You’re Celebrating a Pedophile
We celebrate a man who launched a genocide to terrorize indigenous people, who caused mass slaughter, mutilation of peoples, and sexual slavery of young girls no more older than nine. Most banks and schools close down for the day in honor of Columbus day, but why? Ask yourself, should you be celebrating a man that did all of that, just because he “discovered” America and sailed from Europe to America? I wouldn’t.
Columbus Didn’t even Discover America!
That’s not what you learned in History. Are you confused yet? It’s true, he didn’t. Columbus merely attempted to wipe out the whole of the population residing on American land. He raped, slaughtered, mutilated, and forced natives into slavery. There were anywhere from fifty to one hundred million natives living on the land. He abducted and sold children into sexual slavery, and even raped those children (and women too).
Columbus, in an attempt to wipe the population, intentionally spread smallpox, and forced natives out of their homes to live in unbearable conditions. Many died from disease and neglect. He marched natives more than one thousand miles, and if they could not complete the walk, they were left for dead. Columbus and his other murderers were labeled as heroes, for what they had done. The atrocities committed were conveniently left out of textbooks because, would you appreciate your country knowing what he had done to get it? Don’t get me wrong, America is a great place and I, with anyone else, would stand up and fight for my country, but as we are now, we could have lived in harmony with the natives!
You Cannot Discover What Belongs to Someone
To put it simply, you cannot discover what is already belonging to someone. Natives had it much longer before Columbus came ‘round.
“These people have no religious beliefs, nor are they idolaters. They are very gentle and do not know what evil is; nor do they kill others, nor steal; and they are without weapons.” — Columbus’ first experience with Taino, Native.
If the Taino had been so hospitable, who did not know what evil was, did not kill, or steal, and had no weapons, why did Columbus do the things he did? He captured a handful of Taino for guidance, and forced them into labor. Many of them died in the voyage across the Atlantic.
1492, after Santa Maria shipwrecked before reaching land, the Arawak Indian tribal chief ordered all his men to swim out to sea to help them to land. They invited him into their home, and Columbus wrote:
“They are artless and generous with what they have, to such a degree as no one would believe but him who had seen it. Of anything they have, if it be asked for, they never say no, but do rather invite the person to accept it, and show as much lovingness as though they would give their hearts.”
He had left men to settle fort there, calling it La Navidad, and returned to Spain to talk about the “New World”.
“[The natives] brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things… They willingly traded everything they owned… They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features… 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.”
When Columbus made his next voyage back, he brought weapons. Natives were forced into labor, and made slaves, and as Columbus said himself, made to do whatever they wanted. So my question to you is, why do we celebrate a man who stole land, raped women and children, murdered, and sold young girls for sexual labor? Columbus was a thief, murderer, rapist, and pedophile. So when the holiday comes ‘round, remember those words.
I mourn for those natives.
Recommend this article, so that we all, too, can mourn the natives before us.
