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In Defense of the Indians
Bartolomé de Las Casas
Translated by Stafford Poole
Foreword by Martin E. Marty
"A superb vindication of an oppressed people.... The message shines through and comes ringing down the centuries."—New York Review of Books
"Time and again Las Casas surprises by his freshness, his boldness, his startling modernity."
"Poole's commentary does much to clarify obscure points in the text."—Catholic Historical Review
Bartolomé de Las Casas championed the rights of the Indians of Mexico and Central America, disputing a widely held belief that they were "beasts" to be enslaved. In a dramatic debate in 1550 with Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, Las Casas argued vehemently before a royal commission in Valladolid that the native inhabitants should be viewed as fellow human beings, artistically and mechanically adroit, and capable of learning when properly taught.
(1992) 411 pp.
The Reverend Stafford Poole, C.M., is a full-time research historian.
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