Debate Between Las Casas And Sepulveda

The valladolid debate 1550 1551 was the first moral debate in european history to discuss the rights and treatment of an indigenous people by conquerors.

Debate between las casas and sepulveda. What elements of native american society and culture does sepúlveda highlight to support his argument. A student of aristotle he relied heavily on the classical distinction between the civilized and the barbarians. Held in the colegio de san gregorio in the spanish city of valladolid it was a moral and theological debate about the conquest of the americas its justification for the conversion to catholicism and more specifically about the. Consequently the las casas septilveda disputation was an exclusivily intra european affair.

In 1550 1551 a public debate was held in valladolid spain between las casas chief spokesman for the indians of new spain and his opponent sepulveda who regarded the indians as subhuman and therefore subject to the superior races slaves. Las casas was the accuser while sepülveda stood as the representative of the encomenderos which made him the principal defender of spain s presence in and exploitation of the new world. Both parties claimed to be the victors of the debate. The contrasting views of bartolome de las casas a friar and bishop of chiapa and juan gines de sepulveda a learned humanist 1 were turned into a debate on whether or not the actions taken by the europeans when exploring the new world were morally right.

Indians committed crimes against nature namely idolatry sodomy and cannibalism. Las casas and sepulveda debate the indians. Juan gines de sepulveda was a spanish theologian philosopher historian and astronomer. In what way does sepúlveda use arguments that are similar to those of las casas.

Valladolid debate perhaps one of the most famous moral debates in european history the valladolid debate in 1550 examined the rights and treatments of colonized native people. Sepulveda was adamant that the only option was to continue the encomienda system and that this would bring stability as well as the eventual proselytization of the indies. Start studying sepulveda vs las casas debate id. Las casas petitions king ferdinand of spain for fair treatment of natives he uses his family status to gain leverage death of ferdinand erases all of las casas strides 1552 debate juan ginés de sepúlveda confronts las casas beliefs in the famous las casas sepúlveda debate in.

A most intriguing yet almost forgotten event in the history of spain and humankind was the debate of valladolid 1550 1551 between bartoloméde las casas 1484 1566 and juan ginés de sepúlveda 1489 1573 to discuss the just cause of the war being waged by spain in america. Indians sacrificed innocent people in sacrificial rites.