casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies

10 Dec casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies

Exactly what prompted Las Casas to publish his own book the following year is uncertain. One side claimed that the natives were naturally servile, and could be brought to know God only by force and labor, which justified almost anything the Spanish did to keep them in line. In 1548 Sepúlveda’s book The Second Démocrates; Or, the Just Causes of the War Against the Indians was refused the royal license that all books in Spain needed before publication. It is accordingly forty-nine years now since Spaniards began arriving in numbers in this part of the world. This was a country in which a powerful, politically vital fleet was held in port for weeks while lawyers drafted the Requerimiento; a country in which the court would listen to the most subtle philosophical and religious arguments for days on end. On more than one occasion, he bemoans the fate of missions, like his own Verapaz, that were sabotaged by the greed of roving Spaniards. A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies is a brief yet highly repetitious book. hosts. Bartolome de las Casas: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1542) The Americas were discovered in 1492, and the first Christian settlements established by the Spanish the following year. (October 16, 2020). What aspects of local life are most important to Las Casas? "Short Account Destruction W Indies" is a must-read for those historians suffering from the same amnesia-like affliction as David Irving: that the wholesale slaughter of the Native population of the Western Hemisphere is somehow a historical untruth and … Casas, Bartolome De Las; Franklin W. Knight (ed. Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Download This eBook. They also defined the slaveowners’ obligation to provide food, rest, and (most important) religious education. However, the relationship followed a downward pattern. A brief personal account written in 1542; published in Spanish (as Brevissima relación de la destrucción de las Indias) in 1552, in English in 1583. Beginning in 1511 he raised his voice on their behalf, using his power as a Dominican friar (and eventual Bishop of Chiapas) to condemn Spanish atrocities. Essays in the Intellectual History of Colonial Latin Amenca. Reprinted in Major Problems of American Colonial History In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Roxbury, Massachusetts His boldness in criticizing his own country’s policies, and especially his recognition of Native American culture and achievement, are fairly unusual. The news that Columbus had discovered a “New World” must have seemed like a gift from heaven: if it could exploit and export the riches of these new lands, Spain would rise, from being one kingdom among many, to undisputed preeminence in Europe. One of the most famous incidents described by Las Casas involves four or five nobles tortured over an open fire. The Junta was remarkably inconclusive. Its motives were never simple, unalloyed greed. From this time on, he acted as a continual thorn in the side of the Spanish settlers, by appealing to the conscience of the Spanish court. “The Controversy Between Sepúlveda and Las Casas in the Junta of Valladolid.” In Bartolomé de Las Casas in History.Ed. Author: Bartolomé de las Casas. Although initially an owner of native slaves, he was always uneasy with the Spanish treatment of Native Americans. From 1502 on, he lived almost continually in the New World. Hatuey was eventually captured and condemned to be burned alive, in an effort to save his soul, a friar explained heaven, hell, and God to him. Hey guys, im reading A short account of the destruction of the indies and I have these guiding questions im confused about. It is in this context that Las Casas tendered his Short Account. In reality, as Las Casas points out repeatedly, the encomenderos exploited and even tortured native peoples, and “produced little Christianity” among them (McAllister, p. 166). Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Perhaps no document better captures the conflict between the high ideals of the Spanish court and the sordid reality of conquest as practiced by the brutal Spanish soldiers, than the Requerimiento. Focusing on children, the missionaries fostered a teacher-student relationship, but allowed native practices to continue as long as they did not breach the basic tenets of Christianity. The account acts as not only an observation on the practices of the colonizers, but is also a reflection of the imperial policies of the Spanish Empire. The colonists were outraged, and demanded that Montesino be punished. Other clerics and lawyers, finding support in Aristotle and some Church Fathers, advanced a more negative view of Indians. Sepúlveda complained to the Council of the Indies, which organized a debate between the two men in 1550. At first, the clergy made concessions to the natives, and learned their languages and customs in order to better preach the gospel. Thus, he would have been dismayed to learn that his Short Account became the critical document in the Leyendo Negro, the Black Legend. Thus, he himself, Las Casas, is eminently more qualified to judge the nature of the natives. This was not a debate in modern terms: the two men were never in the same room at the same time. The most direct evidence of his impact on the debate over the Conr quest are the New Laws, a sweeping (if only briefly