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A short account of the destruction of the indies reading

A short account of the destruction of the indies reading

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A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552) Evaluation

The nature of the source – author, type of source etc…

• Spanish European, Christian, Personal account. Not typical top-down view. Catholic

missionary. Written 49 years after the Spanish arrived – 1542. Published 10 years later.

Published later – betrayal. Very critical source.

What it tells us about European experiences in the New World

• Uprooted previous civilisations. Violent. Brutal. Greedy and ambitious.

• Land is still taken. Obstacles to taking land. Testament to nature of land. Sustaining many

people. Big enough for established societies.

What it tells us about Native Americans

• Not much of a fight, taken advantage of

• Weak, in need of saving by the Europeans. Begging to be converted.

• Humble people – don’t want a fuss

• Open to the Christian faith, only need a push

• Vulnerable

• ‘without malice and guile’ – easy to colonise

• ‘simplest people in the world’

• ‘utterly faithful and obedient’

• Like animals – ‘creatures’

• Lack of greed and violence or power-seeking

• Lack of modesty

What does he argue? What purpose did the source serve?

• Morally wrong to use religion to justify despotic actions. Outsider perspective, not traditional

narrative of history. Criticising the methods of the Europeans

• Writing to Spanish people – language synonymous with good ways of living described in the

bible

• Uses animalistic language to describe the Spanish – emotionless

• Natives = lamb/sheep. Spanish = lions. Drawing on allegories from the bible. Jesus compared

to a lamb – gentle, good creatures.

• Money is Spanish motivation – bible does not like greed. Plays on classical literature –

Dante’s Inferno.

• Writes to people of influence – they would be receptive to Inferno – classic texts would

resonate. Educated.

• Spanish maim bodies – enjoyment in killing. Torturing people. Used as a message to others.

o ‘pretending to be Christians have uprooted these pitiful peoples’

o ‘diabolical behaviour of the Christians’

o ‘murdered on such a vast scale and killed anyone and everyone in their way is purely

and simply greed’ – economic

o ‘slaughtering everyone they found there, including small children, old men, pregnant

women, and even women who had just given birth’

What major themes in American history does it address?

• Religion, colonisation, wealth, treatment of vulnerable minority groups

Is it a valuable source for historians?

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A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (1552) Evaluation The nature of the source – author, type of source etc… • Spanish European, Christian, Personal account. Not typical top-down view. Catholic missionary. Written 49 years after the Spanish arrived – 1542. Published 10 years later. Published later – betrayal. Very critical source. What it tells us about European experiences in the New World • • Uprooted previous civilisations. Violent. Brutal. Greedy and ambitious. Land is still taken. Obstacles to taking land. Testament to nature of land. Sustaining many people. ...
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