How Did Bartolome De Las Casas

Bartolomé de las Casas was born on August 1474 or November 1484 and died on July 17, 1566. He was a Spanish historian and Dominican friar, who advocated in favor of the native people, eventually he became known as the Protector of the Indians. De las Casas condemned the Europeans brutal treatment of the natives in the Americas, in addition to fighting for the abolition of slavery. According to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, “In 1502 he left [Seville] for Hispaniola, in the West Indies, with the governor, Nicolás de Ovando. As a reward for his participation in various expeditions, [Bartolomé de las Casas] was given an encomienda (a royal land grant including Indian inhabitants), and he soon began to evangelize the native population, serving
Under this new law signed by King Charles the V of Spain, encomiendas were no longer considered a hereditary grant, the owners now had to set their Indian serfs free after a single generation. In order to enforce this new laws, De las Casas was appointed bishop of Chiapas, and together with 44 Dominicans he set seal for America once again in July 1544. “Upon his arrival in January 1545, he immediately issued, Admonitions and Regulations for the Confessors of Spaniards, the famous Confesionario, in which he forbade absolution to be given to those who held Indians in encomienda. The rigorous enforcement of his regulations led to vehement opposition on the part of the Spanish faithful during Lent of 1545 and forced Las Casas to establish a council of bishops to assist him in his task” (Encyclopedia Britannica Online). However, his strong position in favor of the Indians, cut off the support he received form his colleagues thus forcing him to return to Spain in
In 1562, he published Prólogo to the Historia de las Indias. “At the age of 90 Las Casas completed two more works on the Spanish conquest in the Americas. Two years later he died in the Dominican convent of Nuestra Señora de Atocha de Madrid, having continued to the end his defense of his beloved Indians, oppressed by the colonial system that Europe was organizing. (Encyclopedia Britannica Online) While De las Casas influenced declined in Spain and the Indies after his death the fact that he managed to remain known after his death that the viceroy of Peru Francisco de Toledo order to have all of his works both published and unpublished collected is of importance. As he would eventually provide inspiration to important figures such as Simón Bolívar who was himself inspired by De las Casas letters and his struggled against Spain, while also inspiring heroes of the Mexican independence. “The modern significance of Las Casas lies in the fact that he was the first European to perceive the economic, political, and cultural injustice of the colonial or neocolonial system maintained by the North Atlantic powers since the 16th century for the control of Latin America, Africa, and Asia” (Encyclopedia Britannica Online). When the world only cared about conquering land and finding gold, Bartolomé de las Casas