Destruction of the Indies

In recent discussions of New Spain in the 1500's, a controversial issue had been whether or not the Spaniards were treating the Native Americans in a decent manner. On one hand, some argue that the Native Americans are savages. From this perspective, the Natives may seem ignorant and savage because they don't understand the Spaniards, and the Spaniards do not understand the Natives. On the other hand, however, others argue that the Natives are still people, but come from a different culture and should be treated as people, not as animals. In the words of Las Casas proponents, " Nay we dare boldly affirm, that during the Forty Years space, wherein Normal0 falsefalsefalse EN-USX-NONEX-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 they exercised their sanguinary and detestable Tyranny in these Regions, above Twelve Millions (computing Men, Women, and Children) have undeservedly perished; nor do I conceive that I should deviate from the Truth by saying that above Fifteen Millions in all paid their last Debt to
Nature.." According to this view, Las Casas believes that the Spaniards are dealing with the Natives with too much brutality. There is no reason that over fifteen million Natives should have died. In sum, then, the issue is whether the Spaniards were in the right or were they too
violent.

My own view is that the Spaniards were most definitely too harsh to the Natives, after all, this land that the Spaniards were killing to take control of, belonged to them. Though I concede that communicating to the Natives while trying to control the land must have been frustrating, but that is no reason for their brutality. I still maintain that there is no justification for the way the Spaniards treated the Natives. For example,"...overrunning their Normal0 falsefalsefalse EN-USX-NONEX-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Cities and Towns, spar'd no Age, or Sex, nay not so much as Women with Child, but ripping up their Bellies, tore them alive in pieces.". Although some might object that it was a necessary action to take in order to continue westward expansion. I reply that it may have been the most effective way to continue westward, but it was not the best nor honorable choice. The issue is important because if the Spaniards did not use such force to claim lands, American may not have been what it is today.