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Much Abbreviated of the Destruction of the Indies From the very beginning racial issues were explained by variety of reasons mainly based on religion. When Columbus first stepped at the land of the New World, he thought the land belonged to the India. Therefore, the natives were inferior, the second-chop people. Later the Holy Church announced that the Indians were descendants of Adam and Eva and should be put in Christianity in the same manner it was practiced in other pagan countries. When the kind signed New Laws, he understood that the law can be met with resistance in West-India. He needed strong people to embody the law into reality.
Thats why Charles V offered Las Casas a bishop chair in Peru. Bartolome preferred Chiapas, because he had a good knowledge of language of area, located between Mexico and Guatemala. In the end of 1544 the bishop with group of Dominicans entered the New World (Baptiste 72). From the very beginning colonizers granted honors to new bishop, because they thought they will be able to get along with.
Soon Spaniards understand that compromise is impossible and Las Casas came to abolish the former regime. New Laws threatened to enquomedoro to lead a good life. It was the beginning of tragic story. The bishop seemed to fail. Intrigues, debates and claims became permanent companions of his life. He works hard and soon announces that he will not give absolution to colonizers who have Indian slaves.
Finally he realizes that he will not be able to win without support. In 1546 he leaves for Spain. Bartolome tries to put the ideas into the kings head that system of colonization is doomed to failure. In order to solve the problem, the government arranges a special meeting of theologists and lawyers. It doesnt bring any valuable results and Las Casas publishes work about the destruction of the Indians (Brevsima remain de la destruction de las Indias). He presents evidences of crimes committees against Indians.
The Conquistadors treated natives as they treated livestock. Spaniards were rude and cynical. They acted with the cross in their hands and insatiable thirst for gold in their hearts. Colonizers were trying to get cheap labor source; they threatened Indians with brutal punishments and forced them to work as slaves.
Conquistadors had the feeling of impunity and permissiveness. Passive resistance of Indians made Conquistadors to be crueler. This is the way Much Abbreviated of the Destruction of the Indies tells us about bloody times. Bishop Bartolome de las Casas is high on the list of people who withstood slavery and violence; people who protected right and humanity. He made a lot of bitterest enemies. Yet, you cannot tell he was an exception to the rule and treat him as Don Quixote, tilting at windmills.
Cardinal Himenes appointed Bartolome de las Casas the expert for affairs of native inhabitants in West-India and called him the Patron of Indians. Yet, the title was majestic but powerless. In his book Bartolome believes in possibility of peaceful colonization of Europeans and continues to draw distinctions between good and bad methods of colonization (Bakewell 114). Las Casas writes that black people are justly treated as slaves.
Don Carlos understands the murders committed by Conquistadors as the direct threat to metropolitan interests. Bartolome calls strong resistance to Conquista a fair and righteous affair, because the colonization of Indian lands was a violent bloody usurpation. He writes that inhabitants of all colonized lands have right to wage war against colonizers and to raze them to the ground. This will be their rights till the Justice Day. Las Casas became the forerunner of all those rebellious priests in the history of Latin-American Catholicism. At the same time we need to understand that Las Casas radicalism was a mature judgment based on his activity.
Las Casas was a witness of pseudo-missionary work of Spaniards who used brute force and made the pagans judge Jesus Christ as the cruelest God in the whole world. Las Casas wrote that Christian religion is equal for all people in the world. Christians shouldnt deprive people of personal freedom and property. The Christian religion (and Spaniards in particular, being the weapon of religion) shouldnt turn people into slaves with excuse that people can be slaves or free because of their origin. Much Abbreviated of the Destruction of the Indies presents us the Bartolome's position regarding the natives. It is a story of Conquista, full of gloomy facts of crimes, murders, violence and cruelty.
Bartolome stigmatizes colonizers, because the closer he gets acquainted with Indians, the more he understands that situation between the Spaniards and Indians is in a terrible plight (Las Casas 48). He writes that the God created Indians as simple people without any malignancy and insidiousness. The Indians are very obedient and devoted to their gods and Christians, whom they serve. The natives are extremely patient, peaceful and virtuous. Bartolome is sure that the natives are able to become blissful people. Las Casas considered necessary to keep national traditions of Indians and power of their chiefs-classics.
He understood they Europeans cannot judge the pagans as barbarians. Conquistadors were impressed by monuments made by local inhabitants: pyramids, statues and citadels. Olmecs, Aztecs, Maya and other people of continent belonged to highly-developed civilizations that were highly competitive with those of Ancient East or Medieval Europe. Even Diego de Landa, a person who strictly persecuted American natives, confirmed that Maya have long and significant history.
