After Columbus’ arrival to the
Western Hemisphere others followed suit, and millions were dehumanized,
families torn apart, societies collapsed and civilizations destroyed as the
result of colonization. Mankind still
suffers from the effects of the racist ideology that justified slavery,
assimilation, discrimination, and genocide.
For more than 500 years, the dominant culture has practiced
discrimination and segregation based on skin color and gender, which in turn
has prevented unity and has aided them to maintain their power and
control. With every dark cloud, there is
often a silver lining. Much can be
learned from the mistakes of the past.
As a result of past acts of destruction, it has been discovered that the
Native American population has demonstrated extreme resilience.
Europe
during the 1400s was a tumultuous place laced with corruption, greed and
pandemonium. The population of Europe was sparse compared with that of today
and was under the rule of kings and feudal governments. The aftereffects of the ruins of the Roman
Empire blanketed Western Europe. Muslim
rule prevailed in Spain from 756 until
the 1400s. As a result, the Spaniards
developed a formidable and brutal military culture to counteract the control of
their opponents, the Muslims. Around the same time, the Catholic Church
exercised monumental power across the majority of the European continent.
During the enduring relationship between the Church and the Roman Empire, the
elite took pride in defining themselves as superior, segregating themselves
from non-Christian societies in and out of Europe. Christian and Muslim religious practices
endemic in Europe during this time period were militant.
The Muslims were
more tolerant of the Christians than the Christians were of them. The Muslims recognized their religious
beliefs were based on Judaic traditions, and had similarities to Christianity. Both acknowledged Christ as a prophet and a
conveyance of universal truth as revealed by God. According to the Muslims, it was their duty,
as it was for Christians, to inform all humanity of this divine message. The struggle between the Muslims and
Spaniards endured for nearly seven centuries and established the Europeans’
insight of how they should deal with non-Europeans. The Muslims constructed a formidable military
force with the collaboration of many Muslim groups that led the way to
controlling a major port city, Constantinople, in 1453. The takeover of Constantinople led the way to
Muslim rule over much of Eastern Europe.
During this time
of unrest, Christopher Columbus was born to an Italian weaver in 1451. Throughout
much of his lifetime, Columbus became a man of deep-seated convictions. Columbus possessed strong Christian beliefs.
He also believed he could travel west from Spain and reach Japan and China and
held onto these convictions up until his death.
For years he was persistent with trying to convince rulers of various
countries in Europe to fund his expedition. He was not able to persuade the
king of Portugal, or the rulers of England and France to fund his first voyage
and spent years trying to convince Ferdinand and Isabella, rulers of Spain. The
Spaniards and other European countries were preoccupied with taking over
specific ports and land holdings from the Muslims.
Eventually,
the Spaniards started experiencing military success and captured the port of
Seville. A link to the continent of
Africa was established, forming a base for trade and served as a conduit for
expeditions against the Arabs in the Mediterranean area. In 1469, the marriage between Ferdinand and
Isabella consolidated the armed forces of Castile and Aragon leading to the
final annihilation of the Moors. The
last Moorish king submitted to the rule of the Spaniards. Then the Spaniards
overtook Grenada. Columbus was witness to this takeover in 1492.
On March 31, 1492,
Ferdinand and Isabella strived to strengthen Christian influence in their
kingdom by banishing Jews from Spain. The queen’s ruling applied to 300,000
Jewish people who did not practice Christianity. Many of the Jewish people
avoided extradition by professing the Catholic faith. After the ruling was enforced, Jewish people suspected of infidelity
concerning the Church were referred to as “marranos” meaning pigs. New laws were put into place and as a result
Jewish blood was considered at fault for their Christian infidelity. Because they were tainted due to their
bloodline, their sinfulness could not be eliminated by baptism. Thus, they
needed to be banished.[i]
During this time
of religious unrest, Columbus finally persuaded Ferdinand and Isabella to fund
his first voyage. The rulers wanted to convert the natives to Christianity and
the thought of a source of untapped wealth was another reason why they agreed
to support Columbus in his ventures. He insisted on being appointed viceroy,
meaning governor, of the newly discovered lands and demanded ten percent of the
gold, spices, and trade that he found.
Columbus was never
fully aware of the significance of his discovery. It was the precious metals and other finds
that led to the rise of European capitalism in the newly discovered land. As a result, there was a gradual transfer of
political and economic power from Europe to the Americas. Columbus made three additional voyages to
unchartered lands before he was forced to retire because he lost his foothold
with the ruling class. Columbus spent
his last lonely years in Spain before his death in 1506.
Towards
the end of the 1400s, a belief existed of a land resembling paradise far to the
east of Europe. Mystical wonders like the biblical Eden and the fountain of
youth were believed to exist. It was
believed these faraway lands were free from the strife the Europeans faced at
home. Initially, Columbus referred to
the people he discovered in the Western Hemisphere as children of God. Columbus
imagined his good fortune led him to the Golden Age. He wrote to his royal patrons after meeting
the first inhabitants of the newly discovered land:
“So
tractable, so peaceable are these people, that I swear to your Majesties there
is no better nation on earth. They love
their neighbors as themselves, and their discourse is ever sweet so and gentle,
accompanied with a smile, and though it is true that they are naked, their
manners are decorous and praiseworthy.”[ii]
The
“Columbus as the discoverer” myth that has been handed down to the present day
propagated the belief of which voices were to be listened to and which were to
be ignored. Columbus never set foot on North American soil. The native peoples
of the Caribbean, the discovered, were later portrayed as lacking feelings or
thoughts. To explain as simply as
possible, what happened over five hundred years ago was a group of heavily
armed Europeans invaded a country to claim and control the lands of a large
group of people, the indigenous.
Columbus
found that riches were not readily obtainable, and did not want to return to
Spain empty handed during his first voyage.
