Argumentative Essay: Was Christopher Columbus A Villain?

Christopher Columbus is a villain because he emerged an economic system in which Africans were used as slaves, forced Christianity on the Natives of North America and treated the Native Americans very cruelly.

Columbus’s discovery of the New World convulsed Europe, Africa, North America and South America. The economic system that had emerged was called the Columbian Exchange and involved Europe, Africa, North America and South America. In this economic system Europe provided the markets, capital and technology; Africa provided the slave labor and the New World provided the its raw materials. Columbus traded goods from the New to Africa in exchange for slaves and the Africans unwillingly became slaves to work on the plantations of the New World. The act of forcing African people to become slaves and turn them into property is unethical and inhumane by Columbus and the Europeans. Slavery will not only apply to the Africans but also the Native Americans as well.

One of Columbus’s goals was to spread the word of Christianity to the New World. In the New World,

Upon Columbus’s arrival the Native Americans were acquainted with the Europeans and treated them as people of authority. Columbus himself said the Native Americans would make fine servants and later enslaved the natives. Columbus and the Europeans forced and kidnapped the Native Americans to help them find gold. Many Native Americans were beat and the Europeans inflicted pain on the natives just for fun. For example, some members of Columbus’s crew purposely cut the skin of the Native Americans just to test the sharpness of their blades. Due to the cruelty of Columbus and the Europeans many Native Americans committed suicide to avoid the excruciating pain and torture cause by the Europeans. Christopher Columbus’s quest for gold eventually lead to mass genocide of the Native Americans, specifically the Arawak