Obama was right when he said that ‘colonialism clouded our view of our past’ because we fail to acknowledge the horrible actions of a man and instead, glorify them for how it has positively impacted us today. The further we move away from a certain history, the blurrier it appears. That once fixed and solid reality evolves over time making it easier to tweak into a version that suits the majority: a fact twisted here, half a lie printed there and suddenly, we confuse what once was reality, with a myth. To the privileged majority, Christopher Columbus was an accomplished sailor, a hero, and the stepping stone for the exploration of the Americas. As for the underprivileged minorities, myself included, he was a selfish, megalomaniac that committed every crime possible to justify the European desire for gold, “God”, and glory. Now perception is not reality, but some perceptions hold more truth than others and those truths deserve to be put at the forefront of our minds before we are quick to praise someone. Although his contributions to exploration should be noted, Christopher Columbus should not be regarded as a hero because he was a merciless tyrant who sought his own personal glory, he forcibly converted indigenous people to the catholic religion which in turn led to a loss of cultural identity, as well, he committed countless acts of inhumanity.

Columbus’ efforts were hardly for ‘the greatness of Spain’ as he claims it to be, and more so for his glory. He sought to procure his name in the land that he and his men discovered. This is evident in the agreement he made with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who sponsored his voyage with the promise of “10% of all the wealth returned to Spain, the title of Admiral and governor and viceroy of all the territory he discovered”; all this demanded by Columbus himself. Some of the money used to finance his voyages came from the wealth taken from Spanish Jews. This is ironic because Columbus is seen as a devoted patriot of Spain, but has no problem stealing from those very people to achieve his goal. For years Columbus hid under the pretenses of securing goods of silk and spices for his country when in fact was pushing his own personal agenda of titles and riches. This again was at the expense of innocent natives whose only mistake? Inhabiting a land they found first.

In addition to his goal of riches and sovereignty, Columbus’ voyage also sought to spread the word of God, by forcibly converting Indians to Christianity and begin practicing it against their desires. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were in full support of this as well as the Pope, praising him for “bringing forth the truth to the natives”. This idea of eurocentrism came about; the Europeans believed themselves to be superior and have the right view of life. This view is skewed and tainted as we see today, our worldviews all differ from each other. By doing this, it erased the cultural beliefs and identities of the Indian people. This conversion to the catholic religion continued as they began to implement it in the form of residential schools, the goal of these schools to “kill the Indian in the child”. For someone to hold their religion in such high regard, a religion that values respect, love, and human dignity, he completely contradicts the teachings of the catholic church. Columbus lacks moral intelligence as he aims to civilize them to Christianity but his actions go against the core values of Christianity itself. These actions cannot be justified.

What could be his worst stain in this world was his bloodshed of indigenous people. With every voyage he took to the America’s, he not only returned with gold and riches, but blood on his hands, killing thousands of native Taino and Caribs. He indulged in countless acts of violence and terrorism toward the indigenous people he encountered. It is one thing to accomplish a goal, it is another thing entirely to commit every crime possible to achieve that goal. Some of which included kidnapping and decapitating the heads of the Taino people. In 1495, he had ordered all Taino people 14 and older to deliver a certain amount of gold dust every three months, and those who refused to comply had their hands cut off and were left to bleed to death. He believed that doing this would prevent any rebellion and encourage fear among the Tainos. Along with this, he allowed his crew to rape and abuse Carib women, as well, selling young girls aged 9-10 into sexual slavery. The slave trade became a prominent establishment under Columbus’ advisory. He began capturing hundreds of Indians to take back to Spain as slaves. Many of them died en route, their bodies thrown by the Spanish in the Atlantic. He justified these transgressions by writing that they are “cannibals” and that slavery would “readily secure the welfare of their souls”, even further suggesting to the king and queen that the supplies needed in the Indies could be paid for by those very slaves. Not only is this atrocity inexcusable, his so-called justification for it only proves that his intentions were always malicious from the moment he set sail. Regardless of if he found the Americas instead of Asia, he still would have used the same methods and practices to obtain what he wanted. These acts of inhumanity should not bestow the title of  “hero” on someone.

To even argue if Columbus should be recognized as a hero is a slap in the face to everyone negatively impacted by his actions. As historical globalization has shown us, the events of the past affect us today in a chain of events. The first contact with the Europeans only ignited more trauma and devastation seen throughout the centuries in the form of residential schools, oppression, and segregation. This all stemmed from Columbus himself. From his use of violence and slavery, the forced conversion of native people to Christianity, and his greed for power. His legacy should be remembered for what he truly is; a homicidal tyrant, the godfather of the slave trade, or even better, the man behind a genocide. All more befitting titles than that of a hero. He is everything but someone who people should remember as an icon or someone who deserves to have a day commemorating their “successes”. Had Columbus not been granted his expedition, one can only imagine the life we’d be living.

A photo of him on this article was left out on purpose.

NF