“A white man offer a lover poem to a mulatto woman”, Brazil, 18th Century
17 thoughts on “W3”
Jaylin Starks
1. Would Spanish and Portuguese rulers have been able to maintain control over their colonial settlements without the help of royal bureaucrats, did the Crown possess any applicable influence or legitimacy without their assistance?
2. Was the tension between conquistadors/settlers and Spanish authorities inevitable, or was it mismanagement that led to the issues between the two groups.
What criteria were considered for recommending candidates for high-ranking positions within the colonies, and how did the council ensure qualified individuals were appointed?
How did viceroys utilize their positions for personal benefit, such as appointing family members to lucrative positions and seeking advantageous marriages?
1. What was the purpose behind Inquisition procedures being conducted in secrecy? As mentioned in the Colonial Latin America reading as well as the trial of Luiz da Costa, it can be seen that the defendants are required to take a vow of secrecy. Was it to hide the use of immoral techniques or was it more of a way to separate/distinguish Church affairs from secular law?
2. Why was it the case that female slaves were more likely to turn to courts than male slaves? Was it because female slaves underwent more oppressive conditions? Or was it because men were just not as proactive in taking advantage of such colonial institutions?
1. If Offices were increasingly sold as the crown was in debt and it’s noted often these buyers were young and inexperienced with finances, How was keeping the colonial system sustainable? How did the colonial system survive?
2. Courts were public spaces where people of different status could hash it out however how just/fair were these systems to those of lower status ?
1. What is the difference between the Castilian Crown and the Spanish Crown? How did they operate differently and similarly? In what ways did the two royals conflict over their locations of colonization as mentioned in the “Overview of Administration for the Spanish Colonies” section? How did they regulate where they could take over or have power over?
2. In what ways can having many locations of power and offices create issues within the empire of the Spanish Crown? How can these stay afloat with so many cities, social pyramids, royals, councils, and administrations? Even with the mentions of abuse of power within some positions? Does it ever get to the point of too much and does it have to do with bankruptcy that occurred in 1557?
1. For three centuries royal bureaucrats contributed to colonies and overall political stability. What was the influence and assistance royal bureaucrats had with the Crown?
2. How viceroys sought their office to benefit themselves and friends, family and the retainers who were with them? How did this influence influence women or ”ladies0in waiting?
Why did the Crown refuse to introduce the “cortes” into the colonies? Were they fearful that the assembly attended by representatives from major towns in the colonies would openly challenge the Crown’s power?
Why did Philip III in 1604 start appointing men to “The Council of the Indies” with neither credentials in jurisprudence nor a common professional experience? Was there any particular reason, such as a shortage of men qualified for this position, or a more complex reason?
1. Considering that viceroys weren’t the highest position pf power, was there any conflict or uprising as a result from the very specific standards and qualifications that viceroys had to carry?
2. Since Bureaucrats didn’t enforce harmful laws on the merchants and other colonials whom they borrowed money from, was there any corruption that sparked as a result?
1. Colonial society was governed by both the Church (the Ecclesiastic Tribunal) and state judicial institutions. However, the former had a much greater appeal, particularly for slaves. What was this appeal? How did slaves take advantage of the Ecclesiastic Tribunal court in their defending their rights?
2. How does Manuela’s petition before the courts question some of the generalizations about rural slave women in colonial Latin America (290)?
1. It was seen in the confession of Luiz da Costa that he swore to a vow of secrecy. Was this vow of secrecy something that was a common occurrence in trials during this period? Is it possible that this vow was given to those who were treated inhumanely and suffered injustices? With this considered, how did the vow of secrecy impact Costa’s recollection of events produced in his confession?
2. In today’s society the thought of punishing those who were victims of sexual assault would have been seen as an injustice. It appears that homosexual relations during this time were extremely immoral to societies at large. Could the stigma of homosexuality have impacted Luiz da Costa’s recollection of events? Is it possible there was a consensual relationship between Costa and his master?
1. Other than not being qualified, what other challenges did high position officials face when practicing their role? What was the application process?
2. How did the sales of office affect the relationships between officials and the local population?
How did colonial social and institutional hierarchies, legal thinking, and legal practices shape the production of the historical record? How did race/ethnicity, class, and gender influence the court process and the severity of punishment? In the case of Manuela, how did she use the normative ideas in Spanish colonial society on marriage and concerns of young people committing fornication to make her case and defend herself?
What was the significance of public performance and punishment in colonial Latin America? What did it mean for a woman to be public (Barrantes 293)? What does this tell us about the gendered culture of honor and its role in organizing society in colonial Latin America? How did enslaved and free Africans and people of African descent use the legal system to assert and defend their personal and familial honor?
To what extent does the rise of new nobilities in Latin America Colonies encouraged the royal court of Spain and Portugal to send more bureaucrats to the colonies to maintain the authority of the court there?
It is said that the bureaucrats maintained the stability of Latin America colonies for a long while. How was the stability break? Why did the bureaucrats’ ability of maintaining the courts’ authority decreased over time?
1. If the goal was to make the New World stronger and successfully operable with an overseeing administration, why was Philip III allowed to permit inexperienced personnel as ministers de capa y espada, thus weakening the Crown?
2. It seems as though the Crown’s best interest was jeopardized during the transition of some power gradually being given to unqualified personnel as it started selling appointments. How could this have been stopped, or who had enough official power to ultimately protect the Crown during this time of desperation?
1. How did the Spanish Crown selling provincial positions further widen economic and social divides between natives and radicados?
2. How did Portugal and Spain’s differing original ideas of what they wanted to do with their Latin American colonies influence each of their methods of administration?
