Las Casas, Bartolomé de

Bartolomé de las Casas (1484–1566) is known for his role in defense of the Amerindian communities during the Spanish conquest and early domination of the Americas. He upheld the essential unity tying all the peoples together, which had its basis in shared human rationality, and advanced a view in which all men and women are fundamentally equal despite their cultural differences. Thus he favored a rationally grounded cultural understanding between peoples. As a consequence, Las Casas contended that there should be several ethical duties that all humans were bound to honor regarding one another, and certain rights that must be respected. Among the latter were the right to be persuaded peacefully to adopt a conviction or way of life, the right to defend one's community and property, and the right to liberty and self‐determination in the political sphere. Las Casas's thought has been recognized as holding universal value in the struggle for human emancipation from oppression and injustice