Christopher Columbus is a polarizing historical figure
whose life has been defined, by many, for his
astonishing level of courage and intestinal fortitude;
nevertheless, such impressive traits should never blur
the fact that he oversaw a murderous quest for
material riches that resulted in the utter demise of a
people. Each year, as October 12 comes and goes, a
question is raised – what are we celebrating about
his life?
Christopher Columbus was an immensely talented
mariner who navigated the Santa Maria and two
other smaller ships across the Atlantic Ocean in
search of Asia. However, he and his crew
inadvertently arrived in the New World on October 12,
1492. Their long and arduous journey was driven by
one clear objective – to find and establish a long-
term source of wealth, preferably gold, for the King
and Queen of Spain.
In return, Columbus would be allotted 10 percent of
the profits, governorship over new-found land, and
awarded the prestigious title of Admiral of the Ocean
Sea. Upon arriving in the islands, which we now refer
to as the Bahamas, Columbus and his crew first
encountered the Arawaks. It was at that fateful
juncture in human history that he made two keen
observations regarding these indigenous people.
Firstly, they were docile and trusting in nature; and,
secondly, they wore gold jewelry. Columbus’s own
words from his personal journal capture the ominous
fate that awaited the Arawaks:
"They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I
showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and
cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron.
Their spears are made of cane. They would make
fine servants. With fifty men we could subjugate
them all and make them do whatever we want."
READ MORE: The forgotten voyager - the story of an
Irishman who discovered America and inspired
Columbus’ voyages.
The concept of private property and the pursuit of
material riches had reached a frenzied pitch within
15th century Europe. As an independent contractor,
Christopher Columbus recognized the seemingly
limitless economic potential of the land he had
“discovered.”
It was at this point in time that his bravery had
begun to shift to sheer brutality. This transition
within his personality was encapsulated in many of
the notes that he had sent to the King and Queen of
Spain to bolster expectations. In one particular note
he promised “as much gold as they need and as
many slaves as they ask.”
Soon thereafter, he and his men kidnapped a number
of the Arawaks and forced them to identify other
sources of gold throughout the region.
With an extensive arsenal of advanced weaponry/
horses, Columbus and his men, arrived on the islands
that were later named Cuba and Hispaniola (present
day Dominican Republic / Haiti). Upon arrival, the
sheer magnitude of gold, which was readily available,
set into motion a relentless wave of murder, rape,
pillaging, and slavery that would forever alter the
course of human history.
New #photo of the tomb of Christopher
Columbus in Seville Cathedral. Read all
about visiting http://t.co/T7OhLYdHet
pic.twitter.com/44fb3zFJiM
— andalucia com (@andalucia_com)
October 3, 2015
A young, Catholic priest named Bartolomé de las
Casas transcribed Columbus’s journals and later
wrote about the violence he had witnessed. The fact
that such crimes could potentially go unnoticed by
future generations was deeply troubling to him. He
expanded upon the extent of Columbus’s reign of
terror within his multivolume book entitled the
"History of the Indies":
"There were 60,000 people living on this island,
including the Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508,
over 3,000,000 people had perished from war,
slavery, and the mines. Who in future generations will
believe this? I myself writing it as a knowledgeable
eyewitness can hardly believe it."
Such words offer the reader a firsthand account of
the state-sponsored genocide that the Spanish
Empire had financed through Columbus. Clearly, the
intent of the Spanish Empire was to eradicate the
islands of indigenous people through slavery and
violence. In doing so they had further established
their already dominant political / economic standing
within Europe. In a matter of years, Columbus and
his men decimated the indigenous people of the
Caribbean islands.
The fact that Columbus Day is celebrated each
October is a testament to the intellectual dishonesty
that has stemmed from the likes of academics,
teachers, and politicians. It has become an annual
ritual to sanitize history and present half-truths as
absolutes. In 1937, Columbus Day was officially
established as a federal holiday in the United States;
however, to this day it is not observed in Hawaii,
Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota.
The other 46 states that observe the holiday
acknowledge Christopher Columbus as a superior
mariner that had unknowingly found himself in the
Caribbean Sea after departing from Europe.
Incidentally, in conjunction with those facts, it would
also be quite fair to label Columbus as one of the
“founding fathers” of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Unfortunately such an unpleasant truth has been
relegated to the background of history.
For decades now we have been hearing self
proclaimed “experts” espouse Columbus’s many
accomplishments – particularly his “discovery” of
the New World, yet, in doing so they have opted to
minimize the extent of his violence or have utterly
disregarded it.
The shame in all of this is that people living in
countries throughout the Western Hemisphere,
including the United States, have been indoctrinated
into believing such fallacies and have been
intentionally miseducated.
READ MORE: Spanish documents suggest Irish
arrived in America before Columbus.
In sum, history cannot be rewritten. However with
information now at our fingertips we can no longer
fault our teachers, politicians, etc. for being left in
the dark regarding our collective histories.
Thoroughly researched academic materials are
readily available for those who seek the truth.
In fact, it is fair to assume that as people gain a
better understanding of Columbus they will begin to
support other efforts to acknowledge this particular
point in time.
Such forthright thinking is certainly evident within
the cities of Denver and Minneapolis which have
both taken the lead in distancing themselves from
Columbus’s crimes and have acknowledging his
victims with an “Indigenous People’s Day” on
October 12. Or, perhaps, we should consider an
“Italian Heritage Day”?
One could certainly make a valid argument for the
recognition of Galileo Galilei, Saint Francis of Assisi,
Dante Alighieri, or Leonardo Da Vinci’s
accomplishments. Be that as it may, most Americans
take pride in our collective history and it is
incumbent upon us to rectify past errors through
education and enlighten our young people to the rich,
yet, nuanced nature of American history. Taking a
moment to reflect upon the man Columbus truly was
is the first step to gaining a better understanding of
how far we have come as a model nation.
Owen McCormack is a teacher within the New York City
Department of Education. He holds a Master of Arts
degree in History from the City College of New York and
a Master of Science degree in Special Education from
the College of Staten Island. He enjoys analyzing the
complexities of today’s social and political issues
through a religious / historical prism. His writing has
been featured in TRUTH-OUT.org.
