Christopher Columbus

Reading this article about Christopher Columbus coming to America really opened my eyes to things I didn't know before.  Growing up I thought Columbus was a hero and discovered America on his own and when he met the Natives, he was really nice to them and brought them as his own.  But reading this article showed me that he wanted to use them as slaves or teach them Christian ways just so he can claim the land.  The way he describes them is very unique also.  He describes them as handsome and built because of the way they live.  He also said that they were all naked, even the women.  Which is weird because all the people Columbus brought over were clothed and it was odd for people to be naked around others.  The Natives seem like they wouldn't be as smart simply because they live in the woods or don't have a government like others do, but they are very "ingenious".  The Natives did not have weapons and didn't really know what weapons were.  They had sticks and that was it.  Columbus said that one of the Natives grabbed his sword by the blade cutting his hand which proves that they really don't know much about weaponry.  When I was a kid growing up, I thought Columbus came across this new land, claimed it as America and that was the discovery.  It's crazy that there were already other people there, and Christopher Columbus gets all the credit for the discovery.  When the Natives were there all along.  When Columbus and his people spoke to the Natives, they didn't understand his language.  That doesn't seem fair to the Natives because Columbus and his people could have been manipulating them into claiming their land without them knowing it.  It's also very cruel that the first thought Columbus had when he saw these people that they would make good slaves.