State vs.

De las
Casas
By: A Gonzalez and Z Gaytan
Charges Witnesses
● Violation of the law ● Spanish Crown
● Conspiracy against the church ● Catholic Church
● Conspiracy against the crown ● Some of de Las Casas
publications
Charge #1: Violation of the law
● De las Casas wrote several books and pamphlets exposing the truth
about slavery and the treatment of the slaves
● He wrote In defense of the Indians and championed the rights of the
Indians of Mexico and Central America, disputing a widely held belief
that they were "beasts" to be enslaved.
● He wanted to abolish slavery which was 100% legal back then
Charge #2: Conspiracy against the
Church
● Converted from a colonized priest to Indian apostle
● Intruded into the Church's theory of converting Indigenous people to
Christians in order to be saved.
● Interruption of sermon and questioning the church
Charge #3: Conspiracy against the Spanish
Crown
● 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.
● According to a journal article Historia Mexicana by Francisco Quijano,
““Al analizar el pensamiento político de Las Casas, particularmente en
sus últimos tratados, se observa que uno de los principales problemas
que buscó resolver fue el de conciliar el poder y la libertad”
Conclusion
With these pieces of evidence that were presented before the court
we would ask that you find the defendant guilty as charged. Thank you.