“Discovering New Americas”
Columbus’ quest for excess riches and unnecessary glory not only led to the eradication of the Native Americans, but also left behind the mindset that white men can take what they want and not see any consequences. Columbus’ desire to claim and convert an already established and independent people, truly exemplifies the unjust morals of his time. In his “discovery,” Columbus ultimately “opened the Americas to the white man and so set in train a tale of ‘devastation not previously witnessed in the entire history of the world’” (Scammel 546). Columbus, like all other explorers and conquerors both before, after, and during his time, took what he wanted with complete disregard for the consequences of his actions. He essentially opened the door, and gave the ok for any and all men to treat the Native Americans like bugs to be squashed or tools to be used, amplifying the unruly tide of white imperialism for generations to come.
While there is no possible way to excuse his actions, it should be highlighted that it was not Columbus’ original intention to cause so much death and destruction. A man of his time, Columbus’ initial goal was simply to find a new path to India, but when he stumbled upon something new, he felt that he needed to claim and convert it. Scammel points out that, yes, “[people] might, in times of despair or elation, call for the eradication of the natives,” but in this case, “there was no general, considered, and consistent policy of wiping out the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas” (549). When analyzing the effects that Columbus’ “discovery” had on the Native Americans, it is crucial to realize that the mass murder committed against them was ultimately accidental, even if in the worst way possible. The King and Queen of Spain did not send Columbus on a mission to destroy a millennials old race of people, and Columbus did not intend to do so either, but their insurmountable greed and their flippant disregard for the lives of people of color were what ultimately eradicated the Native Americans.
Source: Scammell, G. V. “Discovering New Americas.” The International History Review, vol. 15, no. 3, 1993, pp. 546–553. JSTOR. Web.
“Thief, Slave Trader, Murderer: Christopher Columbus and Caribbean Population Decline.”
Not only were the Native Americans continually slain directly by the hands of the Europeans, but they were rapidly eradicated by the diseases brought by their invaders. These people couldn’t even hang on to the possibility of freedom if the foreigners left, because the white man’s diseases would follow them to grave for generations upon generations. This form of extermination is even worse than enslavement and murder, as it adds on an entirely new level of suffering. These people not only had their freedom’s striped from them, but their health, along with any hope for the health of their future generations as well.
Source: Tinker, George E., and Mark Freeland. “Thief, Slave Trader, Murderer: Christopher Columbus and Caribbean Population Decline.” Wicazo Sa Review 23.1 (2008): 25-50.
“The Columbus Myth”
The fact that he saw no wrong in enslaving and murdering the Native Americans, only adds to the severity of this issue. Desai emphasizes that “he subjugated, then enslaved the indigenous people to satisfy his hunger for gold,” and when they “failed to fulfill his unrealistic gold quotas,” he responded by brutally “chopping off their hands” (180). Columbus mutilated and killed these innocent people, all to make himself richer. This is by far the grossest form of complete and utter selfishness that any human being can ever achieve. Slavery, cruel and unusual punishment, senseless murder; all of these acts Columbus committed are acts that deserve the utmost condemnation in every sense of the word.
Source: Desai, Christina M. “The Columbus Myth: Power and Ideology in Picturebooks About Christopher Columbus.” Children’s Literature in Education. Vol. 45, no 3, Sept 2014. Pp 179-96. EBSCOhost. Web.