In any conflict
which arose between personality rights and property rights the
property rights of the master were always protected.
In contrast, the South American planter would not have such a
free hand in shaping his own affairs. The Renaissance and
Reformation had not made the same impact on Spain and Portugal
as they did on the rest of Western Europe. Consequently,
secularization and commercialization had not progressed as far in
eroding the traditional power and prestige of the Crown and the
Church. Although both institutions readily compromised with
capitalist interests and strove to develop a working alliance
with them, neither the Crown nor the Church in Spain and
Portugal had ever been taken over by the commercial interests.
Both Spain and Portugal had had continuous contact with slavery
extending back into ancient times. Roman law as well as the
Church fathers had concerned themselves with it, and these
concepts had been incorporated into Spanish and Portuguese
law. Also, slaves continued to exist in both countries down
to modern times. Therefore, when Portugal began importing slaves
from West Africa in the fifteenth century, the institution of
slavery was already in existence.
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