“Primary sources are documents, objects, and other sources that provide us with a first-hand account of what life was like in the past” (Walbert). Both Christopher Columbus’s journal and Bartolomé de las Casas's “Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies,” were examples of primary sources. They both are a first-hand account as to what happened during their voyages in the late 1400s to the early 1500s. Columbus’ journal was more of a log, where he kept records of each day. Bartolome’s writings were more of a journal entry; he wrote his deepest thoughts as well as the things that he witnessed. De Las Casa’s writings also included firsthand stories that he recorded from others.
Both Columbus and Las Casas kept very in-depth recordings of the things they did, heard, and saw. Columbus said himself, ‘“... I decided to write down the whole of this voyage in detail, day by day, …show more content…
He was a man on a mission and he would not let anyone stand in the way. The only things he truly cared about were his gold, his power, his status, and wealth. It did not take long before Columbus found the perfect way to get his riches. He cut of their hands and their feet if they did not surrender the gold. “On October 12, 1492 (the first day he encountered the native people of the Americas), Columbus wrote in his journal: ‘"They should be good servants .... I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses."’ These captives were later paraded through the streets of Barcelona and Seville when Columbus returned to Spain” (Plous). Much like Columbus, De La Casas too initially saw the Indians as people who would make good slaves. Luckily, he soon realized his mistake. He then began advocating rights for the indigenous people and exposing the horror that he witnessed of Columbus. He later became known as “the protector of the Indians”