The Las Casas Debate

Part history and part prophecy, Las Casas’ became an theologian, a priest, a lawyer, a humanitarian, a philosopher, a historian, an author, and an advocate for the Indians, all within his lifetime of 92 years. Las Casas’ chronicle of Spanish misdeeds was intended for future historians to be an explanation of Spain’s punishment by God, which Las Casas thought would certainly happen. Las Casas was still concerned about the Indians’ lives, so over a seven year period of time, Las Casas sailed to Spain to spearhead a drive to reform the laws that regulated the relationships between the Spaniards and Indians. Las Casas pled with the Spanish governor for the life of an Indian chief named. When Las Casas ended his debate finally ended his debate with Sepulveda, he then retired to

Las Casas believed African slaves would be more suitable to do hard labor than the Indians. Africans held no claim to the land, so it wouldn’t be wrong to make them work the land. Las Casas would later come to regret this statement because he believed that all slavery was wrong. Las Casas can also be credited with helpign the direction of how Europeans thought about the concept of all men being treated free and equal. Perhaps if Las Casas could tell us why he fought for the rights of the Indians, he would simply say that he saw Jesus in those people. Maybe there wasn’t a philosophical structure to guiding his argumentation. Is it possible that he just wanted to follow his heart? In conclusion, Bartolome de Las Casas became a advocate for the rights of Indians by living among them and working with them in the New World. The Hundred Years War, along with The Black Death, bot dramatically changed the relations between France and England, which were the two most powerful countries during the Medieval era. When Edward II had married Isabella, King Philip IV’s daughter, the two