Is Much Abbreviated of the Destruction of the Indies about race and racism? We need to admit that main losses were directly caused not by conscious actions of Spain government but by actions of Spanish colonizers. Ignorance and cruelty of colonizers resulted in devastation of territories they could derive better benefit from and both with less economic losses and use of violence and brute force. Bartolome de las Casas in his passionate accusation spoke about Christian mercy. He proposed more rational policy of colonization. Instead of treating Indians as livestock and shorten the period of their capacity for work by three-four years, Bartolome de las Casas proposed to create special colonies where the Indians could obey their ancient customs and traditions and work effectively.
Otherwise they would be wiped off the face of the earth. Bartolome de las Casas considers that the common feature of policy of colonization was vicious mentality of colonizers. The king gave Spaniards free hands to do whatever they would consider as necessary. The Spaniards, in their turn, determined the future of Indians without any remorse.
Some historians often resort to various semantic tricks to draw a veil over the genocide and racism during the epoque of colonization and use term ethno cide instead of genocide. In such a way they accentuate the destruction of culture and put the destruction of the Indians aside not to compromise the harmonious world history. The gap between colonizers and Indians was sorely felt and colonizers made all conscious efforts to deepen this gap and draw clear-cut differences between the two nations: biological, religious, cultural and social-economic. The differences, in their turn, contributed to degradation: murders and violence in relation to Indians were held in honor. The victims had too little in common with Spaniards to be put in doubt concerning their right to kill. Racism was the fundamental principle of this genocide and contained more indifference and contempt than hatred.
Much Abbreviated of the Destruction of the Indies made me to re-conceive the events of the past. Really, the monstrous destruction of the Indies was a crime that yielded huge profit. The victims were deprived of their property, land, culture, belief, self-consciousness and ideology. Whatever character the destruction was, it was inevitable and final. The problem was solved first, last and all the time. Slavery was the only alternative to this genocide.
On the other hand, destruction of the Indies and murder brought more profit to Spaniards: one day the slave can demand freedom, whereas a dead man keeps silence. The policy of Spanish colonialism that was killing the Indians was easy to understand: the land without the natives is virgin and is ready for new inhabitants. This terrible chronicle of destruction can be easily associated with the Nazi regime, Stalin's policy of repressions and many other crimes of history. Camus says the victims reached the final stage of tragedy people are bored with them. Victims, racism, crimes, murders, communal graves gradually become something we are used to.
Legal experts and politics took into account dreadful lessons of world history: colonization, world wars, genocides They managed to put obstacles on the way of war preparation and foresaw sanctions for military crimes. They worked out the definition of military crimes and crimes against the mankind. The definition of genocide should have been interpreted as the corner stone of this prophylactics. Yet, ethics is up to the neck in politics.
The destruction of nation is a tragedy played by three actors: murderer, victim, and witness. Each role has an infinite number of executors, and definite personality is being lost behind this group. The victim is much more visible. Sites of fire, charred ruins, debris, shambles, mortal remains, pieces of bodies, common graves, rivers of blood, puffs of crematorium smoke The nightmare is too commonplace word for mass destruction. Personality of victim isnt of much importance. Cain is pursued by painful recollection of murder.
The murderer stands near the mirror and thinks about committing suicide. Death reaches apotheosis through mass violation of veto and prohibitions. The nightmare goes a roundabout way. Whenever we speak about one or thousands of crimes, about crimes made by one person or by many people the man has right to kill only if he will die.
If the nation had recourse to racism and genocide, it is doomed. The robber became robbed. He thought he was cunning, crafty, invulnerable and unpunished. Yet, the brutal, heinous and wanton murder was committed and the murderer becomes aware of his own death. The crime is inseparable from the punishment. The racism exists in variety of forms, often veiled and difficult to distinct.
The fact remains: racism still exists. All forms of racism, whatever they are, deny the dignity of man and hinder from strengthening the unity of mankind. We dont have to forget about all those dreadful consequences left after Spanish colonization, World Wars, Stalin's policy, Hitlers ideas We have to remember millions of ruined and invalid lives, ruined families and lots. We mustnt think that it is somewhere far whenever it was in the past or in thousands of kilometers from you We need to remember that racism breaks out among the people, because of our attitude to each other, our carelessness and insusceptibility.
Let the past serve us the example and will never be repeated neither in our life, nor in the life of our future generations. Bibliography: Bakewell, Peter. (1997). A History of Latin America. Oxford: Blackwell Baptiste, Victor N. (1990).
Bartolome de las Casas and Thomas Mores Utopia: Connections and similarities. Culver City: Labyrinth os Las Casas, Bartolome de. (1999). Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies. Penguin Classics. 1 st edition
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