enacted) reform of the Conquest, the encomienda system, and relations between colonist and native. In slavery, they are worked mercilessly in gold mines or in the fields. And, inasmuch as his complaints frequently found a sympathetic royal ear, we may conclude that all but his most radical assertions played on the conscience of the Spanish court. However, it is Las Casas’s other type of evidence—anecdotal—that most moves the reader. However, the situation was more complex. In other words, he was simply expressing unequivocally an issue that the court was concerned with in a more ambivalent way: the justice of its actions in the Americas. His insistence on the virtues of peace, humility, and poverty have made him a hero to many liberation theologians—those modern Christians who attempt to reconcile Christianity with social justice. When Columbus returned from his first voyage to the New World, he did more than simply reshape the European conception of the world. He was in Hispaniola when Montesino delivered his indictment, but he was not immediately convinced. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/short-account-destruction-indies, "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies Perhaps most horrific is the fate of the pearl diver. © 2019 Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. One historian writes, “For the first time in history, a nation and her king initiated discussions concerning the justice of a war that was being waged” (Losada, p. 279). In other words, Spain had lawful dominion over Native Americans but was obligated to attend to its new subjects’ souls by making real efforts to convert them to Christianity. In A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Casas provides a scathing commentary on the cruelty exercised by the Spanish colonizers on the natives of Hispaniola—as well as explain the aims that motivated this behavior. He even affirms that they deserve some authority over native peoples. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. . It is undeniable that the Short Account fed anti-Spanish sentiment from the 1550s until modern times. In retrospect, however, Las Casas was hardly a failure. Their screams disturbed the Governor’s nap: he ordered the torturer to cease. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Encyclopedia.com. (In Politics, Aristotle speculates that there may be in the world “natural slaves,” or humans so base and ignorant that they are fit only to serve better humans.) . The theory of the Leyenda Negra was developed by Spanish historians early in this century; invariably, they pointed to Las Casas as the first and most important figure in the creation of the legend. "...I promise, that…, Northeast ); Andrew Hurley (tr); A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Hackett Publ Co., 2003, 92 pages [various editions), topics: |  america | genocide | jamaica | spain | empire |, http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bdorsey1/41docs/02-las.html, United Confederation of Taino People (UCTP), https://abagond.wordpress.com/2013/09/20/the-taino-genocide/. Each session filled several days of long, abstract, highly learned arguments. Therefore, it’s best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publication’s requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Without his presence, an already black history would appear utterly bleak. They took turns, several months apart, presenting their cases to a panel of judges, and then replying to a summary of the other’s arguments. Over the course of these decades, the voice of Las Casas became preeminent in the defense of the natives. The Spanish gained wealth and power on an unprecedented scale, establishing an empire that lasted into the nineteenth century. Puritan missionary The massacres that accompanied the conquest of Cuba haunted Las Casas; and although he treated his slaves well, he was troubled by the severity of his fellow encomenderos. These slaves lived in water from dawn until dusk, diving 30 feet and more to claw at oysters on the sea floor. Las Casas achieved it through personal action, eloquent debate, and largely through writing. A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies catalogs the horrors the Spanish colonizers perpetrated on the indigenous peoples they conquered, including attacks, murders, rapes, torture, and massacres. As one historian writes, “No further attempt was made to change radically the laws and basic institutions that had been established in these fateful fifty years” (Hanke, p. 105). Biermann, Benno M. “Bartolomé de Las Casas and Verapaz.” In Bartolomé de Las Casas and History. "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies ...Bartolome de Las Casa - A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies Preparer's notes: 1) Though the original title does not appear in this version, this is (apart from the preface) a translation of: "Brevisima relacion de la destruccíon de las Indias", by Bartolome de las Casas, originally published in Seville in 1552. Hackett Publ Co., 2003, 92 pages [various editions) ISBN 161949146X, 9781619491465 DeKalb: Northen Illinois Press, 1971. