Discussion Starter: Catholics and Indians

We had to read a few texts for this class, but I’m going to focus on the two texts by Bartolome de las Casas in this discussion starter. To provide some background, de las Casas was a Spanish historian and social reformer, as well as a Dominican friar. He was one of the first

Europeans settlers to arrive in the New World, and he was initially complicit in the atrocities committed against indigenous people by Spanish colonizers. Afterwards, he expressed opposition to these cruelties. Likewise, “Apologetic History of the Indies” and “Thirty Very Juridical Propositions” are attempts to argue against the systematic mistreatment of indigenous people by Spanish settlers; in other words, to argue against a type of justified inequality. However, these arguments are heavily predicated on Christianity.

In “Thirty Very Juridical Propositions,” de las Casas uses religion to argue against the poor treatment of indigenous people. For example, he says that that Supreme Pontiff’s (the Pope’s?) will is not “bringing Christian princes into grace or enlarging with honor and more titles and riches their possessions” (“Thirty” 1). This seems critical of Spanish nobility seeking wealth in the New World without regard for indigenous people. The author goes on to say the Jesus’s “intent and final aim” in the New World is “the conversion and salvation of the unfaithful” (“Thirty” 1). While de las Casas’ criticism of greedy Spanish colonizers is welcome, he still characterizes indigenous people as “by nature very meek” and “the unfaithful,” who are only worth saving or treating with respect inasmuch as they had a lot of potential to be Christian converts, not because they are people with “unalienable rights,” to quote the U.S. Declaration of Independence (“Thirty” 2, 1). (Admittedly, this type of egalitarianism did not really exist in 16th century.)

The author also talks about Christianity and equality in his “Apologetic History of the Indies.” (The focus on Christianity is unsurprising, considering that de las Casas was a Dominican friar, and conversion efforts were an essential part of the Spanish colonization of the West Indies.) Here, de Las Casas writes that the people of the Indies “seem to show themselves to be or to have been of better rational judgment and more prudent and upright in what they considered God to be” (“Apologetic” 2). One appreciates that he acknowledges the “judgment” of indigenous people, rather than just characterizing them as “meek.” It’s also admirable when de las Casas writes that “we are as barbarian to [the Indians] as they to us,” us being Spanish colonizers (“Apologetic” 8). Still, it seems like the indigenous people’s humanity only matters in terms of their faith, or their potential relationship with the Christian God.

The author argues against justified inequality, but his justification for equality is somewhat precarious, or at least dependent on the conversion efforts of Catholic Church—not on the idea that indigenous people are people, and should be treated with respect without any underlying motives. From his point of view, indigenous people are only equal to other peoples in terms of their ability and willingness to accept Christianity. “The Indians Are as Capable as Any Other Nations to Receive the Gospel,” not in any other regard (“Apologetic” 3). And I think it's important to remember that Spanish conversion efforts were pretty closely tied to Spain's violent colonization of the New World—it's hard to separate one from the other, even if Christianity does espouse a type of egalitarianism.