Columbus Pros And Cons

“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” - Abraham Lincoln.
The conquest of the New World was not worth the cost. The colonists took advantage over the innocent Native Americans. To go along with Lincoln’s quote, the colonists who were slave owners didn’t deserve freedom. The settlers captured and confined many slaves. Spain, as a whole had many advantages in the conquest of the New World. But the damages inflicted upon the Native population was almost unrepairable.
The settlers came to the New World to find groups of honest, benevolent people already living there. Columbus, of course, abuses their giving nature. According to Columbus’ letter, the Native Americans were willing to trade expensive materials for simple, cheap items. That was one of the first signs in his letter that he was going to abuse them. Abusing anyone’s hospitality is horrible but to do it to an entire population is absurd! Not only did the colonists treat the Natives so crudely but get almost the whole population infected with deadly diseases. The diseases killed plenty of innocents. They died slowly and painfully from bumps on their skin. According to the excerpt and illustration “Large bumps

spread on people; some were entirely covered. . . .[The victims] could no longer walk about, but lay in their dwellings and sleeping places, . . . And when they made a motion, they called out loudly.” Not only did they enslave the Natives but also nearly wipe out their population with diseases. No, colonization in the New World was not worth killing innocents.
One of Spain’s main goals was to introduce the Native Americans to Christianity.

But when they became slaves they were not treated as equals. In the Friar’s sermon he says “And what care do you take that they receive religious instruction and come to know their God and creator, or that they be baptized, hear mass, or observe holidays and Sundays? Are they not men? Do they not have rational souls?” Antonio de Montesinos was talking about them not being able to attend religious services. So overall Spain’s goal of them becoming Christians was ruined because of the poor treatment the slaves received. The Friar also talks about the cruel and unjust treatment of the slaves. He was explaining all of the sins the slave owners committed and how terrible they were. Which was all

true.
Overall, the treatment of the Native Americans made it so the voyage to the New World was not worth what it cost. What it really cost was the lives of virtuous humans who would’ve never hurt us as we did to them. The settlers acted inhuman when handling the Native Americans. The colonists stole what they wanted (including people) and were unforgiveable. Antonio de Montesinos was completely right with his arguments against the slave owners. They were being sinful. They didn’t give their slaves freedom so they don’t deserve freedom either.