Finally, in one word, their Ambition and Avarice, than which the heart of Man never entertained greater, and the vast Wealth of those Regions;
Las Casas point out that greed and disrespect drove the Spanish to there action against the natives.
20 Matching Annotations
- Last 7 days
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the Spaniards by their barbarous and execrable Actions have absolutely depopulated Ten Kingdoms,
This highlights the destruction and the depopulation caused by the Spanish, emphasizing the cruelty of colonization.
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of Three Millions of Persons, which lived in Hispaniola itself, there is at present but the inconsiderable remnant of scarce Three Hundred.
The number show the massive scale of death caused by Spanish actions, almost an entire population wiped out.
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Now this infinite multitude of Men are by the Creation of God innocently simple, altogether void of and averse to all manner of Craft, Subtlety and Malice, and most Obedient and Loyal Subjects to their Native Sovereigns
Las Casas emphasizes how peaceful and loyal the Native Americans were showing that they’re suffering was undeserved.
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The Sun had treacherously murdered our people on the twentieth day after the captain left for the coast.
Describing the killings as treachery shows the betrayal felt by the Aztecs.
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lords, that is enough! What are you doing? These people are not carrying shields or macanas
Montezuma‘s protest emphasizes how unfair and brutal the Spanish actions were.
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The Spaniards attacked the musicians first, slashing at their hands and faces until they had killed all of them.
The attack on the musicians highlights of the extreme violence of the conquest.
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I have seen you at last! I have met you face to face! I was in agony for five days, for ten days, with my eyes fixed on the Region of the Mystery.
Montezuma‘s awe shows the impact the Spaniards had on the Aztecs.
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whereat the Skrellings were frightened, and ran away with their packs, wherein were gray furs, sables, and all kinds of pelts. They fled towards Karlsefni’s dwelling and sought to effect an entrance into the house; but Karlsefni caused the doors to be defended [against them].
Encountering the Skrelling must have been tense and shows how uncertain life in a new land can be.
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They afterward determined to establish themselves there for the winter, and they accordingly built a large house.
I think building a proper shelter, shows how serious they were about surviving the winter.
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They sailed up to the land, and cast anchor, and launched a boat, and went ashore, and saw no grass there. Great ice mountains lay inland back from the sea,
The harsh landscape must have made exploring really challenging for the people.
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Leif invited his father, Eric, to become the leader of the expedition
It’s impressive that Leif stepped up to lead such a huge journey at a young age.
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The entire region had been emptied by the diseases which had accompanied De Soto and his men, and had returned to wilderness
Disease from the Spanish wiped out most of the people in the south, even before European settled there. This shows how big and impact disease had on native communities.
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To defend themselves, Spanish colonialists accused the Aztec and Inca Empires of atrocities of their own and emphasized the support conquistadors received from indigenous rivals of these empires.
It’s interesting how history can be viewed differently depending on who is telling the story.
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Along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, indigenous people lived mostly in villages but occasionally gathered into cities and built mounds like those found at Cahokia.
This shows that Native American societies were organized and capable of building large cities, not just small villages.
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To run their complex society, the Maya developed a written language based on 800 hieroglyphs that represented different syllables.
This show that the Maya were very advanced because they created their own writing system to manage their society.
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- Jan 2026
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While baby boys were a blessing, girls were considered an expense to their birth families, since they only became valuable when they married and bore sons for their husbands' families.
It’s sad to think that girls were seen as less important just because of their gender, and it makes me realize how much cultural values can shape peoples lives in both harmful and lasting ways.
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One of the most interesting questions about Zheng He’s voyages is, "Why did they end?"
This sentence asks why Zheng He’s voyage ended, showing that China had strong ships, but chose not to keep exploring. It makes you think about why politics money and culture all mattered
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Calligraphy in China equaled literacy.
This means that being able to write Chinese characters in calligraphy was the same as being considered educated. It shows how important writing and culture wear in Chinese society.
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But the exams were also democratic in a way: even a scholar from a poor family could take the exam if he could educate himself.
This feels very fair compared to many other societies were only wealth or noble families held power. It’s interesting how education could give anyone a chance to succeed in China.
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