Juan Gines De Sepúlveda Essay
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda was a humanist and translator of Aristotle, and relied upon Aristotle 's theory of natural slavery to inform his argument. Sepúlveda believed that the native Amerindians were inherently inferior to their Spanish conquistadors and concluded their impious lifestyle was a justifiable provocation toward the Spaniards. Sepúlveda believed that the natives ' barbarous activities "vindicated their conquest and…enslavement." Sepúlveda argues that the purpose of European presence in the New World is to enlighten the Natives to the errors of their sinful ways. Imposing Christianity upon the Natives would effectively convince them to evolve from a past of idolatry and …show more content…
The Dominican bishop attributed European domination not to their inherent superiority over Natives, but to their excessive cruelty. Las Casas viewed the ulterior motives of European conquest--exploitation of a population incapable of resisting their advances. Bartolomé denounced the Spaniard 's treatment of the natives and urged the papacy to pass the New Laws of 1542; the New Laws prohibited Indian slavery and punished individuals responsible for the Peruvian Civil War by stripping away their encomiendas. Las Casas ' objective was to humanize the Native Amerindians, elevating them to the same social status of Europeans, and peacefully guide them to