ESPM 3001/5001
Robert Gilmer
Abstract for Chapters 2 and 3 of A Long and Terrible Shadow
02/16/08
Chapter
2 of A Long and Terrible Shadow, examines the debates within the
Spanish empire over the rights of its Indian subjects, and the Crown’s
responsibility to them. Berger uses the example of the life of Bartolme de
Las Casas, a Catholic cleric and defender of indigenous rights, to explore
the debates and political issues involved in determining the status of Indian
peoples within the empire. While Berger begins by discussing the early attempts
by Las Casas to fight for Indian rights from within the colonies, he devotes
much of the chapter to the debates between Las Casas and Sepulveda, a Spanish
philosopher. While these debates were ultimately indecisive, Berger suggests
that they clearly elaborated arguments that have continued to this day of
the nature of indigenous rights. Berger concludes by pointing out the complex
legacy of Las Casas, who while sympathetic to Indian rights, was very much
a product of European culture, and actively supported the conversion of Indians,
though through more peaceful means than his opponents.
Chapter
3, “Death and Disease,” traces the impact of disease on Indian
communities, from the colonial era to the present, throughout the Americas.
Berger draws on a number of secondary sources to argue that the spread of diseases
caused by colonialism have done and continue to do serious harm to native populations
throughout the Americas. He begins his account by looking at the dramatic population
decline caused by small pox and other diseases during the colonial era, arguing
that disease likely played a significant role in allowing Spain to conquer
South and Central America. The second half of the chapter examines a new phase
in diseases caused by colonization. Berger argues that while small pox and
other illnesses have largely been eradicated, dietary issues, alcoholism, and
mental/social illnesses continue to cause great harm to Indian communities,
and are just as much a product of colonization as earlier diseases.
Date created: June, 2002
Last modified: Feb. 2008
Copyright ©2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 George R. Spangler