Bartolomé de Las Casas was born in Spain in 1484 into a wealthy merchant family. At the age of eighteen, he emigrated with his father Pedro to the new Spanish colony on Hispaniola (the island that is today divided between the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Pedro de Las Casas obtained a large farm, or hacienda, from the governor along with dozens of slaves. As landowners, the family participated in terrible slave raids across the West Indies to bring thousands of poor souls to the colonies. Bartolomé was disturbed by what he saw, and the horrors set him on a path toward vocal opposition to his government’s inhuman policies toward Native Americans.
Join us as we teach you about Bartolomé de Las Casas and his lifelong pursuit of ending the mistreatment and enslavement of indigenous peoples.
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