The Valladolid Debate was a famous debate that took place in 16th-century Spain regarding the treatment of native people. The debate was organized by the Spanish Crown and took place in Valladolid, Spain, in 1550-1551 between two prominent Spanish intellectuals, Bartolome de las Casas and Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda. Las Casas argued that natives were rational beings who should be treated with respect and dignity and that the Spanish should focus on converting them to Christianity through peaceful means. Sepúlveda argued that Native Americans were inferior to Europeans and that it was justified to use force and violence to subjugate them. Following the debate, the judges who heard the arguments went their separate ways, and no ruling was issued.
- Council of the Indies
- King Charles V
- European Adventurers
- New Laws of the Indies (1542)
- Spanish Requirement of 1513
AP US History Alignment
