American Prestige E226 - A New History of the Americas Pt. 1 w/ Greg Grandin
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Sep 16, 2025 
Greg Grandin, a Yale historian and author, joins the conversation to delve into his book, America, América: A New History of the New World. The discussion highlights the brutal legacy of the Spanish conquest, the moral dilemmas posed by figures like Bartolomé de las Casas, and the complexities of colonialism's link to capitalism. They examine pivotal moments like the Monroe Doctrine and the Mexican-American War, exploring how these events shaped U.S.-Latin American relations and the emergence of democratic ideals in Latin America.
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Conquest Sparked Catholic Political Modernism
- The Spanish conquest forced Catholicism into a moral crisis that reshaped political modernism and human equality debates.
- Bartolomé de las Casas and others generated doctrines limiting war and affirming common humanity that prefigured modern international law.
Las Casas' Conversion And Campaign
- Bartolomé de las Casas started as a participant in conquest and later renounced his encomiendas after a religious conversion.
- He then used testimony, Latin debates, and confessional guidebooks to campaign against slavery and the conquest's legitimacy.
Salamanca School's Global Legal Vision
- The Salamanca School developed early modern doctrines of sovereignty and international law based on equality and limited grounds for war.
- These ideas framed a universalist humanism that critiqued conquest and legitimized common interests among nations.
