(August 1474–July 17, 1566), was called “the Apostle of the Indies,” as he was one of the first Christian missionaries to minister to the Indians of Latin America. The first priest ordained in the New World, Las Casas became known for his devotion to the oppressed and enslaved natives. He wrote Apologetic History of the Indies (Apologetica Historia de las Indias), 1530, which exposed the oppression of the Indians in the forced labor “Encomienda” system and influenced Madrid to enact the New Laws, 1542, in the interest of Indian welfare. He also provided a great literary service by copying Columbus’ original Journal of the First Voyage (El Libro de la Primera Navegacion) into an abstract.
In his Apologetic History of the Indies, 1530, Bartolomé de Las Casas stated:
It clearly appears that there are no races in the world, however rude, uncultivated, barbarous, gross, or almost brutal they may be, who cannot be persuaded and brought to a good order and way of life, and made domestic, mild and tractable, provided … the method that is proper and natural to men is used; that is, love and gentleness and kindness.66
In the prologue of his book, Historia de las Indias, written 1550–63, translated by Rachel Phillips, Bartolomé de Las Casas stated:
The main goal of divine Providence in the discovery of these tribes and lands … is … the conversion and well-being of souls, and to this goal everything temporal must necessarily be subordinated and directed.67