<P> The purpose of A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies was to convince the King of Spain to take action on the mistreatment of the indigenous people of the Americas . To make this point, De Las Casas has been accused by many scholars about making exaggerated claims in terms of the death toll and mistreatment of the indigenous people . De Las Casas also did not mention the number of indigenous deaths caused by Old World disease . This important detail was intentionally left out of A Short Account because De Las Casas wanted to make the Spanish conquistador's abuse of the indigenous people the main cause of indigenous suffering and death . </P> <P> Today, it is known that Old World diseases caused a large number of indigenous deaths . Thus, De Las Casas' exaggerated claims and his intent to leave out important historical details has been criticised by many scholars . It is important to look at A Short Account as an important rhetorical book instead of only looking at it for its historical and scientific reliability . </P> <P> A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies is a book that is acclaimed by scholars for its rhetorical effect . De Las Casas juxtaposes the inhumane mistreatment of the Spanish conquistadors with the inherent goodness of the indigenous people in an exaggerated manner in his strategy of persuasion . His text largely uses an emotionally persuasive argument instead of a logical argument in A Short Account in his effort to convince the King of Spain . De Las Casas revised and re-edited this book in order to make his best argument in favor of the indigenous people . </P>

Summary of bartolome de las casas a short account of the destruction of the indies