A Short Account Of Destruction Of The Indies By Bartolome...

For this essay I will be talking about the book â€Å"A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies† by Bartolomà © de Las Casas. Whom wrote this to the King of Spain, Prince Philip II, in 1542 to protest what was happening in the New World to the native people. I will be explaining many things during this essay. The first thing I will go over is what the books tells us about the relationship between Christianity and the colonialism. The second thing I will talk about is if it was 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†¦show more content†¦Getting their land taken away from them and getting killed, all while the natives were exceptionally nice and welcoming of the Spaniards. So, in the end what played a bigger role? Christianity or c olonialism? This books tells us a lot about the relationship between Christianity and colonialism. Originally, the Spaniards went to the New World to convert the natives to Christianity but, they got lazy and greedy. De Las Casas stated that â€Å"The reason the Christians have murdered on such a vast scale and killed anyone and everyone in their way is purely and simply greed† (13). The Spaniards only cared about getting the gold and conquering the land. Of course, they had the intention of converting all of the natives to Christianity at first but it was easier to conquer and to just kill the natives in horrific ways to be able convert all the land to be Christian rather than keeping the people and just converting the people. The land was easier to convert than the people. The land was especially easy to conquer because the natives were such a docile group of people and had such giving nature and were always welcoming with open arms. The Spaniards took advantage of that cha racteristic of the natives. De Las Casas states how the natives were â€Å"submissive† by saying, â€Å"Their insatiable greed and overweening ambition know no bounds; the land is fertile and rich, the inhabitants simple, forbearing and submissive† (13). TheShow MoreRelatedEssay Bartolome De Las Casas1518 Words   |  7 PagesIn A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Bartolomà © 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. 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