How Did Bartolome De Las Casas

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Bartolome de Las Casas’ A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies provides a first-hand account of the effects of Spanish colonisation on the native population of the Americas. The excerpt summarises Las Casas’ perspective of the colonisation of New Spain and the violent aspects of Spain’s colonial practices. This essay will examine the degree to which A Short Account is a valuable piece of historical evidence in relation to unit themes – specifically, imperialism and colonialism – and the accuracy of Las Casas’ account.
Bartolome de Las Casas’ authorship of A Short Account in 1542 drew attention to issues of class and colonialism within Spanish society. Las Casas was known as a prominent historian, social reformer and religious leader in 16th century Spain, acting as the official “protector of the Indians” and as a fierce advocate for social reform …show more content…
Additionally, Allen highlights Cabeza de Vaca’s account of the natives, whose “cruel” nature directly contrasts with Las Casas’ representation of the natives as strictly docile, damaging the credibility of A Short Account. Furthermore, Clayton’s biography of Las Casas supports the opinion that his accounts held significant exaggeration; Clayton describes Las Casas as having “…a true missionary spirit” , though “Las Casas emerges as one of the great historic revisionists of all times” . Thus, the value of Las Casas’ A Short Account as historical evidence is significantly compromised due to his clear bias towards the natives and revisionism, though the excerpt does provide a compelling representation of Spanish colonialism and

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