Spanish Conquered Of The New World Dbq Questions And Answers

In 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, Spain had discovered its next easy conquest. With North America added to its territory Spain had surpassed ancient Rome as the largest empire. Exploiting the land, labor, and minerals Spain quickly conquered and settled most of South America, the Caribbean, and the Southwest. Spain used its new wealth to help finance their war in Europe. With promises of riches and many natives to convert to Christianity the Spanish sent conquistadors who brought with them not only superior military technology but also diseases like smallpox, scarlet fever, and the bubonic plague decimating native populations like the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. These Spanish conquistadors, who were poverty-stricken nobles predominantly from the west and south of Spain, were then awarded encomiendas, land grants that included the right to force native populations into slavery as long as the convert them to Christianity (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).

Bartolomé de las Casas was one of the first major fighters for human rights in the New World. In 1542, Las Casas wrote to the Spanish crown, who at the time was Charles V, “A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies,” which spoke of Spain's treachery towards the native peoples in the Spanish colonies, and asked for it to end.1 During the Spanish conquest of the New World—the region of North America and South America—the Spaniards establish dominance over the natives. They took their land, placed them without consent into the lower social class, and put them into labor. Las Casas was infuriated, especially by the hypocrisy surrounding the treatment of the natives; he felt that a society of Christian belief could never justify the behavior of the Spaniards.2 In Las Casas' letter to the crown, he denotes three key points, indicative of his goals. Las Casas wanted to end the downright enslavement of the natives, he wanted to end the war-like conquering of them, and he wanted the Spanish crown to act upon his requests—in the end, he found grand success.

The conquistadors ventured to the America’s in approximately the 1500s. During the process of settlement the conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortez encountered numerous natives who originally inhabited the land. When two unfamiliar civilizations encounter each other the end result can be unpredictable. Each human being has an unique thought process. Therefore numerous spaniards viewed the native americans as a peaceful, and kind civilization, while on the other side of the bridge, several spaniards like Hernan Cortez viewed the indians as a threat to their wellbeing. However, Bartolome de las Casas viewed the native Indians in a different manner. Bartolome de las Casas viewed the natives as a genuinely kind civilization, therefore the people

Many elements influenced the ways Europeans reacted to the indigenous people of the Americas and the ways the indigenous people responded to Europeans. Incentives, opportunities of wealth and power, and religious beliefs all played a critical role in the conquering of the Indies. It was believed that the indigenous people of the Americas had no advanced language, rules and laws of private property and ownership of lands, and other established social rules that so called advanced societies have. It was strongly believed that it was a responsibly of the Spanish to educate these advances to the indigenous people of the Indies. The conquests over the natives were justified as long as the wars were carried on legally and agreeing to Spanish rules.

Patricia Seed notes the differences between English and Spanish ideas of imperialism during the late 15th and 16th centuries. She argues that the Spanish approach claimed the rights to the people populating the New World rather than just the land that they inhabited, including their conversion to Christianity. Seed’s argument holds true when applied to the text written by Bartolomé de Las Casas. Las Casas claims that the Spanish “inhumanely and barbarously butchered and harassed with several kinds of Torments” the natives of the islands. According to Seed’s argument, the Spanish believed possession “signified dominion over [the] people” of the New World. Therefore, they would have had the right to do with the native population as they

The european belief in this period that they were naturally superior to other racial groups set the stage for debates over the basic humanity of them. Debates where the present parties were all european and Christian. This second point is much more interesting in context of these debates; Las Casas became, in 1512, the first priest in the Americas to oppose the treatment of native peoples and the military conquest of their land. (Bartolomé de Las Casas debates) He also, as noted above, used biblical arguments in his debates. On the other side, though, so did Sepulveda, seeing the conquest as a war against infidels. (Bartolomé de Las Casas

Spanish colonization started in 1492 when Cristoforo Colombo, Christopher Columbus, arrived in the West Indies .1 Even though Columbus was on route to find a easier, quicker route to India, he stumbled upon an unknown land full of exotic new people, plants, and animals. Columbus was the first Spanish American to come to America, but many more Spanish explorers would follow after him; including Cortes, Aguirre, and Pizarro. The Spanish seemed to be fascinated with what riches the new land would provide them. Their lust for the new goods made them ambitious, selfish, and untrustworthy. They couldn't even trust each other, never mind culturally different people. From the beginning

