Christopher Columbus Cruel

Scotlyn McDowell

The average American thinks of Christopher Columbus as a hero, but in reality, Columbus was arrogant, manipulative, and cruel in the eyes of the Native Americans, which was repeatedly shown through the violent acts and brutality that took place under his command. When Columbus set out on the voyage to discover a new route to India, he found himself and his crew in a different place entirely. Columbus landed in an area of America which is now called the Bahamas. At first, the Europeans and the Native Americans had an amiable relationship, and they bartered and traded new items and the Natives introduced Columbus and his crew to a variety of new foods, weapons, and farming methods. Unfortunately, the Indians soon realized that they were being taken advantage of, because the Europeans started to cheat them, trading them worthless items and being dishonest with their trade. Columbus thought that since the Indians were so generous, he would go back to Europe and get more ships for another voyage, promising the queen that he would return with slaves and gold.

The Europeans were becoming increasingly more manipulative, and began taking Indians captive. The Indians tried to outrun them, and for a while were successful, but eventually they were found and most men were taken, and even some women and children as slaves for sex and labor. In 1495, the Europeans conducted a large slave raid. The most able Natives were chosen and sent back to Spain, where most of them perished in captivity. Columbus was frustrated, and knowing he had to fulfill his promise to the queen and find a significant quantity of gold, he went with a crew back to the Americas and sent the Indians on a quest for