Your Thematic Paper is to be based on one of the two following questions. You

Your Thematic Paper is to be based on one of the two following questions. You are required to use the Chicago Manual of Style/CMS (footnotes) to cite your sources. The expected minimal length to earn a passing grade for your paper is 8 – 10 pages, typed, double-spaced. Quality papers should be longer and will utilize the materials and source with supporting quotes and details to earn that higher grade. NO plagiarism allowed!!!
Please choose one of the following questions to write on. Do not mix the elements of both questions into one but stay consistently on the question you have chosen.
Empire and colonization have been one of many defining features of Modern World History. The consequences of the encounter between colonizer and colonized have often been brutal atrocities committed by colonizers. Many colonizers held the view that the “other”, the colonized, were lesser humans, seen as “racially inferior” or inhuman, and therefore, deserved to be colonized. These views were used to justify actions or atrocities perpetrated by colonizers against native peoples. Is violence congenital to empires? Do empires, as a necessary function, use violence? As you explore the cases of Spanish colonization and Leopold II’s colony in the Congo you need to address all the following points:
-Briefly discuss Spanish Colonization the Americas in the wake of Columbus. Examine and discuss the motivations and the “imperial ideology” of the Spanish conquistadors. What was the context of Spanish “imperial ideology” and how it emerged? What motivations did Las Casas attribute to the conquistadors?
-Las Casas chronicles the atrocities committed by the conquistadors throughout the Americas. Select and discuss the reports of atrocities Las Casas relates in any five (5) of the following areas: Hispaniola, Cuba, Terra Firma, New Spain, Guatemala, Yucatan, Trinidad, Venezuela, Florida, Peru, or Granada. Discuss which conquistadors were involved, what they did, and what the impact on the native population was. Along with the violence, what else contributed to the destruction of the peoples of the Indies?
-Las Casas roundly condemned the actions of the conquistadors as un-Christian and inhuman. Yet, Juan Gines de Sepulveda offered a defense of the conquistadors at the Debate at Valladolid. Discuss three arguments de Sepulveda made defending the conquistadors. What portrayal of the natives does de Sepulveda make to justify the conquest? Discuss two examples.
-Transition over to a discussion of the 19th century European “Scramble for Africa” and discuss the context of European colonization in Africa and then specifically address Leopold II of Belgium and his desire for a colony. Who assisted Leopold in the acquisition of the Congo? Discuss two. What were the “humanitarian” reasons Leopold used to justify his acquisition? What tools did Leopold use to acquire his colony? How did Leopold try to legitimize his acquisition?
-Discuss how the Africans in the Congo were treated by Leopold’s administration and the Force Publique by using quotes and details from five of the following documents in the collection: 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 23.
-What arguments did Leopold and his allies offer justifying the actions of the Congo Free State administration? Provide quotes and details.
-Reflect in your conclusion on the violent nature of empires. Is violence congenital to empires? Provide your personal thoughts and reflections on what you have learned.
OR
Who is a Human Being? What are Human Rights? One of the legacies of empires has been the encounter of different peoples and how they were treated. This has sparked controversies over defining human beings and human rights. The initial Modern articulation was expressed by Spanish missionaries and the Church of Rome protesting and condemning the enslavement and treatment of the natives of the Americas by the conquistadors. This controversy culminated in the Debate at Valladolid where the debaters argued over whether the natives of the Americas were human. This debate continued to evolve into the 20th century with Leopold II’s Congo Empire where a similar movement of critics (Christian missionaries; humanitarians) of Leopold’s empire emerged. This debate over human rights continues to the present day. As you explore the cases of Spanish colonization and Leopold II’s colony in the Congo you need to address all the following points:
-Discuss the background of Spanish colonization and the responses of Christian leaders and missionaries to the discovery of “new peoples.” What statements did the Church of Rome make regarding what defined human beings? What was the mission of the Church in relation in relation to the natives of the Americas? How did Las Casas and other Christian missionaries portray the natives of the Americas? Why did he portray the natives the way he did? Discuss three portrayals from Las Casas’ account.
-Las Casas and the missionaries condemned the actions of the conquistadors as inhuman and contrary to Christian values. What common language or themes did they use? Discuss three examples. Did Las Casas condemn the Crown’s colonial policies or colonialism in general? Discuss Las Casas’ views of colonialism and the contrasts he made between the actions of the conquistadors and the missionary activities of the friars. Examine the Debate at Valladolid by presenting both sides in the debate and how each side portrayed the natives.
-What laws and institutions were introduced by the Spanish Crown to address the abuses of the native populations? Discuss in detail three examples from each set of laws and how they aimed to limit abuses. What administrative reforms were introduced to monitor abuses? Were these effective in curtailing abuses? Why or why not? Explain.
-Transition over to a discussion of the 19th century European “Scramble for Africa” and discuss the context of European colonization in Africa and then specifically address Leopold II of Belgium and his desire for a colony. Who assisted Leopold in the acquisition of the Congo? Discuss two. What were the “humanitarian” reasons Leopold used to justify his acquisition? What tools did Leopold use to acquire his colony? How did Leopold try to legitimize his acquisition?
-Discuss how the Africans in the Congo were treated by Leopold’s administration and the Force Publique by using quotes and details from five of the following documents in the collection: 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 23.
-How did some of these sources portray the Africans? Did these sources regard abused Africans as human beings equally deserving of human rights? Discuss two examples. Was the Congo Reform Association able or capable of halting the atrocities? Why or why not?
-Did the atrocities amount to genocide? Crimes against humanity? Why or why not? As you explore this issue consider how the notion of human rights has evolved since the time of the Spanish missionaries to the present in your conclusion.
I have provided links below to several websites that explore that question more from a modern perspective rather than an historical perspective.  However, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy does bring in the historical dimension in its discussion.  I encourage you to explore these websites as they will provide depth and added dimension to your discussion.  Whatever you choose to use in your paper, please be sure to cite it in a footnote by writing out the website name and copying and pasting the URL into the footnote.
They are:
-Basic definitions according to the United Nations:    Human Rights | United Nations
-The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:  https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rights-human/
-The U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe as part of the U.S. Helsinki Commission:  https://www.csce.gov/issue/genocide-and-crimes-against-humanity
United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention & Crimes Against Humanity:  https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml & https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/crimes-against-humanity.shtml