Short Writing Assignment: Argument Identification Were the pre-Columbian Indians in the “New World” human beings according to Sepulveda? In Sepulveda’s text Prologue to the Members of the Congregation you must cite 3 different pieces of evidence in support of the interpretation that Sepulveda believed the Indians were sub-human beings in the sense that they were like animals (i.e. horses, cattle, etc.). Sepulveda uses the word ‘Subdue’ meaning to kill and dominate towards the Indians because he believes they are all barbaric. He believed that if you’re not a Christian you are a barbarian. Sepulveda states that the barbarians are savages and didn't have an organized society, believing that the Spanish were superior to the Indians. …show more content…
2.
In Defense of the Indians Bartolome de las Casas offers an argument against Sepulveda’s view of the Indians. What premises does Las Casas offer to support the conclusion that the Indians are human beings? Las Casas argues that that there are 4 types of barbarians, but only the 3rd kind is barbarian, those who are considered “freaks of nature.” Las Casas believed the Spanish were out to help the Indians, even though they were barbarians and not Christian. It is stated in The Soul “For the good and all-powerful God, in his love for mankind, he created all things for man’s use and protects him whom he has endowed with so many qualities by a singular affection and care.” In conclusion, the Indians were made by God, so it is impossible for them to be imperfect. 3. Are the Indians barbarian according to Bartolome de las
Casas? Las Casas believed that the Indians are not barbarian except for the 3rd kind which he calls ‘sub-human’. He believes that the Indians are not barbarian by nature. He argues that the Indians are human because they are not ignorant, but wise, courageous, have the potential to live a regular life and you can’t accuse a race without saying God made a mistake. 4. Identify 3 assumptions both Sepulveda and Bartolome de las Casas share in their overall positions. Sepulveda and Las Casas believed that the Indians are barbarians to some extent, but at some time the Europeans would have to convert the Indians to Christianity. Both Sepulveda and Las Casas follow the Catholic intellectual tradition and both cite Alexander Vi’s Papal Bull (executive order by the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church). According to the Papal Bull, Sepulveda believes that the Spanish were going to conquer and convert the Indians to Christianity. Las Casas believed that the Spanish should convert missionaries, without having to start war. 5. What are Sepulveda and Bartolome de las Casas methodologies for answering the question about the status of pre- Colombian Indians? Give 2 features their methodologies share. Methods of Sepulveda and Las Casas are claim, evidence and impact. Sepulveda’s claim explains that because of the Indians, we are all are damed because the Indians are still considered barbaric unless they convert to Christianity. With evidence they are succumbed with human sacrifices and the impact of the Indians question people if they should subdue them or not. Las Casas method of claim is that not all Indians should not be subdued. With evidence he talks about personal experience with the Indians and how some, but not all, are barbaric. The impact of what the Spanish are doing is completely wrong, subduing the Indians is wrong in a Christian manner because the Indians didn't need to be taught into Christianity.
When Spaniards colonized California, they invaded the native Indians with foreign worldviews, weapons, and diseases. The distinct regional culture that resulted from this union in turn found itself invaded by Anglo-Americans with their peculiar social, legal, and economic ideals. Claiming that differences among these cultures could not be reconciled, Douglas Monroy traces the historical interaction among them in Thrown Among Strangers: The Making of Mexican Culture in Frontier California. Beginning with the missions and ending in the late 1800s, he employs relations of production and labor demands as a framework to explain the domination of some groups and the decay of others and concludes with the notion that ?California would have been, and would be today, a different place indeed if people had done more of their own work.?(276) While this supposition may be true, its economic determinism undermines other important factors on which he eloquently elaborates, such as religion and law. Ironically, in his description of native Californian culture, Monroy becomes victim of the same creation of the ?other? for which he chastises Spanish and Anglo cultures. His unconvincing arguments about Indian life and his reductive adherence to labor analysis ultimately detract from his work; however, he successfully provokes the reader to explore the complexities and contradictions of a particular historical era.
