How Did Columbus Kill The Tainos

Although some people may think that the death of the Taino Indians was brought upon themselves, the death of millions of innocent Taino Indians was actually the product of the combined effects of Christopher Columbus’ orders, the brutal actions committed by Columbus’ men, and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella’s support of Columbus throughout as he carried out his plans. The killing of Taino Indians was a joint effort between many parties, some of whom did not even know that they were partaking in the genocide of almost an entire population. If not for the leadership of Christopher Columbus, the Tainos’ numbers could still be in the millions today, but instead they remain a small population thanks to the brutal actions orchestrated by Columbus,

acted out by his men, and funded by the King and Queen of Spain.
As the mastermind of the plan to attack the Taino Indians, Christopher Columbus carries the most guilt in this case. If it were not for Columbus, this particular chain of events that resulted in the kidnapping, torture, and murder of the Tainos may have never happened. When Columbus wrote a letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella after his first voyage to Hispaniola, he clearly states of his intentions to take the Tainos captive and explains different ways he can exploit their weaknesses. He writes, “They [the Tainos] have no iron or steel or weapons, nor are they fitted to use them. This is not because they are not well built and of handsome stature, but because they are very marvellously timorous.” Columbus also states that the Tainos “would make good slaves and could quickly be converted to Christianity.” Based on the audience of Columbus’ letter, the King and Queen, it is made very clear that he is not messing around when he makes these comments about the Tainos. Why would he risk making such bold comments towards his monarchs only to not follow through with his plan that would being resources and fortune to himself and his country? Columbus’ remarks make it very clear that he knew what kind of people the Tainos were and how he could exploit their weaknesses for his own benefit. Columbus is also responsible for making sure these actions he outlined in his previous letter were carried out. On his second voyage to the Americas, Columbus “took control of the island of Hispaniola and enslaved its indigenous peoples.” Without Columbus at the head of his voyages, the fate of the Tainos may have been drastically different. Had it not been for Columbus’ orders, millions of innocent Tainos may have gotten to live and almost an entire population would not have been wiped out.
Although Columbus should bear most of the guilt for the murder of the Tainos, other parties, like Columbus’ men are also not entirely innocent.

It is important to remember that Columbus was only the man who gave the orders, they were actually carried out by his men. Even after hearing people like Father Bartolomé de las Casas plead on behalf of the Tainos, Columbus’ men still decided to follow orders and torture, enslave, and murder millions of Tainos. Father de las Casas’ writing says that the Tainos are “gentle lambs” and when Columbus’ men attack the Tainos, they “tear the natives to shreds, murder them and inflict upon them untold misery, suffering and distress, tormenting, harrying and persecuting them mercilessly.” Father de las Casas writing is reliable because he witnessed these horrible actions firsthand. Christopher Columbus, when writing to the King and Queen, even says, “Of these [weapons] they do not dare to make use, for many times it has happened that I have sent ashore two or three men to some town to have speech with them, and countless people have come out to them, and as soon as they have seen my men approaching, they have fled, a father not even waiting for his son.” Columbus was on the island of Hispaniola and knew firsthand that his men had no reason to kill the Tainos because there was no way that they would fight back or stand a chance against them. Because Columbus’ men chose to follow Columbus’ orders and attack and kill the Tainos when they had

the choice not to, they are partially guilty for this crime.
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella also share part of the guilt for the murder of the millions of Tainos.

They were the ones who funded Christopher Columbus’ voyages to America. Without their money, Christopher Columbus would not have been able to sail to America and millions of Tainos would have been able to live. But more importantly, the King and Queen are guilty because they did nothing to stop Columbus from attacking the Tainos even after Columbus informed them of his plans in a letter. King Ferdinand even wrote a letter directly to the Tainos threatening them saying that “should [they] fail to comply, or delay maliciously in so doing, we assure you that with the help of God we shall use force against you, declaring war upon you from all sides and with all possible means.” When the King and Queen first heard of Columbus plans to enslave the Tainos, they should have put a stop to it immediately and cut off Columbus’ funding instead of allowing him to sail again and set up a Spanish colony on Hispaniola where millions of Tainos would be

killed.
Christopher Columbus, his men, and King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are all guilty for the murder of millions of Tainos. As Father de las Casas explained, the Tainos were innocent, “gentle lambs.” If Columbus has not orchestrated this entire scheme, and if his men had not carried out his orders, and if the King and Queen had not funded or supported Columbus, millions of innocent Tainos may have gotten the chance to live. Instead, all of these put their pieces together to form a team that would eventually murder almost an entire population of Tainos Indians.