Yo, Ted, the man ~*literally*~ did. He literally ran a for-profit slaving operation that was so horrific, the Spanish crown sent investigators to see if the stories were true. They were. /1
The Arawak he encountered bore gold jewelry, that piqued his fascination. Through force, he made the Arawak, the indigenous inhabitants of Hispaniola bring a quota of gold to him, from 1495.
Don't bring the gold - lose your hands. /2
Don't bring the gold - lose your hands. /2
Columbus (or Colon) took women as sex slaves. He pretty much straight up gave them to his buddies to rape. One of his fellow voyagers wrote about it. /3
The Arawak who died of exhaustion or disease were sometimes sold as dog food to those on Hispaniola. Sometimes those who fought back against the Spanish had their corpses sold. Sometimes they were hunted for sport. /4
More often, however, those who fought back against the Spaniards were hung, mutilated and sometimes even had their remains paraded as a grisly warning to those who may consider rebellion. /5
Settlers who arrived actually wrote back to Spain, horrified at what Columbus/Colon and his men were doing. Such was the clamour that Francisco de Bobadilla, a knight, was sent by Ferdinand and Isabella to see what was going on. /6 theguardian.com/world/2006/aug…
Things were that bad that de Bobadilla had Columbus arrested for his brutality and mismanagement and sent back to Spain to face questioning and imprisonment.
He only ever spent six weeks in prison before the king ordered his release. /7
He only ever spent six weeks in prison before the king ordered his release. /7
Before Columbus, it's estimated that there were 250,000 Arawak on Hispaniola. Two years after his arrival, historian Howard Zinn estimates that 125,000 had died through violence, overwork, maltreatment, torture, illness or suicide. /8
Columbus/Colon did more to wipe out an entire people, through his murderous greed and disdain for human life, than almost any other European individual prior to the dawn of the 16th century.
Almost every one of his policies as Hispaniola governor had a genocidal outcome. /9
Almost every one of his policies as Hispaniola governor had a genocidal outcome. /9
How did you not know this @tedcruz? It's no great secret. It's even covered in some high school curriculums.
I guess you were too busy coming up with that wacky costume and the codes, right? /FIN
I guess you were too busy coming up with that wacky costume and the codes, right? /FIN
