After
Columbus’ arrival to the Western Hemisphere many other explorers followed suit,
and millions were dehumanized, families destroyed, societies met untimely
collapse and civilizations were destroyed as a result of colonization and the
seeking of riches by greedy entrepreneurs. Mankind has suffered throughout
history as a result of racist ideology and acts of superiority that has
justified slavery, assimilation, discrimination and genocide. Throughout
history the dominant cultures have practiced discrimination and segregation
based on skin color, birth rights and gender, which in turn has prevented unity
from occurring and has aided the ruling classes to maintain power and control. Many
countries have sought more resources and people to fall under their ownership.
People served as a valuable resource and kept the wealthy in the lives they
thought they deserved by the disparaging pursuing of an economy based on the
labor provided by slaves. As a result, many groups from the Vikings to the
Spaniards, needed to expand their horizons by invading other countries, curious
and self-serving interlopers intruding on the lives of unsuspecting natives.
At the same time parts of the world
were being explored, military unrest was occurring between the Europeans and
Muslims. 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. Anyone who was not from Europe could not be trusted. 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 paved the way for
Muslim rule over much of Eastern Europe.
During
this time of unrest, Christopher Columbus was born to an Italian weaver in
1451. Columbus became a man of
deep-seated convictions. He 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 and very busy with their efforts of 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 and his kingdom fell under the rule of the
Spaniards. The Spaniards managed to push the last of the Moors out of the
Granada region of Spain. The wars that occurred in Ganada involved in long
tedious battles between the Christians and Muslims. Columbus was impressed with
the mighty diligence and the powerful unity of Ferdinand and Isabella.
On
March 31, 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella in their effort to strengthen Christian
influence in their kingdom they worked on 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, the Jewish people needed to be banished.
“We
have upheld our battle against the Jewish people for years now. We have
convinced our Christian followers to abhor those wretched people. Why they are
even permitted to live is beyond me. I despise them. I can’t think of a point
in time even as far back as when I was a small child that I didn’t hate the
Jewish people. Both my parents taught me to hate the Jewish people,” said
Ferdinand.
“It
has been the wish of both of us to rid our country of the filthy vermin,” said
Isabella.
“Did
you see what happened to the young Jewish women when we turned them over to
some of our soldiers?” asked Ferdinand. He smiled broadly and looked directly
into Isabella’s eyes.
“Yes,
it was delightful to watch the look on their parents’ faces when we forced them
to watch. We may as well have a little fun at their expense,” smirked Isabella.
“A
lot of them have converted to Christianity, but I am sure some of them are
lying,” said Ferdinand.
“I
think so too. I don’t trust them at all,” replied Isabella.
“I
want to change the subject.”
“Okay.”
Columbus,
discussed a trip to some of other countries. I think he wants to visit the
Indies. I wonder how much he would bring back to us. You know in the form of
gold and possibly some other jewels and riches,” said Ferdinand.
“We
can use some more slaves to help us with the running of our kingdom,” said
Isabella.
“Forget
about the slaves. I am more interested in gold. We need more trading capital
and you have had your eye on some gold trim in our bedroom suite,” said
Ferdinand. He patted her hand from across the table.
The
room was dark and only one candle was burning on the large table they were
sitting at. They liked to sneak away from the rest of the world and hide in
their bedroom to discuss how to run the country among other things. They
enjoyed their privacy.
“That
would be nice to see the glitter of gold on our bedroom walls when I wake in
the morning,” said Isabella.
“I
think I am going to tell Columbus that we will fund his venture,” said
Ferdinand.
“Good
plan,” replied Isabella.
Columbus
thought he won over Ferdinand and Isabella when they finally agreed to fund his
first voyage. They made him feel that he persuaded them. He had to prepare and
give them a sales pitch before they would finally agree. They liked having their
underlings jump through hoops. The rulers wanted to convert the natives of the
uncharted lands to Christianity and the thought of a source of untapped wealth
was the main reason they agreed to support Columbus concerning his ventures. There
were so many possible lucrative possibilities. Columbus convinced Isabella and
Ferdinand that he was going to work hard to convert the people he discovered to Christianity during his
excursions. Since he demonstrated that he possessed strong Christian beliefs,
they believed him. 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 also had his eye on accumulating as much wealth
as possible. He envied the lives of the rulers and imagined himself living in
the lap of luxury.
The “Columbus as the discoverer”
myth 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
people of San Salvador, the first discovered people, were later portrayed as
lacking feelings or thoughts, barely human.