1. Would Spanish and Portuguese rulers have been able to maintain control over their colonial settlements without the help of royal bureaucrats, did the Crown possess any applicable influence or legitimacy without their assistance?
2. Was the tension between conquistadors/settlers and Spanish authorities inevitable, or was it mismanagement that led to the issues between the two groups.
What criteria were considered for recommending candidates for high-ranking positions within the colonies, and how did the council ensure qualified individuals were appointed?
How did viceroys utilize their positions for personal benefit, such as appointing family members to lucrative positions and seeking advantageous marriages?
1. What was the purpose behind Inquisition procedures being conducted in secrecy? As mentioned in the Colonial Latin America reading as well as the trial of Luiz da Costa, it can be seen that the defendants are required to take a vow of secrecy. Was it to hide the use of immoral techniques or was it more of a way to separate/distinguish Church affairs from secular law?
2. Why was it the case that female slaves were more likely to turn to courts than male slaves? Was it because female slaves underwent more oppressive conditions? Or was it because men were just not as proactive in taking advantage of such colonial institutions?
1. If Offices were increasingly sold as the crown was in debt and it’s noted often these buyers were young and inexperienced with finances, How was keeping the colonial system sustainable? How did the colonial system survive?
2. Courts were public spaces where people of different status could hash it out however how just/fair were these systems to those of lower status ?
1. What is the difference between the Castilian Crown and the Spanish Crown? How did they operate differently and similarly? In what ways did the two royals conflict over their locations of colonization as mentioned in the “Overview of Administration for the Spanish Colonies” section? How did they regulate where they could take over or have power over?
2. In what ways can having many locations of power and offices create issues within the empire of the Spanish Crown? How can these stay afloat with so many cities, social pyramids, royals, councils, and administrations? Even with the mentions of abuse of power within some positions? Does it ever get to the point of too much and does it have to do with bankruptcy that occurred in 1557?
1. For three centuries royal bureaucrats contributed to colonies and overall political stability. What was the influence and assistance royal bureaucrats had with the Crown?
2. How viceroys sought their office to benefit themselves and friends, family and the retainers who were with them? How did this influence influence women or ”ladies0in waiting?
Why did the Crown refuse to introduce the “cortes” into the colonies? Were they fearful that the assembly attended by representatives from major towns in the colonies would openly challenge the Crown’s power?
Why did Philip III in 1604 start appointing men to “The Council of the Indies” with neither credentials in jurisprudence nor a common professional experience? Was there any particular reason, such as a shortage of men qualified for this position, or a more complex reason?
1. Considering that viceroys weren’t the highest position pf power, was there any conflict or uprising as a result from the very specific standards and qualifications that viceroys had to carry?
2. Since Bureaucrats didn’t enforce harmful laws on the merchants and other colonials whom they borrowed money from, was there any corruption that sparked as a result?
1. Colonial society was governed by both the Church (the Ecclesiastic Tribunal) and state judicial institutions. However, the former had a much greater appeal, particularly for slaves. What was this appeal? How did slaves take advantage of the Ecclesiastic Tribunal court in their defending their rights?
2. How does Manuela’s petition before the courts question some of the generalizations about rural slave women in colonial Latin America (290)?
1. It was seen in the confession of Luiz da Costa that he swore to a vow of secrecy. Was this vow of secrecy something that was a common occurrence in trials during this period? Is it possible that this vow was given to those who were treated inhumanely and suffered injustices? With this considered, how did the vow of secrecy impact Costa’s recollection of events produced in his confession?
2. In today’s society the thought of punishing those who were victims of sexual assault would have been seen as an injustice. It appears that homosexual relations during this time were extremely immoral to societies at large. Could the stigma of homosexuality have impacted Luiz da Costa’s recollection of events? Is it possible there was a consensual relationship between Costa and his master?
1. Other than not being qualified, what other challenges did high position officials face when practicing their role? What was the application process?
2. How did the sales of office affect the relationships between officials and the local population?
How did colonial social and institutional hierarchies, legal thinking, and legal practices shape the production of the historical record? How did race/ethnicity, class, and gender influence the court process and the severity of punishment? In the case of Manuela, how did she use the normative ideas in Spanish colonial society on marriage and concerns of young people committing fornication to make her case and defend herself?
What was the significance of public performance and punishment in colonial Latin America? What did it mean for a woman to be public (Barrantes 293)? What does this tell us about the gendered culture of honor and its role in organizing society in colonial Latin America? How did enslaved and free Africans and people of African descent use the legal system to assert and defend their personal and familial honor?
1. How much power and support did royal bureaucrats have over the Crown?
2. What’s the application procedure for one to become a viceroy?
To what extent does the rise of new nobilities in Latin America Colonies encouraged the royal court of Spain and Portugal to send more bureaucrats to the colonies to maintain the authority of the court there?
It is said that the bureaucrats maintained the stability of Latin America colonies for a long while. How was the stability break? Why did the bureaucrats’ ability of maintaining the courts’ authority decreased over time?
1. If the goal was to make the New World stronger and successfully operable with an overseeing administration, why was Philip III allowed to permit inexperienced personnel as ministers de capa y espada, thus weakening the Crown?
2. It seems as though the Crown’s best interest was jeopardized during the transition of some power gradually being given to unqualified personnel as it started selling appointments. How could this have been stopped, or who had enough official power to ultimately protect the Crown during this time of desperation?
1. How did the Spanish Crown selling provincial positions further widen economic and social divides between natives and radicados?
2. How did Portugal and Spain’s differing original ideas of what they wanted to do with their Latin American colonies influence each of their methods of administration?
What is the impact of race on colonial buerocratic relations with colonies? How did the general residents of colonies feel about oversees rule?