The source of the first passage that I read was History of the Indies written by Bartolome de Las Casas written in 1528. Bartolome was a 16th century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar/priest, who condemned the treatment of Indians in the Spanish empire. Bartolome widely disseminated History of the Indies and helped to establish the Black Legend of Spanish cruelty (Give Me Liberty, 28). The source of the second passage that I read was the “Declaration of Josephe” which was created by Josephe on December 19, 1681, and Josephe was a Spanish-speaking Indian questioned by a royal attorney in Mexico City investigating the Pueblo Revolt, which is the revolt of the indian population, in 1680, which temporarily drove Spanish settlers out of present day New Mexico
In George E. Tinker’s book, American Indian Liberation: A Theology of Sovereignty, the atrocities endured by many of the first peoples, Native American tribes, come into full view. Tinker argues that the colonization of these groups had and continues to have lasting effects on their culture and thus their theology. There is a delicate balance to their culture and their spiritual selves within their tightly knit communities prior to contact from the first European explorers. In fact, their culture and spiritual aspects are so intertwined that it is conceptually impossible to separate the two, as so many Euro-American analysts attempted. Tinker points to the differences between the European and the Native American cultures and mind sets as ultimately
In The White Man’s Indian, Robert Berkhoffer analyzes how Native Americans have maintained a negative stereotype because of Whites. As a matter of fact, this book examines the evolution of Native Americans throughout American history by explaining the origin of the Indian stereotype, the change from religious justification to scientific racism to a modern anthropological viewpoint of Native Americans, the White portrayal of Native Americans through art, and the policies enacted to keep Native Americans as Whites perceive them to be. In the hope that Native Americans will be able to overcome how Whites have portrayed them, Berkhoffer is presenting
Of the text named Bartolome de las casas: In Defense of the Indians(c.1550) it covers what is to be the Spanish Conquistadores, and talks of the natives to which at the time seen by many are barbaric, ignorant, incapable of learning, just another group of people to be conquered. But to the Catholic missionaries they see the Natives as new people to influence and enlighten. But if at any time the person drops the belief of Christianity they would use deadly force against the person or family. Adding to that Hernán comments that their cities are “ worth of admiration because of its building, which are like those of Venice”(Poole 4). While the argument remain if really would the Natives had stood a chance what
In the book Bad Indians, Miranda talks about the many issues Indigenous People go through. Miranda talks about the struggles Indigenous people go through; however, she talks about them in the perspective of Native Americans. Many people learn about Indigenous People through classrooms and textbooks, in the perspective of White people. In Bad Indians, Miranda uses different literary devices to show her perspective of the way Indigenous People were treated, the issues that arose from missionization, as well as the violence that followed through such issues. Bad Indians is an excellent example that shows how different history is told in different perspectives.
In Thomas King’s novel, The Inconvenient Indian, the story of North America’s history is discussed from his original viewpoint and perspective. In his first chapter, “Forgetting Columbus,” he voices his opinion about how he feel towards the way white people have told America’s history and portraying it as an adventurous tale of triumph, strength and freedom. King hunts down the evidence needed to reveal more facts on the controversial relationship between the whites and natives and how it has affected the culture of Americans. Mainly untangling the confusion between the idea of Native Americans being savages and whites constantly reigning in glory. He exposes the truth about how Native Americans were treated and how their actual stories were
Anthropologist and other Friends is an article by Vine Deloria. This article is about Native Americans and their struggles – mainly with anthropologists. Deloria is very quick in this article to express his hatred towards anthropologist because of the way they “study” the Native Americans. After reading this article one may find three main points to focus on: the significance of the writing, the criticism one may feel towards the writing, and the arguments against the anthropologist laid out in the writing. There are many significant points and findings in this article.
Although, Father Las Casas wrote about these historical events, we must also state that the events he wrote could be exaggeration on his part in trying to save the Indians from the Spaniards cruelty and brutality.
Author and Indian Activist, Vine Deloria makes compelling statements in chapters one and five of his Indiana Manifesto, “Custer Died for Your Sins.” Although published in 1969 this work lays important historic ground work for understanding the plight of the Indian in the United States. Written during the turbulent civil rights movement, Deloria makes interesting comparisons to the Black struggle for equal rights in the United States. He condemns the contemporary views toward Indians widely help by Whites and argues that Indians are wrongly seen through the historic lens of a pipe smoking, bow and arrow wielding savage. Deloria forcefully views the oppressors and conquerors of the Indian mainly as the United States federal government and Christian missionaries. The author’s overall thesis is that Whites view Indians the way they want to see them which is not based in reality. The resulting behavior of Whites towards Indians shows its affects in the false perception in law and culture.
Las Casas emphasizes on three main issues throughout his account. First, in almost each chapter, Las Casas writes about the luscious qualities of the land and the different indigenous peoples that inhabit them. Second, he explains and describes in detail how the natives were rapidly being massacred by the invading Christian Europeans. Finally, Las Casas discusses how God had brought justice to the Europeans for their diabolical acts upon the natives. Las Casas, a former slave owner himself, realized that those whom he previously enslaved were just as much human and capable of learning and practicing the Christian faith as he was. As a bishop, he realized he could do little for the Natives except document his experiences (in as much detail as possible) and hope that the royal administration would have sympathy for the Natives and establish laws to protect them from the Europeans.
In schools, students are being taught wrong information. “Our gods were vanquished after the fall of Tenochtitlan as were our traditions. Our warriors and nobles were eradicated, our children starved and our women ravished by the white conquerors and their allies.” (157). In books across America, the Spaniards were said to be good people, but the way that Huitzitzilin described what happened, shows the complete opposite of how the Spaniards actually were.
According to Deloria, there are many misconceptions pertaining to the Indians. He amusingly tells of the common White practice of ...
The Black Legend and White Legend: Relationship Between the Spanish and Indians in the New World
...edy, violent, and cruel men who put unarmed and harmless Indians to the sword and rob them with extraordinary avarice?(120) When they see Christians venting their rage against them with so many massacres, so much bloodshed without any just cause…”(119).