Columbus Essay

Christopher Columbus was a villain. He along with his men mowed down hundreds of natives,
loosed dogs to rip open limbs and bellies, had natives skewered onto a sword, raped the women,
enslaved them, and used women in sex trade. It was practically a genocide that was taking place.
Columbus may have informed the Europeans of the land out to the west, but it does not excuse the
actions that took place.

One way Christopher Columbus is a villain is because of his violence to the natives. There are
accounts of Christopher Columbus and his men placing bets on whether they could cut a man in half
starting at the middle of his head going all the way down with one strike of a sword. (Walbert)
Columbus treated the natives lives as if it were a game. He and his men would take fun in the different
ways of torturing the natives. Dogs would sometimes be released. The dogs would rip the Natives to
shreds. Natives were chased, and skewered on a sword. These are all examples of the violence that took
place by Christopher Columbus and his men. What took place was a genocide. There were 1.5 to 3
million natives on the island, and by 1496 it was down to 1.1 million. Slowly through the years the
population steadily declined. Until 1555, when all the natives had been completely wiped out by
Columbus and his men. (Hartmann)

Another way Christopher Columbus is a villain was his cruelty toward the natives. He along
with his men would rape the native women. It was a common reward for Columbus' men for him to
present them with a native woman to rape. (Hartmann) They would also use the women in sex
trafficking. A Taino woman could be obtained for a hundred castellanoes, which is the equivalent to
one Spanish coin. (Hartmann) Men were also sold as slaves, used on farms. They could be purchased
for a hundred castellanoes as well. If not sold they would be used as slaves in the gold mines for
Columbus. The labor was so exhausting for the women that many did not want to conceive a baby, and
would take something to help abort the baby. Some after delivering a baby killed it right after. They did
this thinking about saving them from the slavery taking place. (Hartmann)

Christopher Columbus was very interested in gold. He wanted to bring lots of gold and spices
to Spain with him. The natives were at first impressed with Columbus. He would give them fabric and
glass beads in return for their gold. He eventually began to demand things from the natives. He
demanded the natives to bring all their gold back to him. If they refused or did not bring enough gold
back he would cut their hands off as a punishment. They would bleed to death. (seekandfind) He also
had many slaves in the gold mines. These were usually boys older than 14. He went to extreme lengths
to bring back gold and spices to Spain. Even though he had an abundance of gold and spices he was not
satisfied and brought home some of the natives to be used as slaves.

These are all examples of how Columbus was a villain. He should not have a day for which he
is honored. There should be a day to remember the 1.5-3 million Taino lives lost. He is not a hero. He
may have exposed the west to the Europeans, and brought back many valuable resources to Spain. It
does not cancel out the horrible actions that involved him and his crew on the island. He tortured the
Tainos. He wiped them out completely. It was a genocide.