2. He was Spanish, born
in Seville in 1484.
It is rumored that his
family was of French
ancestry.
He migrated, with his
father to Hispaniola, in
1502.
He was a land and
SLAVE owner in the
New World.
3. He had some land in
Hipaniola, and actively
participated in “slave raids
and military expeditions”.
Some Dominican friars
arrived in Hispaniola and
spoke against the
landowners, even going as
far as denying them
confession. De las Casas
included.
He was very active in the
organized movement to
have them kicked out.
4. He participated in the
conquest of Cuba.
• There he saw the sheer
cruelty of the Spaniards
towards the native
population.
Bartolomé de las Casas
condemned the
“encomienda” system.
He was entitled
“Protector of the
Indians” by the King.
5. His work as a
defender of the
native´s rights gave
some final fruit: the
enslavement of
blacks from Africa.
He, unknowingly,
started the African
slave trade, an act
which he later felt
ashamed of.