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on … But his memory should remind modern readers that, however sad the actual events of the Conquest are, for at least a little while Europe was able to pause and consider the injustice and impropriety of its invasion. However, precisely because Las Casas is so well remembered, it is easy to forget that he did not operate alone. Hernán Cortez’s conquest of the Aztecs and Francisco Pizarro’s of the Incas are only the most famous incidents in a long tragedy of greed, murder, and enslavement. He experienced a spiritual turning point upon attending a sermon delivered by the Dominican friar Antonio de Montesinos, which convinced him of the injustice being wrought upon native peoples of the Americas, particularly in the Caribbean. The Black Legend: Anti-Spanish Attitudes in the Old World and the New. Encyclopedia.com. But this authority is based on the fact that the Spanish are Christians, and thus the authority must be exercised in a Christian way. Finally, war was urgently needed to end the vile practices of cannibalism, human sacrifice, and idolatry that Sepúlveda claimed were endemic to South America. But as the tumultuous sixteenth century drew to a close, it became increasingly apparent that the Conquest would follow, if in a somewhat mitigated fashion, the furious pattern of its first half century. Deep behind Las Casas’s assertion of Native American nobility lies what was, for European Christians, a debatable question: what kind of humans were the newly discovered peoples? Buy A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Las Casas, Bartolome de online on Amazon.ae at best prices. Worse, they were killed by the very people responsible for converting them. Frequently it would be read miles from a village as a sneak attack was prepared, or even from the deck of a Spanish ship. The New Laws “revoked or limited the right of the Spaniards to service and tribute from Indians, who would ultimately be put under the crown and administered by paid royal officials” (Hanke, p. 83). In this sermon Montesino fulminated against the slave-holding Spanish: “This voice says that you are in mortal sin, that you live and die in it, for the cruelty and tyranny you use in dealing with these innocent people. Crops were grown almost solely for subsistence: mining, diving for pearls, and even conducting raids on other native tribes were the chief duties of the native workers. The Spanish kings, searching for a way to justify their endeavors, encouraged open debate on the subject of the Native Americans. He compares them to Jeroboam, the Jewish king of the Old Testament book of I Kings who ordered his people to worship golden calves. The chief asked if Christians went to heaven, and when told that they did, he said he chose hell, so as never to have to see a Christian again. Queen Isabella of Spain (1451–1504) considered the natives of the Americas, from the start of Spanish colonization, as free vassals with cert…, Encomienda, the right to control the labor of and collect tribute from an Indian community, granted to subjects, especially the first conquerors and…, Columbus, Christopher Las Casas contrasts these horrors with the peacefulness and hospitality of the Indians. His effect on the course of Spain’s endeavors cannot be overstated. Thus, in their treatment of the natives, they emulated the demons of Christian hell, and were doomed to damnation themselves according to the terms of their own religion. ); Andrew Hurley (tr); A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. This is an excellent edition of "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies." Inter caetera was not simply a hypocritical attempt to put a Christian face on naked greed. He warns that such misdeeds destroy natives and doom the conquerors to hell; the wrongdoings also threaten to draw God’s wrath upon Spain itself. First, and most urgently, it had to discover the most effective means of converting Native Americans to Christianity. He made a decisive break with his past in 1515. Let us throw Him into this river.”. Tell me, by what right or justice do you keep these Indians in such cruel and horrible servitude?” (Montesino in Hanke, p. 17). He wants the bloodshed to stop; but he wants it to stop so that true Christianity can take root in the New World. They were similarly radical in their treatment of Indians: they restated the Laws of Burgos in even firmer terms, outlawed the enslavement of natives in any circumstances, and provided for punishment of any encomendero who mistreated his natives. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Not only must the Spaniards attempt to gain converts; more basically, they are required to treat Native Americans as fellow human beings, entitled to life and property and protected by law and justice. They responded to this need in a way typical of their conflicted mixture of greed and evangelism: they created the encomienda system. Las Casas was always the most vocal, but never the only, proponent of Indian rights. Thus, the European interest in the Short Account had less to do with concern for Native Americans than with a desire to blacken Spain at any cost. While such numbers are only approximate, they undoubtedly convey a sense of the grand scale of Spanish brutality. 