Ariadne McDonald

1-4-11
Per. 7
Assignment #2
Process Paper
1. How I chose my topic.

I chose to do my project on Bartolomé de las Casas. In History class we

had a list of possible topics to choose from on the board for our NHD project.
Las Casas jumped out at me because it has to do with the Native Americans,
which was what we were learning about in American History at the time. For
a long time, I have been interested in Native Americans, their culture, and how
the native people could have faced the amount of cruelty that was put upon
them.

2. How I conducted my research.

I started conducting my research about las Casas by reading a

paragraph in our American History textbooks (Creating America) that
explained who he was, where he was from, and his beliefs about the natives.
After I had this general overview, I researched at home on my computer and
found new sources that provided useful information. My History teacher gave
me a paper that had writings by las Casas himself on what he witnessed
happening to the natives that was very useful. I found quotes by las Casas that
helped me better understand the message he was trying to get across. My
History teacher also allowed us time in class to research on school laptops, in
which I was able to find a few new sources. I have done the majority of my
research for my topic online at home.

3. How I selected my presentation category and created my project.

When my History class was given the opportunity to chose the category,
I decided to pick website because I enjoy working with computers and I could
work on the project from anywhere. Every year during Winter break I travel,
so this year when I went to Texas I was able to work on my website online
when I was at my friends house, without having to take supplies with me. I
started my project by creating a Weebly account through my Gmail account.
From there I picked a “design” and personalized it by changing the colors and
font it came with. After I finished the design I added my text, pictures, and
multimedia to make the site interactive.
 Ariadne McDonald
1-4-11
Per. 7
Assignment #2
4. How my topic connects to the theme.

This year’s theme is Debate and Diplomacy In History: Successes,

Failures, and Consequences. Bartolomé de las Casas voiced his opinion about a
diplomatic issue, the treatment of the Native Americans and whether they
have souls and should be used as slaves. The Spanish believed they could use
the natives as slaves due to religious reasons, but las Casas disagreed and
believed they were not savages. There was also a formal debate (the
Valladolid Debate) between las Casas and Sepú lveda in which they debated
over the treatment of the Natives. In the short-term, las Casas did not make a
very significant impact on the lives of the Native Americans, but success came
after he died and his work became widely read and debated.