Weighing the Columbus Cargo

The Washington Times ^ | October 10, 2005 | Edward Hudgins

[Ed Hudgins]

Weighing the Columbus cargo

By Edward Hudgins

ehudgins@objectivistcenter.org

Published October 10, 2005

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Many critics argue Christopher Columbus gave us a devil's bargain. In October 1492 that Italian explorer, working for Spain, opened America to his fellow Europeans. The result: We got a prosperous New World by impoverishing, enslaving and murdering the natives who were already here.

But this fails to distinguish between two types of exploitation, one over other humans and the other over nature. The former should be expunged from our moral codes and civilized society, the latter is the essence of morality and civilization.

Human exploitation was suffered especially by the tens of millions of inhabitants of the pre-Columbian lands from Mexico through South America. Cortes the Conquistador, for example, defeated the Aztec rulers of Mexico. Many of the tribes that were subject to the Aztecs sided with Cortes; they hated the Aztecs for, among other things, their practice of cutting the living hearts out of members of tribes they subjugated, as sacrifices to their gods. Cortes imposed his rule on the Aztecs and their subjects alike, replacing one tyranny with another. The natives were treated harshly and many forced to work as de facto or actual slaves for their new masters.

.........

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Edward Hudgins is executive director of the Objectivist Center and its Atlas Society, which celebrate rational individualists.

[massgopguy]

How can you impoverish Neo-Lithic Nomads?

[2banana]

I think today's Native Americans would be happier without domesticated animals, without a written language, without metal tools, without horses and without THE WHEEL.

Native Americans also practiced slavery, cannibalism and were constantly waring.

That is the condition that Columbus found Native Americans in 1492...

[brownsfan]

"I think today's Native Americans would be happier without domesticated animals, without a written language, without metal tools, without horses and without THE WHEEL.

Native Americans also practiced slavery, cannibalism and were constantly waring."


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (That is the scream from the liberal left).

The left would tell you the Native Americans were somehow inately more intelligent than Europeans. The Native Americans lived in peace and in balance with nature, in a sort of uptopia until dirty Europeans came.

It's odd how the left can't remain consistent. They mock anyone who believes in Intelligent Design, and yet... if you envoke evolution and survival of the fittest in the case of the Native Americans, that's off base.

C'mon, Europeans were more developed, so, they won. That's thw way of nature.

[PeteB570]

Its a good thing the natives didn't murder and enslave each other before the Europeans showed up.

Oh, wait, they did. Oh, I forgot, then it was done under a different culture. In that case its OK. A sacrificed to your sun god is OK because its in the name of religion. We just need to understand.

[Pylot]

I recently heard a very different explaination of why Spain commissioned Columbus to go West.

The trade routes to the East had been ruined by the Muslims. The Muslims has progressively attacked caravans (in the name of Allah) to the point that all trade to the East was effectively ruined. They had also made encroachments upon the Mediteranian and had settled into the mountains in the South of Spain. It was also at this time that the King and Queen of Spain declared Muslims to be unwelcome and began killing them out of the mountains of Southern Spain.

So it was out of desperation that Spain sent Columbus West to discover a new trade route to the "Indies".

If you read up on the history of Europe and the Middle East at the time it supports this assertion.

It is curious to note that the discovery of America may well have been driven by the bad behavior of the Muslims some 500 years ago!

[Lokibob]

Proof of your theory is that when Columbus arrived in the new world, he called the natives "Indians", thinking he had arrived in the Indies.

As an aside, it is a good thing he wasn't looking for a trade route to Turkey. Who knows what he would have called the natives.

[Verginius Rufus]

If Columbus hadn't discovered America, we wouldn't have chocolate. Enough said.

Pedro Cabral, en route from Portugal to India, discovered Brazil by accident in April 1500. If Columbus had never sailed, the New World would have come to the attention of Europeans pretty soon anyway.

[SunkenCiv]

since Columbus Day is on the way...

The Egg Island theory (Where Did Columbus Make Landfall?)
Amerion Internet Services | last updated: Fri, 5 Sep 2003 | Keith A. Pickering
Posted on 09/19/2004 12:21:10 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1220691/posts

[Fraxinus]

I have the not very original and not very far out theory that it was the development of water routes to "the Indies" by the heirs of Henry the Navigator, the Dutch and the English, later British which led to Muslim lands becoming an under developed backwater of civilization.

[wolfcreek]

As my Wife puts it "HAPPY INVASION DAY". It's also our anniversary and We are both blessed with native blood.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Natural Law]

"We got a prosperous New World by impoverishing, enslaving and murdering the natives who were already here."

Anyone care to guess the fate of the inhabitants had the Aztecs conquered Europe?