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 set sail with three ships
from the small port of Palos de Frontera on Friday, August 3, 1492. Martin
Alsonso Pinzon was second in command of the expedition and captain of the
Pinta. The Pinta had a crew of 27 men. Master of the Pinta was Francisco Martin
Pinzon. Vincente Yanez Pinzon was captain of the Nina. The Nina had a crew of
22 men. The flagship, which was a carabela, was named Santa Maria and it had a
crew of 39. Some of the crew members were convicted prisoners. Columbus had to
take a chance in order to man his ships with an adequate amount of men. Columbus
was awarded the title admiral. Juan de Cosa, owner of the Santa Maria, was the
ship’s master (Aughton, 2007).
On August 8th, 1492, they
set anchor at the Canary Islands. They needed to stock their ships with
provisions for the long journey.
“Where’s
Samuel? I need him up on deck
immediately,” demanded Senior Officer Luis.
“What do you need sir?” replied a
shaky Samuel after another sailor retrieved him.
“You need to swab the deck before
sunset.”
The
sailors were treated like servants. They did not have their own living
quarters. The crew worked in four hour
shifts, and when they were off duty, they slept anywhere they could find
space. Their duties consisted of pumping
bilge, swabbing the decks, working the sails, and checking the ropes and cargo.
Columbus often spent days without sleep.
Only the captain had his own private sleeping quarters. The sailors’
lives were hard, and they often died from disease, hunger, and thirst. Religion
was the central focus of their lives, and their days began with prayers and
hymns and ended with religious services in the evenings. The sailors received
one hot meal a day, cooked over an open fire in a sandbox on deck. Their diet
included biscuits, pickled or salted meat, dried peas, cheese, wine, and
freshly caught fish.(insert citation)
**********
“Bartolomeo, what are you doing? Get
over here and eat with your brother” demanded Columbus. Bartolomeo was somewhat
of an expert with reading maps and he provided assistance to Columbus with
regards to navigation of the open seas.
“We really lucked out with that
storm. I have to tell you, brother, on a
few occasions I thought I could see my life flash before my eyes,” said
Columbus. The night before the winds were howling and the waves almost capsized
their ships. Everyone hung on for dear life trying not to let the angry sea
swallow them.
“Do you think we are going to find
land soon? Some of the men are becoming
a little mutinous,” said Bartolomeo as he scoffed.
“You know, we’ve been on the sea for
at least a month, and it is wearing on me, too.
I love the smell of the sea, but seeing land would be much appreciated,”
said Columbus.
Columbus’ ships covered
approximately 150 miles a day. His crew used a compass for direction and a chip
log and reel to measure speed. The chip
log was a large reel with over 700 feet of line wound up on a large wooden
spool. A triangular piece of wood was
located on the front right side, which was thrown over the side of the
ship. It created a large amount of drag
that stayed where it fell in the water, and the ship could sail away from
it. The rate at which the line ran off
the reel represented the speed of the vessel.
The rope was knotted and spaced along the line at intervals of 47 feet,
3 inches, representing the distance the ship sailed in 28 seconds, if traveling
at one nautical mile per hour. If two
knots ran off the reel in 28 seconds, the ship was traveling two nautical miles
per hour. The term “knots” was derived from the tying of knots on a rope. The reel was usually held by two
sailors. One sailor, usually the sailing
master, tossed the chip and counted the knots.
Another sailor was placed in charge of the sandglass to track the
time. Columbus relied on his experience,
intuition, observations, and guesswork to determine his ship’s position.
“If my calculations are correct, we
should be seeing land in a couple of days.
The Indies were supposed to take just a little over a month to reach,”
reported Columbus.
Columbus
was a collector of a large amount of books and the Bible was a great source of
inspiration for him. Columbus was influenced by the written works of Pope Pius
II’s Historia Rerum ubique Gestarum, which
was published in 1477 and Cardinal Pierre d’Ailly’s Imago Mundi published in the 1480s. Columbus derived his image of
the world from these books and was determined to prove he could reach the Far
East by traveling westward.
“I can’t wait to see land. The days are beginning to seem endless,” said
Bartolomeo.
“There may be unfriendly people and
animals living on the land,” added Columbus.
“Let’s make sure we have our guns
and ammunition ready just in case some of the animals are vicious,” stated
Columbus.
“I will meet with the officers and
tell them that we may be seeing land soon and to be prepared,” replied
Bartolomeo.
“Thanks.”
*********
“Do you know what we have to do Emilio?”
asked Francisco.
“Yes, we have to have our matchlock
muskets armed and ready. I will assist
with cleaning the stocks,” said Emilio.
“I think we brought plenty of gun
powder,” said Emilio.
