Term Paper
Justin Zhao Period: 6
APUSH – Steiker 9/6/14
HW #1.1: Spanish Colonization
Part I Bartolomé De Las Casas utilizes the doctrine of the Just War Theory as a means to support his thesis by proving that the violence incited against the Indians during colonization is not justified because it violates divine authority, perpetuates evil by hurting the innocent and the weak on no account of any fault, and is completely unnecessary in the process of converting people to Christianity. First, he writes that the wars waged against the Indians violates the Just War Theory because it violates divine authority. In the first clause of the Just War Theory, it is stated that the authority of the ruler by whose command the war is to be waged is necessary for the justification of war. Bartolomé De Las Casas essentially says that the people in power, the ones who commanded the war to be waged against the Indians, do not have any authority to do so because it violates the very scripture of the Bible. He cites words from Christ himself to show that it is wrong to hurt the innocent and the weak. This leads to his second claim about the wars, which is that the violence is perpetuating evil because the Indians have no fault committed on their part against the Christians. Bartolomé De Las Casas states that by massacring innocent and defenseless people, and by separating and depriving people of their family members, the second and third clause of the Just War Theory is violated, not only because the attacked are not at fault, but also because the belligerent Christians do not have any rightful intention and commit actions counterproductive to spreading Christianity or God’s word. His final claim dealt with the flawed justification for the war, which is the idea that a prerequisite to spreading Christianity to non-believers is violent oppression of those people. Bartolomé De Las Casas asserted that violence was completely unnecessary, because the Indians were gentle and
APUSH – Steiker 9/6/14
HW #1.1: Spanish Colonization
Part I Bartolomé De Las Casas utilizes the doctrine of the Just War Theory as a means to support his thesis by proving that the violence incited against the Indians during colonization is not justified because it violates divine authority, perpetuates evil by hurting the innocent and the weak on no account of any fault, and is completely unnecessary in the process of converting people to Christianity. First, he writes that the wars waged against the Indians violates the Just War Theory because it violates divine authority. In the first clause of the Just War Theory, it is stated that the authority of the ruler by whose command the war is to be waged is necessary for the justification of war. Bartolomé De Las Casas essentially says that the people in power, the ones who commanded the war to be waged against the Indians, do not have any authority to do so because it violates the very scripture of the Bible. He cites words from Christ himself to show that it is wrong to hurt the innocent and the weak. This leads to his second claim about the wars, which is that the violence is perpetuating evil because the Indians have no fault committed on their part against the Christians. Bartolomé De Las Casas states that by massacring innocent and defenseless people, and by separating and depriving people of their family members, the second and third clause of the Just War Theory is violated, not only because the attacked are not at fault, but also because the belligerent Christians do not have any rightful intention and commit actions counterproductive to spreading Christianity or God’s word. His final claim dealt with the flawed justification for the war, which is the idea that a prerequisite to spreading Christianity to non-believers is violent oppression of those people. Bartolomé De Las Casas asserted that violence was completely unnecessary, because the Indians were gentle and