Bartolomé de Las Casas

Book excerpt: "Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566) came to the New World in pursuit of material wealth, became virtually a slave owner, and ended up suddenly and dramatically turning his life around to become a Dominican friar and the first great champion of the Native Americans. Daring to challenge the Spanish encontienda system, which was little more than a justification of forced labor, Las Casas, in the spirit of the great Hebrew Prophets, spoke out unequivocally for justice and freedom for oppressed peoples. His The Only Way, which argued that the native peoples of the Americas are fully human, can rightly be called one of the seminal documents of American Catholic social justice." "In this biography, Paul Vickery focuses especially upon Las Casas's "conversion" journey. Drawing upon Las Casas's own words and actions, Vickery describes the historical setting and specific events leading up to Las Casas's spiritual awakening and then interprets this experience in light of his message for us today. Students of history, Western civilization, and social justice will find here an original and provocative text about Colonial Latin America and Native American studies, while students of ethics will find much food for thought in its treatment of questions of conscience and the moral choices with which we are confronted."--BOOK JACKET.