Peoples and

Empires

Ernesto Medina Reyes

History 140 – Section 71183

Bartolomé de Las Casas:

Defender and Apostle

The Road to

Enlightenment

Las Casas was a fray priest on the island of Hispaniola and a “holder” of Indian

workers.

In December of 1511, Las Casas listened to a

sermon given by Antonio de Montesinos, attacking

the Spaniards for their cruel treatment of the native inhabitants. Las

Casas considered this his “conversion”.

He began his fight for Indian rights and, in

1543, he became Bishop of Chiapas,

Mexico, an area that was predominantly

Indian.

In 1542 he convinced the royal

administration to create legislation called

the “New Laws” to restore some rights to

the Indians.

Winning the Battle

but Losing the War

• Las Casas used the written word to spread awareness for the Indian plight. He wrote histories, political and theological treatises, ethnographies and dozens of pamphlets.

• He wanted to show the world and the Council of the Indies that American Indians deserved the same basic human rights that the Spaniards enjoyed.

• Twice he attempted to set up missionary communities for the Indians but was unsuccessful because the “honest farmers” brought from Spain to start the communities only wished to serve as rulers over the Indians.

• When Las Casas persuaded the Spanish crown to enact the “New Laws,” the settlers almost revolted against the idea of giving Indians rights and the laws were repealed a few years later.

His Legacy

Bartolomé De Las Casas is remembered for two things:

1. A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies – a chronicle of the occupation of Hispaniola and Pizarro’s conquest of Peru. This book gave a detailed account of the horrible mistreatment of the American Indians during this time.

2. His debate against Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda –Las Casas spoke for five days straight in Valladolid to challenge Sepúlveda’s claim justifying wars against the Indians based on the belief they were subhuman, filthy creatures. Las Casas was able to refute every response laid out by Sepúlveda and provided such a strong argument that the results of the debate were never decided.

Source

Pagden, Anthony. Peoples and Empires: A Short History of European Migration, Exploration, and Conquest, From Greece to the Present. New York: The Modern Library, 2003. Print.