Bartolomé de Las Casas is associated with advocating for which principle?

Bartolomé de Las Casas is associated with advocating for which principle?

• A. Mercantilism
• B. Divine right of kings
• C. Indigenous rights
• D. Use of encomienda system

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is recognizing and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples. Bartolomé de Las Casas argued that indigenous peoples deserve humane treatment and legal protections, not brutal exploitation. As a 16th‑century Dominican friar, he spoke out against the encomienda system, which forced Native Americans into labor under harsh conditions, and he worked to reform colonial policies to safeguard their basic rights. His advocacy and writings, including arguments in the Valladolid debates and calls for reforms that culminated in the New Laws of 1542, center on indigenous rights and humane treatment. Mercantilism is about wealth and trade, not the rights of people; the divine right of kings is about monarchs' authority; and the encomienda system is the policy Las Casas opposed.

The main idea here is recognizing and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples. Bartolomé de Las Casas argued that indigenous peoples deserve humane treatment and legal protections, not brutal exploitation. As a 16th‑century Dominican friar, he spoke out against the encomienda system, which forced Native Americans into labor under harsh conditions, and he worked to reform colonial policies to safeguard their basic rights. His advocacy and writings, including arguments in the Valladolid debates and calls for reforms that culminated in the New Laws of 1542, center on indigenous rights and humane treatment.

Mercantilism is about wealth and trade, not the rights of people; the divine right of kings is about monarchs' authority; and the encomienda system is the policy Las Casas opposed.