Comparing The De Vitoria's Arguments And The 1950s US

There are obvious differences between the de Vitoria's arguments and the 1950s U.S. Supreme Court decision. They collide with each other in their attitudes and approaches in dealing with Indians. After being assigned by the Spanish king to address the right of the Spanish in the New world, de Vitoria delivered the lecture entitle “On the Indians Lately Discovered” in 1532. In the lecture, he emphasized that the Indians had natural rights as land owners in managing their lands. He also noted that the Spanish Crown could not claim their ownership of the land they discovered unless there were no properties on the land. Besides, “the Spanish and other European nations used to secure the goodwill and consent of tribes” (Wilkins and Lomawaima, 28).