Indian Slavery Debate

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Spain’s colonization and conquests in the New world started a Indian Slavery Debate, the Christianizing of the Indians was heavily used as reason for the Spaniards actions. The debate was between Bartolomé de las Casas and Juan Ginés de Sepulveda, they debated the issue of Indian inferiority and whether or not they had the right to enslave them (The New World: an Introduction, 1). The bible and words of philosophers served as sources of decision making for the colonists, one philosopher's words brought up continuously was Aristotle. Sepulveda argued that the natives were barbarians due to the way they looked and lived so since the the colonists were thought to be “civilized” he believed they had the right to punish them for what he saw as sin (The New World: an Introduction, 1). He believed that everything done was in the name of natural rights or by the right they had to christianize the natives (The New World: an Introduction, 2). He believed their natural condition and their …show more content…

He believed that it is better to avoid war at all means possible. He believed that both the together they could build a new civilization in America together. He used his experience with the encomienda system to support his beliefs. He also believed that no crime committed while not under the influence of Christ is punishable (Thirty Very Juridical Propositions, 2). He believed that dividing the natives up and assigning them to work for Spaniards was the work of the devil (Thirty Very Juridical Propositions, 2), what better way to destroy the new world but by killing off its people? He believed that by using the encomienda system they were preventing the natives from receiving the Christian faith and religion because they were being held night and day laboring for the

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