In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. This is what we learn of him. We are taught of a man who accidentally discovered America while looking for an all-water route to Asia. He is also the man who aided in the decimation of the Native American population. So, is he friend or foe? He is both, however the negative impact he left outweighs his positive actions.
Christopher Columbus struck a deal with the King and Queen of Spain; the negotiations was called The Capitulations of Santa Fe. The contract earned Columbus 10% of profits of anything he encountered and it also named him "admiral, viceroy, and governor of any land he discovered" (bio.). According to historian Howard Zinn, Columbus falls into the same category as conquistadors, Hernando Cortes and Francisco Pizarro. He brought over diseases that were fatal to the Natives who weren't immune. Columbus and his men enslaved many Indians and sold them, or he put them to work to increase his profits. He treated the natives harshly, brutally killing them. Furthermore, "in an attempt to deter further rebellion, Columbus ordered their dismembered bodies to be paraded through the streets" (History.com). Christopher Columbus heavily mistreated the natives of America that were there long before him. His greed overruled all other traits and he saw them as an ends to a mean, money. It would have benefitted more people if Columbus just stayed on his side of the ocean. Today, we celebrate a man unworthy of a holiday.
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