Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Bartolome De Las Casas
This resource features Native American activist, Bartolome de las Casas, one of the first Europeans to speak on cruelty directed towards the Native Americans. Click on "Bartolome de las Casas Activites" for related artifacts and activities.
Country Studies US
Country Studies: Encomiendas
Read this good description of the encomienda system that was set up by the Spanish to reward the Spanish colonizers in the New World and to subjugate the indigenous people by requiring their labor on the granted land.
University of Calgary
University of Calgary: The Caribbean: First Contact
This site details the initial contact of the European colonizers with the Caribbean islands. The site explains how the Caribbean became colonized and also has maps, quotes, and artwork.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Introduction to the Spanish Viceroyalties in the Americas
When the Spanish Crown (the monarchy) learned of the promise of wealth offered by vast continents that had been previously unknown to Europeans, they sent forces to colonize the land, convert the indigenous populations, and extract...
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools
Loon Lake Elementary School: Hernando De Soto
A biography of Hernando De Soto (1500?-1542), a Spanish explorer who led the first European expedition to reach the Mississippi River. His group arrived at the river in 1541 during a search for gold. De Soto also took part in the Spanish...