Columbus the Villain

Essay submitted by Maggie

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And, when he reached his destination he killed,

raped and enslaved innocent natives. Was Columbus a villain? The answer to that

question, in my opinion, would be yes. Christopher Columbus was a cruel, self-centered,

delusional man who does not deserve to be praised for the discovery of America.

First, Columbus was a cruel man who enslaved, raped, and murdered the natives of the

countries he sailed to. According to an article by John Margolis entitled "Goodbye

Columbus", Columbus "oversaw the killings of some (Indians) and ordered the

enslavement of others." Margolis goes on to say that Columbus did not prevent his

crewmen from raping the innocent natives, and even that he himself raped an Indian

women after beating her "with a piece of rope". If these actions do not constitute

villainy, I don't know what does.

Also, Columbus could be described as a self-centered and delusional man. His critics

have described him as not a genius, but a "stubborn ego maniac who convinced himself

that the world was about 25 percent smaller than it actually is." Columbus believed that

he was saving the souls of his captives and granting them eternal life by taking the

natives out of their environment and shipping them back to Spain. He even went so far

as to believe that he was getting "personal messages from above".

Columbus does not deserve to be praised for the discovery of America. In short, if he

didn't do it, someone else would have within 10 years. He was not the only one who

believed that the earth was round, and the ideas of similar voyages had been

previously proposed.

Christopher Columbus was a cruel, delusional, and self-centered man who does not

deserve high praises for the discovery of America. He allowed the killing, rape, and

enslavement of innocent natives. Columbus was an ego-maniac who believed that he

was doing the natives favors by killing them. If he had not discovered America, it is

believed that some other Europeans would have. As one can plainly see, Columbus was

a true villain.