A Catholic priest Bartolome de las Casas sarcastically stated, “this was the freedom, the good treatment and the Christianity that Indians received” (Voices of Freedom 7). The violations of human rights was not a trivial topic in regards to the Indians, specifically because they were not seen as being human at all. The enslavement of Indians in the sixteenth-century was an obvious violation of human rights, but as expected the Spanish didn’t see it that way. One Spaniard stated, “the maxim of the conqueror must be to settle,” so they put thousands of Indians to mine gold for them. It is also stated that “the main agricultural crops were...grown before colonization” (Give Me Liberty 24) which gave one less job for the Spanish themselves to do,

During the conquest of the New World explorers came in and captured islands in which natives already possessed. In Christopher Columbus’s journal you read, “The Admiral called to the two captains and to the others who had jumped ashore and to Rodrigo Descobedo, the escrivano of the whole fleet, and to Rodrigo Sanchez de Segovia; and he said that they should be witnesses that, in the presence of all, he would take, as in fact he did take, possession of the said island for the king and for the queen his lords, making the declarations that were required, and which at more length are contained in the testimonials made there in writing” (8). Without permission, treaty, or compromise, they step on foreign land to them and claim it. Not only do they come in and take of what is not theirs, but they come here to convert the natives of this land to Christians. These men have Christian values and morals, but they took apart of acts of force, violence, and

We can say that the “Indians” in the new world had a successful settlement due to the fact they had migrated over at least 20,000 years ago and possibly earlier than that. (1.1) These people were nomadic, and consisted in small bands that followed their food around (1.1) Advances in hunting and agriculture let many of these nomadic people completely settle. Their characteristics that helped to make them last was their own dialect, and language. Many of the tribes possessed a way of leadership and ruler. Most tribes also had people with specific jobs (like women would mother, and gather while men hunted). Due to a technology lag the Spanish began to take over the indian tribes and territories (1.1). Spain ruled a vast empire based on the labor and exploitation of the Indian population.Spanish conquistadors, were able to conquer the huge empires of the New World with the help of superior military technology, diseases (which weakened Indian resistance), and military tactics including surprise attacks and powerful alliances with local tribes. These characteristics helped made their settlements strong and able to last. England was last to start setting up colonies. This meant they were unable to claim which ever spot they wanted as home.Spain dominated South America, Mexico, the West Indies, the American Southwest, and Florida. While the French were along North America’s

Things didn’t go so well after the small colonisation and the Aztec and Spanish alike grew to despise Columbus’ rule. Because of this, the King and Queen sent over the son of a Spanish Nobleman, Hernán Cortes, along with an army to gather gold and spread Christianity.

Yeah, this is reasonable to say, by introducing Christianity Spanish were saving Indians from slavery itself. According to the native american, Indian people have no freedom at all they are slave of themselves. Christianity was modern and superior in the society deals with freedom, they actually able to implies the modern society or new world to Indians through converting into Christianity.

This meant Spain was stable politically and religiously internally,so could direct its energies and resources to voyages of exploration and discovery,and provide military means for the conquest of the 'New World' of the Americas once Columbus had discovered it and claimed it for Spain.

When you think of the word Christianity, greed shouldn’t be the first thing to come to mind, however in the excerpt “Petition for Indian tribute and personal service” these two concepts come hand in hand. The King of Spain is royally decreeing that Pueblo Indians in New Mexico will serve ten years of tribute if they fail to convert to Christianity. Prior the Indians were being forced to work as indentured servants. Although the King is saying this is for the sake of Christianity the underlying truth is that either way this is looked at the Indians are being changed for the greed of Spain; they will be Christian for the sake of Spain or they will work for the sake of Spain. The Spaniards knew that they were able to use the Indians for their

The discovery and eventually conquest of Latin America and the Caribbean Islands is perhaps one of the single most important encounter of two cultures. In 1492, when the conquistadores first set foot on the New World, not only did they discovered territories previously unknown to them; but also great civilizations who inhabited the lands. As Marshall Eakin describes in his book The History of Latin America, the civilizations of the Americas were “monarchies led by powerful leaders… they were built in complex social and cultural systems” (Eakin, 65). Nevertheless despite the Native American’s great achievements, these civilizations possessed a great amount of disadvantages compared to their Spanish conquerors. Such disadvantages played a decisive role in the conquest of the New World by the Spaniards. The conquistadores’ main decisive factor in the conquest of the New World was the transferal of old world diseases into the new world, followed by their superior weapons, the Indigenous rivalries, native superstitions, and the aid of black slaves.