Democrates Seulveda Analysis

In Democrates, Sepulveda argues the war against the Amerindians in the New World is just. Through a discussion between the characters Democrates, representing himself, and Leopold, representing Bartolome de las Casas, he attempts to show why the war is justified. Democrates states just war requires a worthy aim and upright conduct. Las Casas would disagree with the accounts described in Democrates as much of the material in the Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies directly contradicts the material of Democrates. In addition, this contradiction would require that he reject the justness of the war waged on the Amerindians by the Spaniards. He would likely note, however, that his opponent had at least accurately portrayed his viewpoints …show more content…
Also, because the Amerindians were a simpler people than the Spanish, divine law dictated that the Spanish had the right to subject them to Spanish rule. Leopold and Las Casas himself argued that while the ostensible aim of the war had been the conversion of the Amerindians, the true aim had been the accumulation of wealth by greedy men, a dishonorable intention, and the treatment of the natives had been abhorrent; therefore, the war had not been justifiable in any way and had instead been against the laws of God. In Democrates, Leopold argued that any war was unlawful, especially one against innocent people who had never been exposed to the word of God. Indeed, according to Las Cases, because the Amerindians were declared by the Pope to be citizens of Castile, waging war against them had been as unlawful as waging war against the citizens of Seville (41). Leopold concluded the proceedings of the Spanish against the Amerindians had been more of a theft than a war and the Spanish should restore all they had taken, a sentiment Las Casas would most certainly have agreed