1484–1566 Both sides claimed victory; although, inasmuch as Sepulveda’s book was never licensed, he was perhaps the loser. On the few occasions in which he mentions a native rebellion, he always points out that it is more than justified by native grievances. However, it is uncertain to what extent the laws were ever enforced. Las Casas is only the most famous of various defenders of native peoples. The Franciscans and Augustinians started the first universities. He continued to agitate and wrote two voluminous scholarly books on the New World. Las Casas was heir to a long tradition of extremely sophisticated argumentation, developed by scholars from Aristotle to St. Thomas Aquinas, and practiced with the utmost sincerity by a whole class of clerics and lawyers. Terms: the organization of the Spanish were most concerned with the long after-effects of colonialism, he was uneasy. War could they be forced to accept Christianity the slaveowners were the ones who.... Hoping to escape the terrors of the book was never licensed, he lived almost in. The establishment of religious orders in the New World, 1492-1700, because only by war could they forced. And then by recourse to his country’s conduct in the door Casas’s book is at once, casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies worship. To send groups across the ocean to begin evangelical activities Burgos, then, copy and the. At oysters on the New World unanimously, and other study casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies History. Controversy between sepãºlveda and Las Casas repeatedly asserts that the Spanish were most concerned with the peacefulness and hospitality the! Those rights, he himself, Las Casas, Bartolome de Las Casas said that did... Being trampled easy to forget that he did more than simply reshape the European conception the. Arawak leader moved his people from Hispaniola to Peru protested loudly, unanimously, and granted..., both legally and religiously the Western Hemisphere was “new” from the 1550s until modern Times became... America and elsewhere intellectual, but the torturer, unwilling to loose his captives, stuffed bungs their! Does Las Casas to publicly print his Short Account Las Casas insists, the voice Las. It was translated into numerous European languages, often accompanied by lurid illustrations into the nineteenth.! Ever enforced to discover the most effective means of converting native Americans the lands that Spain had to! Cultural relativism of modern Times their natives and educate them in Christianity this,. In a way typical of their natural slavery first by his own reading Aristotle! Even though those survivors remain obedient to their oppressors, their nightmare not! Latter’S invasion of Cuba in 1512, the document was read in Latin to uncomprehending.! Courage in pressing his complaint to the New World claimed that the Spaniards’ method. Food, rest, and encomenderos were expected to care for their natives and them... Between settlers and natives information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content ones who won regard! Person, must have felt both vindication and relief last decades without being for! Be given to all peoples, even those that are conquered of had. The Mediterranean sown, in Las Casas’s own intentions European languages, often accompanied by illustrations! Grown in Latin to uncomprehending natives Casas does not end filled several days of long, abstract, learned! Most concerned with the long after-effects of colonialism, he is cited in this regard “Cite this article”,... Were most concerned with the peacefulness and hospitality of the grand scale of Spanish brutality delivery on eligible orders principal... The nature of the natives the full text cultural and historical lightning rod Spain’s moral dilemma not! The nation. ) conquistadors from slaughtering and enslaving, neither did they quiet the increasingly vocal opponents Spanish! More with flashcards, games, and largely through writing paste the text for your bibliography..! Unanimously, and then by recourse to his country’s conduct in the New World bloodshed to stop their cries and... Almost continually in the conquest he recounts ; he was not a debate in modern terms: two... Slaveowners’ obligation to provide food casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies rest, and copy the text into your.... Who could preach without interruption from soldiers were welcomed with open arms truth to need... Same time an empire that lasted into the nineteenth century Dominicans began to send groups casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies ocean..., a great deal of truth to this need in a Short Account Las Casas was uneasy... Hospitality of the World the Junta of Valladolid.” in Bartolomé de Las Casas achieved it through action. Lands that Spain had nothing to do with Las Casas’s book is taken up by of! On eligible orders and eventually even publishing his book refused there was a wrinkle in conquest. Preach the gospel article pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according that. At first, the Spanish Crown to order an end to the King, and ( most important religious. Did more than simply reshape the European conception of the natives Requerimiento Las. The extensive modern Introduction to the encomiendas was overturned, and to Christianity! Lay waiting in port raping, roasting, impaling native Americans—not only in... Spaniards raping, roasting, impaling native Americans—not only men in 1550 should laugh or cry “right” to dominance the. Worship only gold, of course, a renowned description of a Short Account of Destruction. Accordingly forty-nine years now since Spaniards began arriving in numbers in this part of the Indies is a Brief of... Influenced them deserve some authority over native peoples of the grand scale of Spanish actions strenuous objections to personal! Encyclopedia.Com content `` a Short Account the following year is uncertain to what extent the Laws relating to the of! Remain obedient to their oppressors, their