He took it upon himself to capture many of the native people and take
them back to Spain, hopeful of making a profit.
A massive raid was conducted and 1,500 Arawaks [Tainos] were abducted.
Men, women and children were imprisoned in pens, which were guarded by men and
dogs. Columbus’ ships could not carry
more than 500 slaves so only the ones considered the most valuable were loaded
aboard. The Admiral told those under his
command they could do what they wished with the remaining captives. The native people who were not wanted for any
purpose were released and they ran in all directions like lunatics, women
dropping their infants in the rush, running for miles without stopping, fleeing
across rivers and mountains. The terror
inflicted on them is unimaginable.
Of
the 500 slaves taken to Spain, only 300 arrived alive. They were put up for sale in Seville by Don
Juan de Fonseca, the archdeacon of the town.
The slave trade proved to be unprofitable because so many of the slaves
died. Columbus turned his focus to
obtaining large amounts of gold. However, he continued to make the tribal
inhabitants, slaves for his own use or to be sold, which in itself demonstrated
that these native people possessed little or no value to the Spaniards.[iii]
The
beliefs of the native people presented a paradoxical point of view to the
Europeans. One side demonstrated a
people who did not live within the confines of a civil society, lacking the
concepts of marriage, property and law.
Common ownership and a lack of selfishness are also trademarks
associated with innocence and natural virtue.
The laws that beset civility defined the boundaries between what was
considered a savage existence and that of civilized society. The heightened
awareness of these differences created confusion concerning people of color
when the Spaniards discovered the New World.
Many circumstances, such as the Black Death, military conflicts and the
shift towards a market economy, also led Europeans to adopt a highly
competitive mindset.
Bartolome’
de Las Casas was disheartened when he heard of the brutal treatment and
exploitation inflicted on the native people.
He based his beliefs on what he thought needed to occur in the new land,
which involved the spreading of their interpretation of God’s word. According
to Las Casas, that was why God permitted the discovery of this foreign
land. He devoted his life to serving as
an advocate for Indian people.[iv]
However, there were stronger powers at play overriding his efforts.
In
1493, before the Pope turned over South America to the Spaniards, he gave them
a proclamation. The Spanish conquistadores were ordered to read this declaration
to the native people mandating that they should:
“…
Recognize the Church as your Mistress and as Governess of the World and Universe, and the High Priest, called the
Pope, in her name, and His Majesty in Her
place, as Ruler and Lord King…
And
if you do not do this… with the help of God I shall come mightily against you,
and I shall make war on you everywhere and in every way that I can, and I shall subject you to the yoke and obedience of
the Church and His Majesty, and I shall seize your women and children, and I
shall make them slaves, to sell and dispose of as His Majesty commands, and I
shall do all the evil and damage to you that I am able. And I insist that the deaths and destruction
that result from this will be your fault.” [v]
This
document removed all responsibility from the Spaniards and gave them
authorization to do whatever they felt necessary to conquer and exploit the
native people. Thus heinous atrocities
were inflicted in the name of Christianity with the Pope’s blessing.
The takeover of
native land and resources continued after Columbus made his discoveries. From
1519 to 1521 Hernando Cortes and 400 Spaniards set foot on the Yucatan
peninsula. These Spaniards defeated an
empire of 200,000 Aztecs. At the time of
this invasion, 50,000 Aztec men were prepared for battle. The takeover was possibly made feasible by a
rumor that Montezuma believed Cortes was the god Quetzalcoatl and that was how
Cortes became feared and gained so much power over the Aztecs. This was the
first time the Aztecs were exposed to horses and firearms. Another explanation for the depletion of the
Aztec population involved disease, possibly after he obtained notoriety as
their new found god.
A
picture was painted demonstrating the beliefs and practices of the times when
Columbus invaded the New World and claimed this land for Spain. He was following the instructions of the
rulers of Spain and the Church. It has
been extremely difficult to fathom that they felt it necessary to wield such
brutality on people who welcomed them into their country. Gaining a better understanding of the mindset
of the European culture with their strong competitive and military attitudes of
this time period may help make things more comprehensible.
As much as
Columbus’ actions appear deplorable, his actions did represent the mindset of
the religious, political and economic forces of that time period. Celebrating Columbus’ discovery has provided
validation for the abuse of the Western Hemisphere’s native people, the
destruction of their societies, and the brutal enslavement of many people of
color. Today, many tribal communities use Columbus Day as a day of mourning
concerning what happened to their ancestors and to celebrate their unity
against the oppression of the European culture. The only thing to celebrate is
the 500 plus years of resistance.
[i]
D’Souza, D. (1995). The End of Racism. New York:
Simon and Schuster, 35.
[ii]
Columbus was very aware of Ferdinand’s and Isabella’s commercial desires, so he
had to get to work and capture the trusting Indians. It was estimated there were two to four
million inhabitants on what is known today as Haiti
[iii]
Bigelow, B., and Peterson, B. (Eds.). (1998). Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years. Wisconsin: Rethinking
Schools, 19.
[iv]
Fernandez-Armesto, F. (1991). Columbus.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 67-69.
[v] “The idea of reading this document could
genuinely absolve the Spanish from all responsibility for their action now
seems completely mad – and, indeed, it had its critics at the time, notably the
great humanitarian churchman Bartolome’ de las Casas, who said it make him
wonder whether to ‘laugh or cry.’ But at some level, if only the level of
wishful thinking, it clearly satisfied some urgent need for the Conquistadores:
in a world of manic legalism, where only adherence to the outward forms of the
true faith was ultimately important and where everything could be forgiven by
following a church-sanctioned mechanism, it was able to assure them of the
justice of their cause and the salvation of their souls.” Wilson, J. (1998) The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native
America. New York: Grove Press, 36.
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