Bartolomé de las Casas

The word freedom has all but one meaning and does not change over the course of history instead a different group of people demand to acquire it and their view of freedom varies from others in history. Rather those who in the similar discourse wish to obtain a level of respect from those around them, them being the people of the United States, be it male or female, European of Britain American usually white, they were the ones who set the bar for who is superior for the time being.Though not…

though he found gold and new resources for Spain, Columbus enslaved and killed millions of Tainos in the process. Tainos were killed, abused, and enslaved for terror to show that they have the power in the new land and for religion. As said by Bartolome De Las Casas in his journal, “They spared no one, erecting especially wide gibbets on which they could string their victims up with their feet just off the ground and then burn them alive.” The horrible genocide has four suspects: King Ferdinand…

In this book, David Cook attempts to synthesize all available information about the spread of disease in the new world in one volume. Cook’s main argument is that the traditional historiography on the subject, most notably that written by Bartolome de Las Casas, over-emphasizes the cruelty of the Spanish as the reason behind the massive deaths experienced in Amerindian populations. Cook shows in this book how diseases such as smallpox, measles, and influenza were actually much more devastating…

Before Christopher Columbus, the Native Americans as a whole lived in a variety of cultures and cannot be simply grouped into one larger society. This division and diversity allowed for rich art and histories but also facilitated European conquest. The Native Americans can be divided into two large groups, those of North America, and those of South & Central America, to be analysed separately. Within Central and South America, there were two main populations. The Mayans ruled much of the…

The Native Americans had very well structured societies that despite being highly functional, were substantially different from typical European society. Bartolome de Las Casas wrote that the Native Americans, “had properly organized states, wisely ordered by excellent laws, religion, and custom. They cultivated friendship and, bound together is common fellowship, lived in populous cities in which they wisely administered…

José Martí’s “Our America” was a call for nationalism for Cuba as well as Latin American/indigenous identities. While I concur with the statement made by Martí, I disagree to an extent. In my essay, I will highlight the role of government in Cuba during this time, my beliefs on his quote by referencing aligning stories of indigenous and slave resistance, and determining the contradiction behind such statement in terms of the Europeans. Prior to the infamous ‘discovery’ of Cuba, the country had…

Christopher Columbus’ journey to find a sea route to Asia in 1492 changed the way we see the world. Not realizing that there was an expansive land mass west of Europe, in between Spain and Asia, Columbus landed in the Bahamas only to be greeted by the indigenous Arawak native tribe that had been on the island for decades. Columbus saw this encounter as an opportunity to pay back Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain for his voyage, ships and crew. Columbus then set off, sending thousands of natives…

Utilizing the lens of intersectionality allows for analytical analysis of social identity structures such as gender, race, class, and sexuality. It invites study on a multidimensional level, providing complexity and context to researching social categories. Conceptually providing a greater understanding of advantages and disadvantages, differences and similarities, within social constructs resulting from identification with multiple categories. Discussing the readings “The Legacy of Slavery, by…

Directly following the start of the Commercial Revolution in the 1400s, Spain and England began to colonize the Americas, which was often referred to as the New World.The Spanish and English colonies were both similar and different in several ways. The Spanish and English colonies were slightly alike in the poor and unfair treatment of indigenous people and substantially different in religion and economic base. The Spanish and English were slightly comparable in terms of treatment of indigenous…

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer born in Genova, Italy around 1451, although being born into a poor family his father was able to send him to the University of Pavia where he studied navigation, Latin, geometry, geography and astronomy. Columbus spent much of his life in Portugal and Spain, after seeking funds for an expedition to locate the Land he believed to be Asia, it was here he met with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand who obliged him. He was highly revered because of his…