Spanish Treatment Of Indians

The opposition may make multiple arguments justifying Spanish treatment of Indians: the Indians were well suited to slave labor, the Spanish had the right to correct "savage" behavior, and it is the job of the Spaniards to "save the Indians from heathenism and prevent them from falling under the sway of Protestantism" (GML, 26). Despite these counters, there are many instances where the Natives did not receive humane treatment. When reviewing Spain’s actions, one will understand that the invaders did not respect the sovereignty of the Indian people, and treated them as “beasts tied to a rope…” (VOF, 9). For example, in Spanish America, “the Spanish forced tens of thousands of Indians to work in gold and silver mines, which supplied the

empire’s wealth, and on large scale farms… controlled by Spanish landlords” (GML, 23). The opposition may argue that One must also remember that the Indians did not willfully work for the Spaniards. Violations of freedom continued on the island of Hispaniola where the invaders fed the Indian slaves a small amount of food that only partially satisfied their hunger; on one occasion, a group of thirty to forty Indians fed upon a single pig, each person ate a bite the size of a walnut (VOF, 8). Keep in mind that the Indians were paid little to nothing and worked very long times (eight months at one time in the Indies). The money that could have gone towards the Indian’s wages was instead used by Spanish leaders. When these leaders did not receive their demands, they severely punished the Indians. To illustrate, during Columbus’ voyage in Haiti, the Spanish men ordered the Natives to dig up a quota of gold, those who did not succeed “[had] their hands cut off and be bled to death” (Lecture, 6). Additional examples of the injustice and exploitation are found from the Spanish conversion of the Indians. While it is understandable for one to share their beliefs, the Spanish crossed the line: In New Mexico, Spaniards “burn[ed] Indian idols, masks, and other sacred objects” (GML, 31). The actions of conquistadors from Spain exploited natives and violated their human rights.