Table of Contents
Why are de Las Casas writings important?
His extensive writings, the most famous being A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies and Historia de Las Indias, chronicle the first decades of colonization of the West Indies. He described the atrocities committed by the colonizers against the indigenous peoples.
What role did Bartolomé de las Casas play in Colonial Spanish America?
Bartolome de las Casas was a priest in the Spanish colonies. He protested against the treatment of Native Americans who were forced to work for the spanish. He suggested using african slaves to do the work but later spoke against all forced labor.
What was Bartolome de las Casas known for quizlet?
Who was he? a Spanish born Dominican friar and writer who advocated for the humane treatment of the Native Americans.
What kind of history did Bartolome de las Casas write?
Bartolomé de Las Casas. In 1527, he began to write the Historia Apologética (Apologetic History), one of his major works, which served as an introduction to his masterpiece Historia de las Indias (History of the Indies). The work was published by his own request after his death. Las Casas became an avid critic of the encomienda system.
What did Las Casas think of the Indians?
To las Casas the Indians were fellow human beings, subject to the same sadness, entitled to the same respect. With this insight it followed that every ounce of gold extracted by their labor was theft; every indignity imposed on them was a crime; every death—whatever the circumstances—was an act of murder.
Why was the Spanish government ambivalent about Las Casas?
The Spanish government in return treated Las Casas’ pleas with ambivalence, in part because indigenous enslavement was so profitable. The government was not the only ambivalent actor. Las Casas himself changed his rhetoric over time as he and his argument matured.
How did Las Casas affect his life as a priest?
Such scenes, replayed constantly in his memory, haunted las Casas for the rest of his life. They also began a process of conversion, as the Spanish priest gradually defected from the cause of his own countrymen and identified with those who were treated as nonpersons, of no account, of “less worth than the dung in the street.”