Henrico
was huddled over a musket as he slid a stick with a rag tied to it into the
barrel. As he redrew the stick, he
turned the rag around to the clean side and attached it to the stick. The rag came out cleaner the second time. Henrico
tossed the rag to one of the sailors to clean.
The sailor ran the rag over the washboard several times and hung it to
dry on a nail that was pounded into one of the sideboards. The sailors haven’t eaten all day. They have
to wait until early evening to have their only meal of the day. Food supplies
were not as plentiful and had to be reserved to last the duration of the trip.
The conditions on this ship are deplorable, the rats, the food, and the
sleeping conditions.
********
The journey proved to be very long
and arduous. Sometimes the waves would almost capsize the ships. Many of the
crew became seasick and unfit to work. The crew had not seen land in a long
time. September turned into October with still no sight of land. There was a
call from the Nina that land was sighted but that ended up being a false alarm.
The crew was becoming restless. Columbus was afraid there was going to be a
mutiny. The crew feared traveling further west in case they did not find land
soon. Provisions were running out. Some of the men recommended that they turn
around and return to Spain. Columbus worked diligently to coerce the crew to
travel further west. He asked them to give him four more days. The crew finally
agreed. Columbus breathed a sigh of relief.
On Thursday, October 11 the ships
were sailing west south west in a heavy sea with the most turbulent weather
they have encountered throughout the journey. All of a sudden Columbus spotted
green weeds growing under the water. A branch with berries on it that appeared
to be freshly cut was floating on top of the water. They were approaching land.
Columbus could feel it in his bones. It was getting dark quickly. Columbus
feared going aground with the ships. All of a sudden he saw a light in the distance
and called out to the rest of the crew. They verified that they saw a light,
also.
The Pinta was the fastest of the
ships so that was sent ahead. Late into the night there was no doubt that there
were fires on a shore at a short distance from them. The excitement was rising.
Smiles crossed many of the faces of the travelers. In the morning the caravan
discovered that it was approaching an island. The island appeared to be
inhabited.
This was a historic moment for
Columbus, Spain and the rest of the world. Even though it has been noted that other
countries visited North America before Columbus’ voyage, his expedition is the
most well-known. The travelers landed on the island of San Salvador after
managing to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Green foliage and lush flowers of
many colors peppered the land as Columbus walked along the shoreline. The sand
on the shore was white and pristine. The
sailors were in awe of the beautiful scenery. Brightly colored birds chirped
and cawed as they flew above. The large branches of the palm trees swayed in
the gentle breeze. Columbus stared at
the magnificent view as he made his way further into the forest down a narrow
path with the crew and officers from the ships.
A clearing was spotted a hundred yards ahead of the weary travelers.
Columbus ordered the sailors to have
their weapons ready to fire.
A small group of villagers
approached the sailors. They had bronze
colored skin. Their bodies were of a
slim build and muscular. Their long
black hair was braided and tied with twine.
The islanders greeted the strangers with curious enchantment. They
gathered around the voyagers talking excitedly. Columbus came prepared with
gifts. He gave them red bonnets, glass beads and necklaces. The islanders gave
them in return balls of cotton thread, darts and brightly colored parrots.
Columbus was not interested in the gifts he received. He noticed the gold that
was in one of the necklaces a native woman was wearing (Aughton, 2007).
“We saw naked people and I went
ashore with a boat with armed men, taking Martin Alonso Pinzon and his brother
Vicente Yanez, captian of the Nina. I
took the Royal standard, and the captains each took a banner with the green
cross which each of my ships carries as a device, with the letters F and Y
(Ferdinand and Ysabella), surmounted by a crown, at each end of he cross. When
we stepped ashore we saw fine green trees, streams everywhere and different
kinds of fruits. I called the two captains to jump ashore with the rest, who
included Rodrigo de Escobedo, secretary of the fleet, and Rodrigo Sanchez de
Segovia, asking them to bear solemn witness that in the presence of hem all I
was taking possession of this island for their Lord and Lady the King and
Queen, and I made the necessary declarations which are set down at greater
length in the written testimonies.” (Aughton, 2007)
The tallest man in the group waved
for the rest of the group to stay. He approached the large group of voyagers.
His smile revealed perfectly straight teeth, which shined in the sunlight like
pearls. He extended his hand and waved
for them to follow him to the village.
“What do you think about this?”
inquired Columbus as he waited for a response from Valante, an officer of the
Santa Maria.
Valante appeared to be unsure, and
he responded by shrugging his shoulders.
Henrico walked up to Columbus and
said, “I think we are going to be alright. These people don’t appear to have
any weapons.”
“Are you sure? They could have people hiding in those huts
ready to pounce on us as soon as we get near the village,” said Emiliano, an
officer of the Nina, as he looked at the huts anxiously.
