Please write a thoughtful, well-proofed essay (5 pp.) on the topic below:
In his Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Las Casas described Indians as “the simplest people in the world—unassuming, long-suffering, unassertive, and submissive” (9). Analyze Las Casas’s description, drawing on other readings from Weeks 1-6. Why do you think Las Casas chose to portray indigenous Americans this way in his Short Account? How do other sources we’ve read support or challenge his assessment?
Notes for Writer:
– The quote in the paper topic can be found on page 9 of Bartolomé de las Casas’ "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies". The writer who works on this paper needs to read this book, paying particular attention to pages 3-64 (the pages we were asked to focus on reading in the class).
– Las Casas’ book is the focal point of the paper but there should also be substantial analysis from other readings to support the thesis statement. I am going to send pdf attachments of all the readings we have done for this class. There will be 6 in total but the writer DOES NOT have to use quotes from all 6 pdfs as well as Las Casas’ book. Choose what you think is necessary and sufficient to support the thesis, but of course do use more than just 1 or two of the pdfs, but you don’t need to use all of them if you don’t find them all necessary.
– This paper is THESIS DRIVEN so you are not just describing the readings or giving an account, you are to formulate a position then use the readings to support that thesis. Below are examples of good and bad thesis statements we were given for a paper on another topic:
Bad Thesis Statement: "The North and South fought the Civil War for many reasons, some of which were the same and some different."
Okay Thesis Statement: "While both sides fought the Civil War over the issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions."
Strong Thesis Statement: "While both Northerners and Southerners believed they fought against tyranny and oppression, Northerners focused on the oppression of slaves while Southerners defended their own right to self-government."
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