In the tri-section reading assigned, the authors present us with a very clear and obvious idea of what happened during the Spanish conquests in America. Although the documents speak from very opposites stances, they all show just how cruel and unrelenting the Spaniards were towards the original inhabitants of America. In Montecino's 1511 sermon, he directly accuses the Spanish people of disturbing God's appointed inhabitants of the America's with their own personal pride, lust, and anger. He makes it very obvious to the audience that Spanish activity in America directly contradicts their original claims to convert the Indians to Christianity. In the second document, The Requerimiento, the King Ferdinand makes a perfectly fair and proper claim to the Indians that the Spaniards will provide them with excellent care and benefits if they comply with the Spanish conquests. He must, of course, also provide them with a consequence of complete destruction if they choose to ignore reverence to their Spanish superiors. The third document, by Bartolome De Las Casas, is an actual account by an eye witness of the Spaniards' cruelty to the Indians. Although the latter two documents are both biased from opposite viewpoints, this document actually tells how the Spanish tormented and tortured the Indians without cause or reason. It says how the Indians didn't even fight back until they absolutely had to; and the arms with which they took up were nothing more than wooden sticks.

In response to the three articles, it is obvious that the Spanish were cruel; this is clear in each document. Despite this, the author of the Requerimiento is blind of his contradictions to his own claims to want to convert the Indians. It is completely outrageous how a supposedly Christian king would threaten to wipe out an entire race if they did not submit to his almighty greed, pride and blood lust. The friar Montecino pins the motives of the Spaniards exactly. I agree entirely with his rebuking of the Conquistadors in America for their wicked deeds towards the native inhabitants. But above both of these documents, I have a greater respect for the man Bartolome De Las Casas for his account of the actual events in America. He provided an almost entirely unbiased document of the cruelties of the Spaniards. Despite the King's claim to not attack without reason, they most certainly did do so. I find it sick how our country ignores the terror of how our land was first discovered and inhabited.

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This entry was posted by vincentcoppola, on Monday, October 1, 2007. You can leave your response.