in 1519, hoping to bring an end to the atrocities. At the very least, Columbus was complicit in the actions of his men. He cared so little for the welfare of the Indigenous people that he let his soldiers commit reprehensible acts that would be considered crimes against humanity in the present day. Christopher Columbus’ actions suggest he had no issue with serving as an enabler of the horrifying actions committed by his men against the Indigenous
De Las Casas' major emphasis for writing this book was obviously to persuade the King to out law the Spanish from destroying the Indians and his remarkably vivid description of the brutality used by the Spanish is very motivating for the reader to become emotionally involved. While its message is diluted by repetition and exaggeration the initiative for someone of that time to write something for the benefit of people who were not even considered worthy of acknowledgement is what makes this book worth reading. However, the tone of this "personal account" sounds more like a...
For my paper, id like to analyze passages from The Very Brief Relation of the Devastation of the Indies and The Coast of Pearls, Paria, and the Island of Trinidad by Bartolomè De Las Casas. My paper will, in more detail explain the different types of rhetoric used by De Las Casas in his narratives, and how he crafted his work in order to persuade his audience to ban slavery during the 16th century. For example, de Las Casas illustrates a very graphic and grim reality about the harsh punishment and the tortures that the Spanish would do to the Native Americans. The Spanish would “cut open pregnant woman, slam babies against rocks, and would even burn the natives alive.” Such heartless and cruel action where committed that it led to the natives
Based on the relacion by Las Casas, a short account of the destruction of the Indies: discuss the arguments presented by the author on behalf of the native population. Evaluate the arguments, what evidence did Las Casas omit from his account? Be specific and provide examples and references.
Las Casas argues that that there are 4 types of barbarians, but only the 3rd kind is barbarian, those who are considered “freaks of nature.” Las Casas believed the Spanish were out to help the Indians, even though they were barbarians and not Christian. It is stated in The Soul “For the good and all-powerful God, in his love for mankind, he created all things for man’s use and protects him whom he has endowed with so many qualities by a singular affection and care.” In conclusion, the Indians were made by God, so it is impossible for them to be imperfect.
Bartolomé de Las Casas wrote “A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies” in 1542 to the king of Spain, Prince Philip II, to protest what was happening in the New World to the native people. This essay will explore many aspects of De Las Casas essay. The first thing I will go over is what the book tells us about the relationship between Christianity and the colonialism. The second thing I will talk about is whether the essay did enough to denounce the atrocities against indigenous people. Next, if it is possible to separate how De Las Casas might have been an outspoken critic of the Spanish’s treatment of indigenous people, and how he was still a part of a repressive institution. Finally, I will look
Bartolomé de Las Casas was a sixteenth century Dominican friar, who was best known for his detailed accounts on the initial stages of colonization of the West Indies by the Spanish Empire. His most famous work, entitled A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, outlined the numerous atrocities committed against the native population by Spanish colonizers. Las Casas’s letter was written to King Charles I of Spain with the purpose of informing him of these wrong doings. Additionally, Las Casas hoped that Charles I would remedy the situation before Spain fell victim to God’s wrath. The Catholic Reformation of the sixteenth century, also called the Counter Reformation, was the Catholic Church response to the Protestant Reformation. It’s primary mission was to purify, revitalize, and expand Christianity. Many new religious orders and sects began to form in the wake of the reformation. The most prominent of these new orders was Society of Jesus, which was founded in 1540 and was led by Ignatius Loyola. Jesuits took vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. They are also well known for their loyalty to the Pope and some Jesuits elected to devote themselves to God as missionaries at the Pope’s request. Francis Xavier, who was a founding member of the Society of Jesus, was one of the first Jesuit missionaries to travel to Asia and he was particularly renowned for his missionary accomplishments in Japan. In 1552, Saint Francis Xavier wrote a letter entitled Missionaries in Japan, wherein he described the cultural norms of Japanese society and the daily lives of the Jesuit missionaries. His writings provided insight into how Roman Catholicism was spread throughout Asia as well as the difficulties these missionaries faced. These acc...
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
During the era of maritime exploration and the discovery of the Americas, assumptions were made of the land likening it to not only a paradise, but one that was overrun with cannibalistic natives. These suppositions led to a desire to explore the lands and conquer the savages that posed a threat to man and civilization itself. The consequences of this mass colonization and dehumanization of the natives paved the way for literary pieces that pose as critiques of the era when viewed through a post-colonial lens. When looked at through a post-colonial perspective, a few common themes prevail amongst compared texts. Focusing on the theme of the journey, what it means, and what is at stake, Garcilaso de la Vega’s “The Story of Pedro Serrano” and Juan José Saer’s The Witness both touch on all these themes with great severity, dissecting the purpose of the journey and what it means to be a civilized man.
With a positive mindset and powerful thoughts such as ¨I had said I couldn’t do anything to change history. Yet, if history could be changed, this book in the hands of a white man-even a sympathetic white man-might be the thing to change it.”(Kindred pg 142), Dana fights to convince Rufus to cease his use of slaves. Upon his death, Rufus frees a majority of his slaves. Thus, an individual made a minor impact to protect the freedom of the slaves. Bartolome de las Casas was a Spaniard and one of the early settlers of the new world. He carefully observed how the Spaniards treated the natives granted to them through the encomienda system, a rule that gave a number of natives to Spaniards to be used for labor, but in return, they had to protect the natives. With no one to enforce this rule, the Spaniards abused and tortured the natives and "...[they] forced their way into Native settlements, slaughtering everyone they found there, including small children, old men, pregnant women, and even women who had just given birth. They hacked them to pieces, slicing open their bellies with their swords as
Looking back at history, we can easily argue that throughout time human rights for Indians have developed With the help of many known people such as Bartolome De Las Casas. Native Americans were liberated from the encomienda system during the 1550s Spains New World empire was following up with a system in which the natives were treated inhumanely and forced to work as slaves for these “Encomenderos” Bartolome became their savior when he realize that what they were doing was against their catholic religion. Las Casas interest in obtaining liberty for Indians grew rapidly leading him into becoming a priest with the inclination to Catholic practices Bartolomé believed that all men under heaven are equal and therefore he later met with king Charles
These people are the most devoid of rancors, hatreds, or desire for vengeance of any people in the world.” However, other Spaniards viewed the Indians as weak and incompetent who believed in “witch doctors.” The Spanish expected the Native American to abandon their religious beliefs and traditions; failure to convert to Catholicism led to violence. According to Bartolome de las Casas illustrates the violent acts of the Spanish, “I seem even to recall that there were two or three pairs of grids where others were burning, and because they uttered such loud screams that they disturbed the Spanish captain's sleep, he ordered them to be strangled.” Bartolome de las Casas refers to the some of the Spanish as cruel and wicked Christians drove by greed and ambition. He notes that Spanish treatment beast with more respect then the Indians. The Native American viewed the Spanish as, “By nature wicked and cruel, and they have a God they greatly worship and they want us to worship that God, and that is why they struggle with us and subject us and kill us.” Although, Bartolome de las Casas was against cruelty of the Spaniards towards the Indies, he believe that Spain had a God given right to rule
The destruction of entire people is often overlooked, due to the important fact that it is usually the victor that writes the history books and the facts to be. In Alex Nava’s Wonder and Exile, in the New World adventurers of many backgrounds such as Cabeza de Vaca and Bartolome Las Casas, help to develop three important concepts within the cultural, religious, and literary representations of modern day Latin America. Over a span of 500 years Nava’s three concepts of wonder, exile, and deprivation are shown to have an importance in the shape and further development of the Americas and its Native peoples.
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.”