Justifying Conquest

Three different people expanded on their thoughts about the Spaniards conquest of the Native Americans. One of which was a Dominican friar, Anton Montecino. Anton wrote a sermon in 1511, where he argued that the Spanish conquistadors were greedy for gold and did not really care about spreading Christianity to the native peoples. He insisted that they were sinning and that the conquistadors had no right to kill the natives or force them into slavery, since the natives did nothing to harm the Spaniards. In response to this sermon, in 1512 and 1513 King Ferdinand of Spain gathered his philosophers, theologians and other advisors and wrote the Requerimiento. This document was written to justify the conquest of the native peoples. It was read to the Indians before the Spaniards took over. But since the natives did not speak spanish they could not understand the Conquistadors. It gives them a chance to convert to Christianity and let the Spaniards take over peacefully. It also stated that the Pope was God on earth and that he gave the Indian's land to the king and queen of Spain. Therefore, giving them the right to take it and rule it. If the allowed the Spaniards to take over and allow their priests to preach to them and hear what they had to say then the Spaniards insisted that "we...shall receive you in all love and charity", leave their women, children and land for them to do with as they please, not force them to convert to Chrisitianity, and many other benefits. If they refused or delayed too long in making a decision then the Conquistadors and their army would enter their country and make war, force their religion upon them, take their wives and children and sell them, take away their goods, do harm and damage to them and their belongings, and kill them if they resisted further. The third and final person is Bartolome de Las Casas who was an eye witness to the cruelties in the New World. In 1552, he wrote his accounts in The Cruelties of the Spaniards Committed in America Destruction of the Indies. Bartolome describes the island San Salvador as highly populated, with fertile soil, and very diverse. He claims that the Indians are kind and welcoming to the travelers. He agrees with the friar that the Spaniards were greedy for gold. Bartolome reports that the Native American peoples "undeservedly perished" and did not know why they were killed and were not told of Christianity before they were killed. On the Island Hispaniola the people started to defend themselves but their weapons were no match for the advanced tactics and armor of the Spaniards. This only angered the Spaniards and they started killing every person, sparing no one. They killed them in the cruelest of ways such as burning them or smashing their skulls on rocks. Bartolome is saying that the natives should have been given a chance to convert and live peacefully with the Europeans rather than just killing them. All three people agree that the Spaniards were greedy for gold and riches and they justified that greed and the many murders they committed by stating that the Pope had given them the land.

Many of these issues seen here are still in society today. Differences in cultures or people in general are still not accepted very well. So this problem is too be expected that the Natives would not be received well by the Spaniards. They were driven by their lust for gold and wealth and didn't care about spreading Christianity. This is also an issue in today's society. Our culture is driven by the spirit of competition and having money. Although, just because these issues are still shown in our own human nature it does not justify the Spaniards actions anymore than they're reasoning that the Pope gave them the right. It just goes to show that we have not learned much from the past. If the Spaniards had learned that the way they approached the New World was all wrong then maybe our society would be different then it is. It guess we just never learn.