Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies by Bartholome de las Casas

Write on one of these two class readings: Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies by Bartholome de las Casas OR Requerimiento by Juan López de Palacios Rubios

In this analytical essay, you will analyze 1). the article’s content, 2). historical context, 3).the credentials of the author, 4). its symbolism in American culture and, finally, offer 5). a personal reflection on its broader themes. These 5 sections, together, will create an analytical essay in which you have presented properly contextualized understanding of the document and its production, along with a personal reflection upon it.

1). Article content: Provide a summary of the content of the document. Basically, this is your chance to show me that you understood the reading and can put it in your own words. For this part, citations/quotations should NOT be used, and instead, paraphrasing and rewording should be employed to show your depth of knowledge.

2). Historical context: Provide enough historical background to understand the document’s production appropriately. You should show that you understand where and when it was written, under what political circumstances it was written, and what it sought to accomplish. Other factors you may choose to explore include socioeconomic, racial, colonial, economic, and cultural factors. Your motivating question should be: how does this document help us understand the time in which it was written?

3). Credentials of the Author: Provide an overview of the author and consider their potential strengths and weaknesses. Some questions to engage include asking: who wrote it, and why was he/she an authority on the subject? Did they have special/insider knowledge? What was their personal background including perhaps education, political ties, etc? Was this a firsthand account based on personal experiences? Are they a reliable source?

4). Symbolism in American Culture: Provide an explanation of how this piece of writing helps us understand American (or colonial) culture at the time of it’s production. Does this document, in some way, tell us something about what the US or New Spain was like? Does it provide special insight? What does it reflect about who we are as a people/as a nation?

5). Personal reflection: Provide an explanation of your personal thoughts/feelings/opinions on the author or the writing or both. Did you like it? Did you find it helpful or persuasive? Did it make you think or feel differently about American (or Spanish) culture? Did it challenge your view of history? Did you like or not like it, and why? You don’t have to engage ALL of these, but these may help you start to arrive at some conclusions.