Christopher Columbus A False Narrative For Americans

All across the United States, students learn that Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and â€Å"discovered† North America. This common misconception creates a false narrative for Americans learning about Christopher Columbus’ legacy - and indeed about the country’s early post-European history. When Christopher Columbus came ashore, North America was already inhabited by hundreds of thousands of native peoples so the concept of Christopher Columbus somehow â€Å"discovering† what is now the United States of America is inaccurate. He did, however, set off a process of conquering the land and its people for the Western World. He did so through brutal tactics including forced labor, enslavement, violence, and widespread killing.†¦show more content†¦The Arawak people welcomed Columbus and his men as if they were gods. In return, Columbus took advantage of their generosity and responded with enslavement, torture, violence and mass killin gs. A person who takes advantage of an innocent person or group in these ways is not a hero, a good leader, or a good person. Furthermore, Columbus began enslaving the natives for more reasons than free labor. He needed something profitable to show the King and Queen of Spain, and Columbus decided that Europe could use slaves too. Columbus was planning a return trip home to Spain. His idea was to bring some Arawaks with him and show them to the King and Queen of Spain. Queen Isabella would see how valuable a slave market could be, and she would give Columbus more money and the title that he was promised. Ever since day one, Columbus made his thoughts and intentions extremely well-known through the bindings of his journal. In one excerpt from his journal, Columbus wrote, â€Å"They would make fine servants†¦ With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want† (Columbus qtd. in Zinn 1). Christopher Columbus did not think about how his actions would impact others. 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