American History

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American History

1.) What’s your gut reaction to the reading?

I feel that Spanish colonialists had no conscious because of the manner that they treated the Indian slaves. It was very inhuman of them believing that it was God’s plan for them to take American lands. Any resistance was treated as an evil intention. This treatment was inhuman and unacceptable
2.) What was Columbus’ background, his motivation for wanting to pursue finding a western route to the Indies and his ideology regarding non-European non-Christians? 

Christopher Columbus was an explorer who made four trips from Spain across Atlantic Ocean. During his time, leaders sponsored expeditions hoping that vast undiscovered lands as well as great wealth would be found by explorers. When Columbus was a teenager, he was at sea and working in a merchant ship until it sank. Columbus was motivated by the thought that he could have fortune and fame and also get an opportunity to take Catholicism all over the globe to non-Christians and non-European (Williams).
3.) What are the origins of plantation slavery that Columbus brought to the Americas? How did Queen Isabella respond to Columbus enslaving Indians? 

The origins of the plantation slavery that Columbus brought were from the islands that he met on the way in his explorations. One time as he was heading West with his native slaves searching for gold and other valuable goods, he got more slaves. He sent about 500 of them to Queen Isabella. The queen could not accept the slaves as she believed that Columbus was enslaving Spanish people, which was not acceptable. She was not horrified when Indians were enslaved. 

4.) How did Spain explain the purpose of the encomienda system?

Spain explained the purpose of the encomienda system as a way of benefiting all the people. The weakest individuals offered services to the strongest in exchange for protection.

5.) How did the Spanish colonists and the King respond to Montesinos’ critique of their treatment of the Indians? Why did the King have this reaction?

Montesinos criticized the slavery of the Indians by the Spanish colonialists. He pointed out that he was the voice in the wilderness and that his purpose was to protest for human liberty. However, the King and Spanish colonialists believed in the encomienda system. The Spanish colonialists respondent by ordering Montesinos to be silent while the King responded by announcing a royal decree. The king responded this way because he was the strongest and he did not want the Indian slaves to feel that they also deserved freedom (Williams).

6.) Explain the function of the Requerimiento in theory compared to it’s function in practice. (This question pertains to pp. 91-93, remember to skip the first two paragraphs on p. 91.)

In theory, the function of the Requerimiento was to inform the native Americans of Spain’s rights to conquer and possess new territories, exploit, subjugate them and when necessary fight the native inhabitants. However, in practice, Spaniards considered those who resisted to be defying God’s plan and therefore punished them as they believed they harbored evil intentions. 

Work Cited

Williams, Robert A. The American Indian In Western Legal Thought. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990. Print.