You're thinking of the wrong natives, that was over in Mexico and Peru. Columbus landed on Hispaniola, which had fairly primitive agricultural and hunter tribes. He then proceded to murder thousands (especially if they didn't bring him the gold he thought was there) and ship untold many more off to be slaves although admitting they didn't do well as slaves (not able to do the hard field work like Africans) and most were dying during the trip anyway -- but he sent more.
It was so bad that the local priest sent with Columbus complained about the injustices, but he was ignored.
The saving grace for Columbus was that what he did was pretty standard fare for the time and generally considered to be moral and just, and his actions were supported by the crown. The Dutch explorers wiped out thriving kingdoms in East Africa for their gold too, but I don't hear anyone complaining about that.
To protest against Columbus' failings and not recognize his daring and important achievements is pure PC BS. Are we also to dismiss the achievements of the Founding Fathers because many owned slaves?
"He then proceded to murder thousands "
Absolute Rubbish !!! Which voyage? Your source? And please have the source connected directly to Columbus in his lifetime and not Cortez, DeSoto, et al.
"You're thinking of the wrong natives, that was over in Mexico and Peru. Columbus landed on Hispaniola, which had fairly primitive agricultural and hunter tribes."
For what it is worth, according to Columbus' personal journals, Columbus had no reason to rape and murder because he was often greeted as a 'god' when he went ashore. And, every man he left behind on his first (?) journey was murdered by the "primitive"s.
As for slavery, we are in no position to scrutinize the practice as "enlightened" people; slavery happened, it is a fact, it cannot be historically used to denigrate a persons character. (Slavery was even a practice between differing Indian tribes.)
I had to respond to your posting.
Columbus first touched ground in the Bahamas. The Carib "Indians" that Columbus later encountered in Hispaniola were surrounded by cannibalistic tribes. Although the Caribs were relatively benign, further exploration in the New World revealed many instances of the horrific native atrocities and practices I've already mentioned.
As a devout Catholic, Columbus took great efforts to proselytize the "pagan savages". Unfortunately, his program was undermined by the venality and criminality of his underlings and their unfaithfulness in adhering to the directives of the Spanish Crown. These ongoing Spanish atrocities were documented by Bartolome De Las Casas, a Catholic priest, whose accounts were, indeed, accepted by the King and Queen of Spain, who were appalled at the treatment of those who they considered their subjects. In fact, Columbus's failed attempts on subsequent trips to the New World to correct these problems resulted in his being returned to the Spanish court in chains at the command of the Spanish Crown.
Neither Columbus nor the Spanish sovereigns sanctioned the brutality that occurred during the poorly-managed attempts to proselytize the native "Indians".
In today's Middle East, we find it no easier to put down brutal medieval behaviors and practices still occurring in the Islamic world, such as beheadings, mutilations, public executions, torture, rape, mass murder, and so on. What is conveniently overlooked by those who hate Columbus is that Christianity has been fighting these elements in our world for over two thousand years, yet the twisted attitudes of today vilify the very Christian culture that has always seen these things as evil and sought to dispel them.
RE: your #18 post - totally agree!
***You're thinking of the wrong natives, that was over in Mexico and Peru. Columbus landed on Hispaniola, which had fairly primitive agricultural and hunter tribes. ***
Check your history. Colombus found Awarak indians being killed and eaten by the Caribe indians. He wrote of finding captive pregnant Awarak indian women kept solely because the Caribes liked fresh cooked new born babies.
Besides, if Colombus had not found the New World the Portugeese would have found it a few years later.
And if the Indians had found Europe first they would have brought all of those EU diseases home with them.