User:Mjelle2714/sandbox

Article Evaluation [ Biblical studies]

In this article more information needs to be added. However, some of the information was distracting, and I believe should be taken out. The article on textual criticism was not relevant to the article. Furthermore, the sentence about the scholars not having a commitment could be taken out. Those are the improvements I feel need to be made to the article. All of the information in the article was up to date. There is no bias in the article, the writers do not make it seem like they stray a certain way. The article has reference to other readings, articles, and external links. It seems many people want to keep the article; however, they have changed some aspects and suggested some other external links. This article is of interest to three Wikiprojects, the highest rating being of top-importance and the lowest being of mid-importance. We have not discussed this topic in class. Wikipedia discusses more the criticism of the Bible whereas, I thought it would discuss more of the history behind studying the bible.

Article Contributions [Hernán Cortés]

I plan to elaborate on Hernán Cortés' destruction of his ships. By adding this information readers can gain greater insight into who Hernan Cortés is as a person. The article is well developed in many places. The topic I plan to contribute to the article is what I feel has been left out or underdeveloped. This article remains neutral throughout and does not show any bias opinions. Any description of Cortés is based on what rulers and people who knew him personally have stated. Most sources seem reliable; however, there are two websites that lead me to believe they are unreliable. When I clicked on the link there was no document to be found; furthermore, the other source was a document in Spanish. Does the writer know Spanish enough to interpret the document throughly and correctly?

Sources for Article

Blacker, Irwin R. Cortés and the Aztec Conquest. Newbury: New Word City, Inc, 2015. http://libproxy.ung.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1370511&site=eds-live&scope=site.

De Angelis, Gina. “Hernando Cortes and the Conquest of Mexico.” Hernando Cortes & the Conquest of Mexico, January 2000, 6–12. http://libproxy.ung.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=9211004&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Reynolds, Winston A. “The Burning Ships of Hernán Cortés.” Hispania, vol. 42, no. 3, 1959, pp. 317–324. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/335707.

Article Draft

There are differing perceptions about what happened to Hernán Cortés's ships. Some think that he burned the vessels, and others believe he beached them. The notion that he burned his ships did not become accepted until 250 years later. However, Bernal Díaz del Castillo, while attending an expedition with Cortés, gives reason to believe that Cortés ran them ashore. In a letter to King Charles, Cortés states that his ships were incapable of sailing, telling his men the reason was shipworm. However, after establishing the town of Vera Cruz, five Aztec emissaries arrived which made Cortés anxious to visit Tenochtitlán. Therefore, he destroyed all of his ships but one, which he sent back to Spain for King Charles. The fear of his men returning to Cuba rather than embarking on the journey to the Aztec Empire made him decide to demolish his ships. They no longer had an option but to accompany him on this journey. This decision brought about severe consequences because Cortés had trapped himself in Mexico.

Cortés created strife between his men and the Aztecs by taking over the city. However, worried his men would revolt, Montezuma decided to convince them to delay the attack. Cortés now had time to build more ships, but he had to stay on guard against the Aztecs because he was unable to leave Mexico. Furthermore, Velàsquez was sending forces to arrest Cortés, which meant the lives of him and his men were at jeopardy. Still without ships, Cortés could not escape the fleet. This resulted in him fighting the battle at Cempoala. In addition to restraining himself in Mexico, Cortés also suffered financially. He had to repay Velàsquez for the ships he destroyed.

Throughout his journey, Cortés had written five letters to King Charles. He wanted to relieve himself from Valásquez's authority; therefore, Cortés bribed the King through sending him treasures. However, Valásquez did not respond well. He and his men convinced King Charles to revoke Cortés's position as governor. While King Charles forgave Cortés, he did receive punishment. Cortés was promoted to captain-general and given the title of Marquis, but he was not allowed to reclaim his governorship or return to New Spain.