Christopher Columbus Crimes

Christopher Columbus was a thief. The “discoverer” of the New World was not just a mere pickpocket or purse snatcher. Columbus stole land, people, and rights from the innocent. These actions harmed for hundreds of years beyond his lifetime. Therefore, by definition, Columbus is guilty of crimes against humanity. From the first trading post built to the sprawling colonies that would come to the country known as America today, land was stolen from the Native Americans. Who would start this massive misappropriation? Columbus, of course. On his first voyage in 1492 he built a stockade on “Hispaniola” (modern day Haiti). He constructed this on stolen land with forced native labor. (Encyclopedia Britannica). Besides eventually occupying miles of

Three basic human entitlements as found in America’s Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. First, life. The freedom to continue inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. Apparently the natives such as the Taino and Arawaks were not entitled to this. Within four years of arriving on Hispaniola, Columbus and his crew had murdered one third of the original 300,000. (Examining the Reputation). On top of killing one hundred thousand people in the time it takes to earn a diploma, Columbus stripped the natives of their liberty. The innocent were subjected to mining gold for the explorers. If they did not reach their quarterly quota, their hands were chopped off. (Discovering Columbus.) Certainly when working under these conditions the natives did not have liberty. Finally, the pursuit of happiness. Although it seems somewhat self-evident, the people Columbus enslaved in their homeland and abroad probably weren’t cheerful. In addition to their bodies being put to work, their minds and spirituality were also taken by jolly old Genoan mariners. The indigenous people were converted against their will to Christianity. (The Untold Story). In summation, Columbus ironically took from the inhabitants of America its three most near and dear rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of