“We discovered this land and I am
not going to let a few strange people stop us.
They are like animals, naked, and the color of their skin is like no
other I have ever seen,” said Columbus. The more he thought about the native
people the more he began to admire them. They were a friendly lot. They
welcomed the strangers with open arms.
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.”
The travelers were invited to sit
down around a fire, and the native people introduced themselves in a strange
language.
Columbus
stared thoughtfully at the native people. Their
tongue is unintelligible. They don’t understand a thing we’re saying. How are we going to find out where the
treasures are located? Did we take a step back in time when we landed on this
ancient barbaric land or did we actually come across the people of the Golden
Age? They welcomed us and appear to be so friendly, not only to us, but to each
other as well. They have this gentle
attitude with visitors, and they treat each other with the utmost respect.
********
“We have searched high and low and
can’t find any treasure, and we can’t communicate with these people to find out
where their treasures are kept,” said Columbus as he fervently placed his hands
on his hips to demonstrate his frustration.
“The others are starting to talk
about us. They think we are soft and
need to put our foot down with these savages,” stated Bartolomeo.
“I
know, brother. I’ve been thinking about
the very same thing. We need to come up with a plan,” replied Columbus.
*******
“I have an idea. Why don’t we
capture as many of these creatures as we can and take them back to Spain? They can be used as slaves and sold for a
profit. I promised Isabella and
Ferdinand I would bring them back valuables,” said Columbus.
“I think we can take at least a
couple hundred back to Spain. We can cram them in the haul of our ships,” said
Bartolomeo.
“Let’s inform the other sailors of
our plans,” said Columbus.
The sailors from the three ships
were informed of their plans and instructed to construct cages to house the
natives until they were ready to depart.
The cages took a couple of weeks to build.
“We have all the cages built,
Columbus. Now what?” asked Henrico.
“We have put a couple of small
animals in the cages to fool the savages. They think we are catching animals to
eat,” said Henrico.
“It’s time to round up the savages.
Get the best specimens and put them in the cages,” replied Bartolomeo.
“Do you only want men?” asked
Henrico.
“No. I want to take back both men
and women,” replied Columbus.
“What about the children? What do we
do with them?” asked Emilio.
“Children wouldn’t make good
slaves. Let’s leave them behind,”
replied Bartolomeo.
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.
Columbus and his
followers decided to enslave the tribal people and order them to seek gold for
them before they returned to Spain. They were expected to obtain a certain
quantity and if they did not do so some of the tribal people would lose an ear,
foot or a hand to set an example for the others.
“We are not amassing the gold we
thought would be available to us. I specifically remember our orders. We were
to bring back as much gold as possible. Ferdinand was adamant. We took all the
jewelry from our captives. They have been going to the mines daily and all we
have is this bucket full of gold,” said Columbus scratching his head. He looked
at the others to seek their guidance. They looked as stumped as he did.
Vicente added, “I think we have been
here long enough and we should count our losses and head back to Spain.”
“I think you are right,” Columbus
replied.
“I will get everybody moving concerning the gathering
of these savages,” stated Emilio.
“We must get back to Spain and
collect our fee for services rendered,” said Columbus as he turned to locate
the captains of the ships and tell them of their plan.
The horrified villagers were
gathered and put in the haul of the ships.
They were crying and screaming with terror. The other villagers, who were not captured,
tried to run to the mountains and forests to hide. Some were lucky while others
were drug back and beaten for trying to flee. The captains told the sailors
they could do what they wanted with the rest of the villagers. The acts committed against them were
unspeakable. Some of them managed to flee.
The
captains were more than happy to plan their voyage back to Spain and collect
their pay. Food was scarce on the ships
so plans were made to take a lot of the food from the villagers that were left
at the village. Some were hidden in the jungle.
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. The dogs haven’t been fed in a
while so the prisoners, if they tried to escape, would serve as food. Columbus’
ships could not carry more than 200 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 200 slaves taken to Spain,
only approximately 100 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.
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. 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.” (citation)
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 in Mexico. 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. Cortez and the other Spaniards gave
the Aztecs small pox infested blankets.
Columbus
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. The mindset of the
European culture included strong competitive and military attitudes of this
time period.
As much as Columbus’ actions appear
deplorable, his actions did represent the mindset of the religious, political
and economic forces of that time period fueled by dark and evil influences. It
was the goal of the fallen angels and Lucifer to make the lives of the humans
as miserable as possible and if a few died along the way which served as a
bonus. Killing as many humans as possible was their main goal. 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.
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. History has
been written by the victors. That’s why many of us learned about Columbus
discovering America.
