Question

question 2 of 10

according to bartolomé de las casas, what was an effect of the spanish arrival in the americas?

those that arrivd at these islands from the remotest parts of spain, and who pride themselves in the name of christians, steerd two courses principally... to get rid of indigenous people from the face of the earth. the first whereof was raising an unjust... cruel war. the other, by putting them to death.... the true motivation that pushed the spaniards to endeavor the destruction of this people, was gold only.1

a. the spanish tried to kill off indigenous peoples.
b. the spanish gave up their beliefs in christianity.
c. the spanish were repeatedly attacked by indigenous peoples.
d. the spanish became wealthy through trade with indigenous peoples.

Explanation:

Analyze the historical source text

The passage written by Bartolomé de las Casas describes the actions of the Spaniards ("those that arriv'd at these Islands... who pride themselves in the Name of Christians"). He states that they steered two principal courses to "[get rid of Indigenous] people from the face of the Earth":

1. "raising an unjust... cruel war"
2. "putting them to death"

Evaluate the answer choices against the text

• Option A: "The Spanish tried to kill off Indigenous peoples." This directly matches the text's description of trying to "get rid of Indigenous people from the face of the Earth" through "cruel war" and "putting them to death."
• Option B: "The Spanish gave up their beliefs in Christianity." The text says they "pride themselves in the Name of Christians," meaning they still claimed the identity, even if their actions contradicted Christian values.
• Option C: "The Spanish were repeatedly attacked by Indigenous peoples." The text describes the Spanish waging "unjust... cruel war" against the Indigenous people, not the other way around.
• Option D: "The Spanish became wealthy through trade with Indigenous peoples." The text mentions their motivation was "Gold only," but states they sought it through "destruction" and killing, not peaceful trade.

Select the correct option

Option A is the only choice directly supported by the passage.

Answer:

• A. The Spanish tried to kill off Indigenous peoples. (Correct answer)
• B. The Spanish gave up their beliefs in Christianity.
• C. The Spanish were repeatedly attacked by Indigenous peoples.
• D. The Spanish became wealthy through trade with Indigenous peoples.