Columbus Blog #8

With Columbus Day in the near future, it is important to not only look at Columbus as the hero many perceive him to be, but also as the villainous person he actually was. Personally, it is my belief that Columbus was much more of an evil figure than he was the positive light we celebrate today. Many associate his name with genocide and social Darwinism, too terrible traits of the human race. When he first arrived at Hispaniola there have been reports of him mass murdering large groups of the native Taino Indians, enslaving their women, and separating families from their children. At one point, the Taino saw Columbus's advance into their homeland as destroying their future and they conducted mass suicides by jumping off cliffs or poisoning each other. Also, Columbus was not held in high regard as a captain and was known for nurturing mutinous feelings among his crew. Reports of his atrocities in Hispaniola even appalled Ferdinand and Isabella, known for their inhumane actions during the Spanish Inquisition, when they read them first hand. Obviously Columbus did open the door to the New World for Europe, but his actual character must much darker and more horrific than it was heroic as represented by our celebration of his holiday to this day. Some states have even ended their recognition of Columbus Day for these very reasons.