On the American Indians
by Francisco de Vitoria · De Indis
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1539
- Era
- Renaissance
- Form
- Political theory
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- Short · 60 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendVitoria, Political Writings, translated by Anthony Pagden and Jeremy LawranceCambridge University Press, 1991The standard English collection of Vitoria's lectures, including On the American Indians and On the Law of War.
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A lecture delivered at the University of Salamanca in 1539 by the Dominican theologian Francisco de Vitoria on the justice of Spain's conquest of the Americas. He argues that the Indians were the true owners of their lands before the Spaniards came, and rejects the claims of the emperor and the pope to universal dominion, the right of discovery, the refusal of the faith and the sins of the natives as just titles to conquest. He then sets out grounds on which Spanish rule might be lawful, such as the right to travel and trade and to defend the innocent. The lecture is a founding text of international law.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns On the American Indians are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
