While Christopher Columbus is commonly viewed as a champion of the advancement of European society and the brave explorer that discovered the New World, he is instead a malefactor who destroyed New World society and culture. During Columbus' arrival into the New World, he encountered several munificent Native Americans who offered "everything they owned". Rather than return this generosity with kindness, Columbus planned to make the natives into "fine servants... we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want", as he had written in his log. Columbus did not care for the well being of others, but instead focused on achieving fame and gaining monetary success. He soon carried out his plan and captured several natives in the hopes that they could lead him to gold. Unfortunately, Columbus did not find this illusive gold, but he exaggerated reports and made promises to Spain about the New World wealth. This resulted in a greater investment of Columbus's voyages, which placed him in massive debt to the Spanish government. In order to repay this debt, Columbus forced the natives to give Columbus a certain amount of gold every three months. For the natives who met Columbus's quota, they were given copper tokens to hang around their necks. The other natives that did not receive these copper tokens were executed in cold blood. Hence, Columbus was no hero or champion of society, but a villain who only worked to benefit his own needs and disregarded the rights of others because of his his selfish ideals.
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006. Print.
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