Introduction
A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de Las Casas demonstrates the harsh realities experienced by the Natives during colonialism. The text includes detailed descriptions of the human crimes committed by Spanish colonists. The reformer witnessed the mistreatment as he traveled across the Americas, noting specific cases and devoting a good part of his work to reference them. Eventually, it becomes clear that the showcased cruelty towards native people was inevitable due to the colonizers’ attempts to prosper materialistically. As an account of terror and murder, the text can still be questioned for its accuracy and validity. In that way, the text must be further reviewed to highlight its purpose and credibility.
A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de Las Casas
First, Las Casas refers to grim and shocking instances of the Spaniards’ abuse of power. For example, the author notes: “…the Spaniards to make Excursions, that is, to rob other Provinces…take away many of these peaceable People as they could….” (Las Casas, 2007, 5). Las Casas describes the Spanish cruelties in such detail to highlight the need to help the Natives and prevent further abuse. Second, according to the text and its background information, this attitude towards the rightful inhabitants of the Americas formed as they seemed different than the Spaniards and did not follow the same religious beliefs (Las Casas 2007). As a result, the following inhumane treatment targeted changing the people according to European standards. Evidently, the account author strongly disagreed with the colonizers and illustrated the negative aspect of the events to then appeal to the Spanish Royalty. The unquestionable efforts of Bartolomé de Las Casas to prove the colonizers’ wrongdoings could be questioned in terms of the text’s validity. In that way, the author could have exaggerated some cruel instances to urge the monarch to take action.
Conclusion
In conclusion, A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de Las Casas offers an in-depth view of the inhumane treatment of the America’s Natives by the Spaniards. Through various examples and provided detail, the author emphasizes the unfair and horrifying circumstances in which people were living under the Spanish colonists. Although some instances mentioned could have been exaggerated, the historical significance of the text is evident, as it demonstrates the importance of avoiding such brutal behavior.
Reference
Las Casas, Bartolomé. 2007. A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies. The Project Gutenberg EBook. Web.