HIS 131—Document Analysis #1
Your Name: ____________________
Title of Document: “Bartolome de Las Casas Indicts the
Conquistadors, 1542”
·
Due Date: by 1:00 PM on Saturday, August 23, 2025
· Points: 50
· Directions: Please read the Las Casas document and then answer the following questions. For questions 3 through 10, please use complete sentences.
NOTE: “The Aztec View of the Conquest” is
not
part of the Las Casas document.
1. When was the document created?
2. Who created or authored the document?
3. In your own words, please summarize the document. What is the main claim (or claims) presented in the document? What evidence is presented to support the claim(s)?
4. Bartolome de Las Casas was a Spanish priest. In this short excerpt, how did the words and imagery he used reflect his role? Please give examples.
5. Las Casas wrote, “Among these gentle sheep…the Spaniards entered…like wolves, tigers, and lions….” Why did he choose these animals to describe the indigenous people and Spaniards, respectively?
6. What did Las Casas mean by the phrase “men calling themselves Christians”?
7. When discussing the Spaniards, Las Casas mentioned that “they have entirely lost all fear of God and the King, they have forgotten themselves as well.” What did this mean? Please explain.
8. Who was the intended audience for the document at the time it was written?
9. Why did Las Casas write this? What was his motive?
10. What do you think the document tells us about society at the time it was written?
· Based, in part, on the “Written Document Analysis Worksheet” created by the Education Staff, National Archives and Records Administration.
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