For centuries, Christopher Columbus was celebrated as the courageous explorer who discovered the new world in 1492. However, the gruesome details of the nature of Columbus's voyage Christopher Columbus and his participation in the massacre of indigenous peoples are left out of most textbooks, allowing him to become an American icon. After the United States gained independence from Great Britain, the new nation needed a brave, non-British symbol. They found one in Columbus; this is how the myth of his heroic contribution was anchored in American culture from the start. The cruelties inflicted on the natives were generally considered insignificant compared to what was gained. But the onset of colonialism does not justify one of the greatest demographic collapses on record. Therefore, a statue honoring Columbus has no place on this campus or anywhere else that stands for equality, inclusiveness, and respect. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Christopher Columbus read theories that the world was smaller than previously thought. He presented this theory to the king of Portugal in an attempt to finance his trip, but the king refused him, saying his theory was absurd. He then questioned France, England and Spain, but none supported his idea. Until 1492, when Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella decided to finance three ships for a voyage. They saw Columbus as a way to rival Portugal's success on African trade routes and obtain their share of Asian wealth. The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria set sail in August 1492. On October 12, he set foot on a Caribbean island. Because he thought he had landed in India, what we now call Japan, he called the natives he saw there Indians, although these natives were called Taino. Trade began between the two sides, but it was clear that the Taino did not possess the legendary riches of East Asia. Columbus then began to wander the Caribbean in search of gold to bring back to Spain. Instead, one of his ships crashed on Hispaniola, so he left 39 men to build a colony and returned to Spain. He brought back many things to show the king and queen of Spain, including the Tainos he had kidnapped, and he was received with glory. The king and queen wanted more gold, so they outfitted Columbus with seventeen ships for a second voyage and made him governor of the lands he discovered. He returned to Hispaniola using his navigation skills and kept the coordinates of his route secret. When the fleet arrived in Hispaniola, it discovered that the 39 men it had left there to build a colony had been killed by a local chief. They also discovered that this chief had a lot of gold on his lands. Columbus led a crew into the leader's territory and found a quarry of gold. This upset the chief and soon fighting broke out between the two populations. In order to intimidate the chief, Columbus publicly decapitated three natives and displayed their dismembered bodies, which infuriated the Tainos and even disturbed some Spaniards. To make matters worse, they soon found themselves running out of gold. Columbus sent letters to Spain exaggerating the amount of gold found. To generate more profit for the king and queen, Columbus suggested starting a slave trade and, without waiting for a response, he captured more than 500 natives and sent them to Spain. Most natives..