A broad understanding of history enables one to reconcile the past, comprehend the present, and reasonably theorize how future events may unfold. As truths are discovered, norms begin to shift. Such forthright thinking is necessary to fully grasp the complexities of historical events/figures. This is particularly true with respect to the legacy of Christopher Columbus. A polarizing historical figure whose life has been defined, by many, for his astonishing level of courage and fortitude; nevertheless, such impressive traits should never blur the fact that he oversaw a murderous quest for material riches that resulted in the demise of a people. Each year, as October 12 comes and goes, a question is raised. What are we celebrating about his life?

Christopher Columbus was an immensely talented mariner who navigated the Santa Maria and two other smaller ships across the Atlantic Ocean in search of Asia.  However, he and his crew inadvertently arrived in the New World on October 12, 1492. Their long and arduous journey was driven by one clear objective—to find and establish a long-term source of wealth, preferably gold for the King and Queen of Spain. In return Columbus would be allotted 10 percent of the profits, governorship over newfound land, and awarded the prestigious title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea. Upon arriving in the islands, which we now refer to as the Bahamas, Columbus and his crew first encountered the Arawaks.

It was at that fateful juncture in human history that he made two keen observations regarding these indigenous people. Firstly, they were docile and trusting in nature and, secondly, they wore gold jewelry. Columbus’s own words from his personal journal capture the ominous fate that awaited the Arawaks:

“They do not bear arms, and do not know them,
for I showed them a sword, they took it by the
edge and cut themselves out of ignorance.
They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane.
They would make fine servants. With fifty men we could
subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”

The concept of private property and the pursuit of material riches had reached a frenzied pitch within 15th century Europe. As an independent contractor, Christopher Columbus recognized the seemingly limitless economic potential of the land he had “discovered.” It was at this point in time that his bravery shifted to sheer brutality. This transition was encapsulated in many of the notes that he had sent to the King and Queen of Spain to bolster expectations. In one particular note, he promised “as much gold as they need and as many slaves as they ask.”

Soon thereafter, he and his men kidnapped a number of the Arawaks and forced them to identify other sources of gold throughout the region. With an extensive arsenal of advanced weaponry/horses, Columbus and his men, arrived on the islands that were later named Cuba and Hispaniola (present day Dominican Republic/Haiti). Upon arrival, the sheer magnitude of gold, which was readily available, set into motion a relentless wave of murder, rape, pillaging, and slavery that would forever alter the course of human history. A young, Catholic priest named Bartolomé de las Casas transcribed Columbus’s journals and later wrote about the violence he had witnessed. The fact that such crimes could potentially go unnoticed by future generations was deeply troubling to him. He expanded on the extent of Columbus’s reign of terror in his multi-volume book , The History of the Indies.

“There were 60,000 people living on this island,
including the Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508,
over 3,000,000 people had perished from war,
slavery, and the mines. Who in future generations
will believe this? I myself writing it as a know-
ledgeable eyewitness can hardly believe it.”

The fact that Columbus Day is celebrated each October is a testament to the intellectual dishonesty that has stemmed from the likes of academics, teachers, and politicians. It has become an annual ritual to sanitize history and present half-truths as absolutes. In 1937, Columbus Day was officially established as a federal holiday in the United States, however, to this day it is not observed in Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and South Dakota. The other 46 states that observe the holiday acknowledge Christopher Columbus as a superior mariner that had unknowingly found himself in the Caribbean Sea after departing from Europe. Incidentally, in conjunction with those facts, it would also be quite fair to label Columbus as one of the “founding fathers” of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Unfortunately such an unpleasant truth has been relegated to the background of history. For decades now we have been hearing self proclaimed “experts” espouse Columbus’s many accomplishments—particularly his “discovery” of the New World, yet, in doing so they have opted to minimize the extent of his violence or have utterly disregarded it.

In sum, history cannot be rewritten. However, with information now at our fingertips, we can no longer fault our teachers, politicians, etc. for being left in the dark regarding our collective histories. Thoroughly researched academic materials are readily available for those who seek the truth. In fact, it is fair to assume that as people gain a better understanding of Columbus they will begin to support other efforts to acknowledge this particular point in time. Such forthright thinking is certainly evident within the city of Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota both of whom have taken the lead in distancing themselves from Columbus’s crimes and have acknowledged his victims with an “Indigenous People’s Day” on October 12.  Or, perhaps, we should consider an “Italian Heritage Day”—one could make a valid argument for the recognition of Galileo Galilei, Saint Francis of Assisi, Dante Alighieri, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Z

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Owen McCormack is a teacher within the New York City Department of Education. He holds a Master of Arts degree in History from the City College of New York and a Master of Science degree in Special Education from the College of Staten Island. His writing has been featured in truthout.org.