What Role Did Columbus Play In American Society

For the day Columbus arrived in America in 1492 in the next few hundred years every decision the new arrival make is pivotal to the ideology and development of the United States we have today. Columbus and the Puritans are two groups of people who’s action hundreds years ago were seedling to the foundation of many American’s principles in todays society.

Columbus had a large role on America’s views and treatment of the indigenous peoples. While most Americans credit Columbus with finding America, (which he did not), what they tend to miss out is that Columbus is also responsible for the genocide of millions of Native Americans. This lead to many issues we have with Native Americans today, one being racism. Racism towards indigenous peoples is so a
For instance, sports team’s names such as the red skins are examples of derogatory terms and references people use daily that is often missed out on. This all originates from the times of Columbus’ arrival. When Columbus arrived in America, he instantly began dehumanizing the indigenous people. He would kill off millions of indigenous people from disease, or use them as slaves. This lead to a notion in American society that natives were lesser humans, and were noble savages that lead to the racism we have today. This is why teams such as the red skins are allowed to happen, because since the time of Columbus and onwards, Americans have looked at the natives as nothing more than animals, and that degrading the indigenous peoples all right. Another way Columbus influenced America today is the idea of slaves. Slaves make up a dark vast portion of American history, and Columbus is once again responsible for bringing such an idea to America. The natives that were not killed by disease when Columbus arrived in America were taken by Columbus and his followers and used as slaves. These slaves were then used for