Christopher Columbus: A Hero?

In 1492, Christopher Columbus, set out on a long travel trying to find a shortest way to
the Indies. He left Spain with a big crew and a fleet conformed by three Ships: the
Santa Clara (La Nia), the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
On the morning of October 12 in 1492, the crew of the Pinta saw the first sighting of the
island that called San Salvador today named the Bahamas.
The indigenous, people that Columbus found in The Americas, were friendly and
peaceful, and they were ignorant about the Golds value, the Spanish cultures and the
existence of other populations. Between 1492 and 1503, Columbus made four
voyages. In all those trips, Christopher Columbus slaved, mistreated, killed, raped,
kidnapped and made other terrible things to our ancestors. In just two years almost
125.000 natives were dead.
Now, Was Christopher Columbus a hero?
Christopher Columbus came to Las American four times. In that little time, Columbus,
and the Spaniard crew killed most of the middle of native people and obliged to another
100 people to suicide.
He forced to the natives to work in his gold mines, and stole that gold to take it to Spain.
He sold little girls to the sexual slavery. And he sold indigenous people too, to converse
them in salves.
He used the force to converse the natives religion in a memory, and instill them the
catholic religion.
He destroyed and invaded natives property.
Even when he didnt discovered Las Americas, he stole an idea; he stole the title of the
Las Americas Discoverer.
Christopher Columbus wasnt a hero. He was a murderer. He was a thief. He was a
villain.
Columbus came to Las Americas in name of Spain. He, not just change their beliefs; he
changed as well their life. He took advantage of the natives ignorance, honesty and
friendliness.
According to Christopher Minster (2010), Christopher Columbus didnt just stole to the
Americas but he stole also to his own homeland when he kept the profits to himself.
But isnt just now that all that violence is known. His compatriots knew it but a lot of
them didnt do anything.
In 1500, Francisco de Bobadilla arrested him because of the maltreatment against the
Arawaks (One of the Indian population).
Even more, one of the Columbus man, Bartolome de las Casas, report Christopher
Columbus because his violence and cruelty against the native population, kids and old
people. In his diary, De las Casas wrote that "Such inhumanities and barbarisms were
committed in my sight as no age can parallel" (Bartolome de las Casas, 1500, cited by
Erik Kasum, 2010) and he wrote about the inhuman practices that the Columbus crew
and the same Christopher committed.
Christopher Columbus wasnt a hero in that moment and he isnt a hero in the actuality.
Today, in the majority of countries, included Spain and Portugal, the rape, the burglary,
the kidnapping and the slavery are illegal. It attempt on peoples life.
All those things were allowed in the past, but in the present those are crimes. Today,
the human rights, the institutions that protect them and the law get secure that those
rights be obey. Today, a man that does what Christopher Columbus did must be
arrested and in some countries can be sentence to the dead.





Bibliography
Kasum, E. (2010) Columbus Day? True legacy: cruelty and slavery. Recover
from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-kasum/columbus-day-a-bad-
idea_b_742708.html
Minster, C. (2010) The Truth about Christopher Columbus. Recover from:
http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/thevoyagesofcolumbus/a/09columbustru
th_2.htm
123 help me.com. (2014) Christopher Columbus: The Villain. Recover from:
http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=23174