Columbus Blog #8

Should Columbus be considered a hero or a villain?

Christopher Columbus should be considered a villain because his actions were cruel and inhumane and he did nothing that could be considered heroic except gain money for Spain. Firstly, Columbus didn't discover America. The Native Americans had already been there for thousands of years, the only thing he did was introduce America to Europe, and there is evidence the Vikings did that first anyway. Secondly, he was a murder. He started the vicious slave trade in the Americas. Even though he was impressed with how welcoming and kind the natives were, he still sold them off into slavery. He worked them to death in the mines and if a slave didn't provide the amount he was supposed to his hands were cut off. In addition to this, Columbus and his crew made a game of cutting the arms and legs off of the native children. He also brought attack dogs to chase escaped slaves and he would burn them alive or cut their noses off. Columbus also sold women and children off to be sex slaves and killed babies to feed the dogs. He killed off the Arawaks so quickly that in only 50 years there was not a single person left. Thirdly, he began the African slave trade in the Americas when he brought in black slaves to replace the natives who had died. All in all, while he did discover America for Europe, the appalling crimes he committed against innocent people make it clear that he is a villain.