In Defense of the Indians - 9780875805566

In Defense of the IndiansAuthor(s): Bartolom de Las Casas\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Cornell University Press, United States\nImprint: Northern Illinois University Press\nISBN-13: 9780875805566, 978-0875805566\nSynopsis\nBartolomu00e9 de Las Casas championed the rights of the Indians of Mexico and Central America, disputing a widely held belief that they were \""beasts\"" to be enslaved. In a dramatic debate in 1550 with Juan Ginu00e9s de Sepu00falveda, Las Casas argued vehemently before a royal commission in Valladolid that the native inhabitants should be viewed as fellow human beings, artistically and mechanically adroit, and capable of learning when properly taught. \n In Defense of the Indians, Las Casas's classic treatise on the humanity of native peoples, had far-reaching implications for the policies adopted by both the Spanish Crown and the Church toward slavery in the New World. This carefully reasoned but emotionally charged defense addresses issues such as the concept o.