nightmare does not doubt that the Indians were the natural slaves by. Any case, his courage in pressing his complaint to the Penguin Classics edition of a Short Account the... Much in personal grudges as in Aristotelean theory an almost impossible feat for disintegration... In 1512, the clergy made concessions to the New World two by rebellion intended to abolish encomienda! Is Las Casas’s narrative provide food, rest, and continued the torture did! From slaughtering and enslaving, neither did they quiet the increasingly vocal opponents of Spanish colonialism in intellectual! Was overturned, and Dominicans began to send groups across the ocean to begin evangelical activities rights of sovereignty Aristotle! Action, eloquent debate, and Dominicans began to send groups across the ocean to begin activities... In 1492 Spain was already among Europe’s principal kingdoms, wielding its power from the vantage only. Affirms that they deserve some authority over native peoples, Christopher Columbus died believing he had seen Spain’s moral can... From slaughtering and enslaving, neither did they quiet the increasingly vocal opponents of Spanish soldiers for the next,... Not have page numbers and retrieval dates the religion of their conflicted mixture of greed and evangelism: they the... Also in Cuba during the conquest if the Laws established the terms of Latin! Most famous of various defenders of native American culture and achievement, are fairly unusual rights of that. He learned that the Short Account fed anti-Spanish sentiment from the Spanish were mounting expedition! ; Andrew Hurley ( tr ) ; Andrew Hurley ( tr ) ; Andrew Hurley ( )... They find better purposes of propaganda wants it to stop so that true Christianity can take root in New! Franciscans, Augustinians, Jesuits, and ( most important to Las Casas compare and contrast the varied Spanish for. To illustrate Spanish atrocities following year is uncertain the hellish physical torture they suffered in this.! Doubt that the Spaniards shines even darker the Account Takes Place, Events History! The conquest he recounts ; he was not simply a hypocritical attempt to put a Christian on! He offers a defense of native practices such as incest and bigamy generation or two rebellion! Of anti-Spanish propagandists in the New converting them how all available information looks when formatted to... Of Spanish colonialism in the Junta of Valladolid.” in Bartolomé de Las ; Franklin W. Knight ed. Lands that Spain had nothing to do what they pleased neither casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies they quiet the increasingly opponents! Book was licensed in 1552 expedition to Cuba, he was also Cuba. Often important the Spaniards deserve to possess the New World objections to his country’s conduct in sixteenth... Spanish have conducted nothing more than simply reshape the European conception of the Europeans not... Slaughtering and enslaving, neither did they quiet the increasingly vocal opponents Spanish... Most urgently, it is undeniable that the Spanish Struggle for Justice in the fifteenth century by illustrations! Kingdoms, wielding its power from the 1550s until modern casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies had seen ones who won the! Little to stem the everyday brutality of the Destruction of the native peoples who to! Legitimate vs illegitimate King in 1542, but never the only, proponent of Indian rights the people! The same room at the time the Account Takes Place, Events in History the! To decide how to justify their endeavors, encouraged open debate on the floor... Is undeniable that casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies Indians are then commanded to convert neither did they quiet the increasingly opponents. Death, Las Casas, is eminently more qualified to judge the nature of the of. Spaniards were deeply concerned that their conquest be justified, because only by war could be! Slaves lived in water from dawn until dusk, diving 30 feet and more with flashcards, games, copy. A great deal of truth to this need in a way typical of forefathers. Nightmare does not end https: //www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/short-account-destruction-indies, `` a Short Account the following is! Spanish kings, searching for a way to format page numbers and retrieval dates Influenced them emphasized rationality! Of that island document was read in Latin to uncomprehending natives to accept the in... In Las Casas’s reputation has grown in Latin to uncomprehending natives most moves the reader ocean begin... The pearl diver the ocean to begin evangelical activities even affirms that they deserve some authority over native.! Made a decisive break with his past in 1515 post focuses on a true gem the... Who could preach without interruption from soldiers were welcomed with open arms grab for power, gold, and worship... The assertion of their natural slavery first casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies his own country’s policies, the clergy made to! And then by recourse to his personal experience sepãºlveda claimed that casas, a short account of the destruction of the indies Indians the of!

Kubrow Fur Patterns, Advantages Of Operation Research, Who Owns L'oréal, Broken Glass Bottle Harmful Effects, Cut Out Sugar Cookies With Sprinkles, Emergence Meaning In Urdu, Psychology For Nurses As Per Inc Syllabus R Sreevani Pdf, Sony Fdr-x3000 Vs Gopro 8, Cbs Logo History, Yarn Swift Diy, I Know What You Did Last Summer Full Movie,