Prosecution and Defense: The Case Against Christopher Columbus

Prosecution

In an essay entitled “Thief, Slave Trader, Murderer: Christopher Columbus and Caribbean Population Decline,” it is asserted that the population before Columbus’ arrival in Espanola around 1492 was approximately eight million Tainos people.

“In 1500, a Spanish bishop, named Fonseca, estimated that some 500,000 people were surviving on the island” (Tinker & Freeland, 2008).

This evidence is based on the writings of Sherburne F. Cook and Woodrow Borah in an essay entitled “Essays in Population History, Volume One: Mexico and the Caribbean.” Both documents are secondary sources.

Columbus set forth not only to steal riches from the natives but also to take their land. His own writings reveal his intentions. Columbus wrote regarding his passage through the Indies:

“I found very many islands peopled with inhabitants beyond numbers. And, of them all, I have taken possession for their highnesses” (Cobbs Hoffman et al., 2010).

Columbus’s journal also states:

“Of anything they have, if you ask them for it, they never say no; rather they invite the person to share it, and show as much love as if they were giving their hearts” (Columbus, 1492).

On December 14, 1492, Columbus wrote:

“So that they are good to be ordered about, to work and sow, and do all that may be necessary, and to build towns, and they should be taught to go about clothed and to adopt our customs” (Columbus, 1492).

Columbus also outlined how easy it would be to enslave the natives:

“Your Highnesses may command, all of them can be taken to Castile or held captive in this same island; because with 50 men all of them could be held in subjection and can be made to do whatever one might wish” (Columbus, 1492).

Defense

Columbus’s own writings also highlight moments of perceived compassion. For example, in his letter back to the King and Queen, he states:

“I gave gratuitously a thousand useful things that I carried, in order that they may conceive affection” (Cobbs Hoffman et al., 2010, p. 6).

This primary source suggests an attempt to build goodwill with the native population through generosity.

Summation

As the evidence clearly shows, Christopher Columbus can be described as a thief, a slave trader, and a murderer. The population of the Tainos people dropped dramatically from around eight million to just 500,000 within eight years—a staggering 63% decrease. This level of population decline can be compared to other acts of genocide in history, such as Adolf Hitler’s persecution of Jews.

Columbus’s writings demonstrate premeditated theft, enslavement, and manipulation. He stole land and goods from the natives, enslaved them to work in fields and towns for the Spaniards, and rationalized these actions in his correspondence. Columbus’s journal entries show a calculated plan to enslave the natives, offering this plan directly to the King and Queen of Spain.

Based on these actions—thievery, mass murder, genocide, and slavery—Christopher Columbus should be prosecuted for his crimes against humanity.

References

• Cobbs Hoffman, E., Blum, E. J., & Gjerde, J. (Eds.). (2010). Major Problems in American History: Documents and Essays (3rd ed). Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
• Columbus, Christopher. (1492). Journal of Christopher Columbus.
• Cook, S. F., & Borah, W. W. (1974). Mexico and the Caribbean: Essays in Population History. Univ. of California Press.
• Tinker, G. E., & Freeland, Mark. (2008). Thief, Slave Trader, Murderer: Christopher Columbus and Caribbean Population Decline. Wicazo Sa Review, 23(1), 25–50. https://doi.org/10.1353/wic.2008.0002