The Spanish Struggle for Justice in the Conquest of America

by Lewis Hanke, Susan Scafidi (Introduction), Peter J. Bakewell (Introduction)

This season, in cooperation with the Clements Center, we are reprinting Lewis Hanke's The Spanish Struggle for Justice in the Conquest of America, a classic in the United States historiography of Latin America. This is the first major account in English of Spain's effort in the sixteenth century to tackle the legal and moral questions raised by the meeting of Europeans and American native peoples.

Hanke contends that, contrary to long-held stereotypical views, Spain was not carelessly destructive in its conquests of the territories and cultures of Middle and South America, but rather sought to bring those New World lands and peoples under its control in a just and considered way.

Genres: History

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1949

Reviews

[The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that the Spanish conquest of America was far more than a remarkable military and political exploit; that it was also one of the greatest attempts the world has seen to make Christian precepts prevail in the relations between peoples. This attempt became basically a spirited defense of the rights of the Indians, which rested on two of the most fundamental assumptions a Christian can make: namely, that all men are equal before God, and that a Christian has a responsibility for the welfare of his brothers no matter how alien or lowly they may be.

In the written history of America the undeniable courage and spectacular daring of the conquistadores have hitherto been emphasized, as well as the im- pressive stability of the far-flung empire which Spain brought within the orbit of European civilization and ruled for over three hundred years. There is more, however, to Spain's contribution to the New World, noteworthy as these aspects of her work will always be, Other nations sent out bold explorers and established empires. But no other European people, before or since the conquest of America, plunged into such a struggle for justice as developed among Spaniards shortly after the discovery of America and persisted throughout the sixteenth century. This study attempts to examine this unique quality of Spanish effort and to show how it influenced Spanish action in America.

-From the Introduction

Little, Brown and Company Boston

[Isaac]

“We come closer to the truth when we say: Spanish character was so fashioned that it can be likened to a medal stamped on each of its two sides with a strong and resolute face. One face is that of an imperialistic conquistador and the other is a friar devoted to God. Both these faces are undeniably and typically Spanish. Both friar and conquistador were imprisoned within the thinking of their own kind and their own time; neither, when he was most himself, could understand or forgive the other.”

[Josita · Rating 3 out of 5]

El requerimiento es exactamente como recuerdo las clases de religión en mi infancia

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting take on the question of justice for the Indians during the conquest of America. This becomes even more interesting when compared to the justice, or lack thereof, of the Muslims and Africans by the same empire.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

bona fide interesting. as much as 16th century jurist can be.