Columbus Essay
Samantha Fea
Mrs. Lynch
U.S. History
9/29/14
Christopher Columbus Paper “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” That is how the story is told to most
Americans today, therefore presenting Columbus as a hero to us all. Columbus was an awful human being, and made life a living nightmare for many people around him. But, since we celebrate Columbus every year he is still looked at as a hero for “discovering” the place we call home today. Christopher Columbus, though celebrated and known among many for his heroism, is, in reality a villain who enslaved, tortured and had innocent native girls raped.
In a hard time when slavery was beginning to grow, Columbus and his men enslaved many natives. On his first day in this New World, natives were immediately forced to work, he wrote in his journal that he thought they would be great servants.
Throughout the years in the New World, Columbus made laws that forced natives to work for money that went to Columbus, Columbus was extremely obsessed with anything having to do with money, he once said “Gold is the most precious of all commodities; gold constitutes treasure, and he who possesses it has all he needs in the world, as also the means of rescuing souls from purgatory, and restoring them to the enjoyment of paradise.” . Later, Columbus made thousands of Taino “Indians” from
Hispaniola to Spain to be sold into slavery. So many of them died on their way. Those left behind had no choice but to spend their days looking for gold in mines and on plantations. Columbus was responsible for tortured and causing suicide of many natives. If an
"Indian" worker did not deliver the full amount of gold dust by the time Columbus wanted it, soldiers would cut off the man's hands. Slavery was awful for these sweet, kind people that at one point, 100 of them committed suicide.When Columbus went on his second trip into the new world, he brought with him attack dogs If a native refused to work for Columbus, a
Mrs. Lynch
U.S. History
9/29/14
Christopher Columbus Paper “In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” That is how the story is told to most
Americans today, therefore presenting Columbus as a hero to us all. Columbus was an awful human being, and made life a living nightmare for many people around him. But, since we celebrate Columbus every year he is still looked at as a hero for “discovering” the place we call home today. Christopher Columbus, though celebrated and known among many for his heroism, is, in reality a villain who enslaved, tortured and had innocent native girls raped.
In a hard time when slavery was beginning to grow, Columbus and his men enslaved many natives. On his first day in this New World, natives were immediately forced to work, he wrote in his journal that he thought they would be great servants.
Throughout the years in the New World, Columbus made laws that forced natives to work for money that went to Columbus, Columbus was extremely obsessed with anything having to do with money, he once said “Gold is the most precious of all commodities; gold constitutes treasure, and he who possesses it has all he needs in the world, as also the means of rescuing souls from purgatory, and restoring them to the enjoyment of paradise.” . Later, Columbus made thousands of Taino “Indians” from
Hispaniola to Spain to be sold into slavery. So many of them died on their way. Those left behind had no choice but to spend their days looking for gold in mines and on plantations. Columbus was responsible for tortured and causing suicide of many natives. If an
"Indian" worker did not deliver the full amount of gold dust by the time Columbus wanted it, soldiers would cut off the man's hands. Slavery was awful for these sweet, kind people that at one point, 100 of them committed suicide.When Columbus went on his second trip into the new world, he brought with him attack dogs If a native refused to work for Columbus, a