De Las Casas

Bartolome De Las Casas

Born: November 1484, Seville

Died: July 31, 1566, Madrid

Short Account of the Destruction of The Indies
Bartolome De Las Casas
ISBN 0-14-044562-5

Click Here to see "Savages" clip in Pocahontas (1995)

Q1
De Las Casas was motivated by personal passion and political reason. Although his main motivation was based on morality.

Q3
De Las Casas disagreed with the horrendous actions of the Conquistadors and knew that a plea for legal and institutional reform is only possible with the aid of the powers that be.

 Fighting against the system versus working within the system.

I think a plea to the Spanish Crown's reputation would be the most effective but it was not enough.
"Men only become masters when they have other men to command" (De Las Casas, p. xxvi).
Fear of god, duty to the crown, respect for their fellow-men were discarded by the conquistadors.

De Las Casas attended council meetings and "he directed all his moral energy (...) in the hope that the moral indignation of decent men, if sufficiently aroused could be made to counter political and economic interests of ever-increasing complexity." (De Las Casas, p. xxiii).

Unfortunately Fonseca, bishop of Burgos' response " and how does that concern me?" (De Las Casas, p.xxiii)  was the attitude and Casa' efforts were ineffectual in practise.

However, raising awareness within international  Christian 'congregation of the faithful' (De Las Casas, p. xxiii) did resonate with The Spanish Crown's "fear of finding themselves out of favour with their God." (De Las Casas, p. xxiv). Prompting the drafting of the Requirement and The New Laws of 1542.

De Las Casas was able to initiate colonial legislation although it was still not enough. Often formulated in a way that still victimized the Indians.
However, he raised awareness of a moral conscience and was an powerful and brave advocate for the Indians.

Q3
People/governments, who seek power, territory, resources, slaves etc... are greedy.
Anarchy and mob mentality may have contributed to the scale of the atrocities.

Montaigne quotes Epicurus and Plato on this theme;
"Epicurus said of the laws that the worst were so necessary that without them men would eat one another" (Montaigne, p. 120)
"Plato said without laws we would live like brute beasts" (Montaigne, p. 120)

Viewing the other as non-human and an enemy or threat contributes as well.

Q4
"Men only become masters when they have other men to command" (De Las Casas, p. xxvi).

Q6
De Las Casas is trying to humanize and endear the vulnerability of the Indians to the Spanish Crown.
Indicating that they are not a threat and the violent course of action is too extreme and unnecessary.

Q7
I suppose Machiavelli's methods/tactics function to achieve a result but it does not make them right, fair, just or moral