Christopher Columbus is portrayed as a hero in most discussions regarding him but in actuality he is a villain because of how changed the economic, religious, and social aspects of life in the New World with mass genocide of the native people, destruction of the native peoples’ homes, and the exploitation of the natives. With the arrival of Columbus in the New World came new economic opportunities for Columbus. Columbus exploited the curious natives by trading anything they chose for the resources of the Native Americans. Columbus was in search of gold in the New World and noticed that the natives indeed had it in their culture and wore it as simple jewelry. Columbus’s lust for gold led to the deception and mistreatment of the native people. These acts against the natives were with malicious intent for Columbus had no …show more content…
Columbus had never seen people like those of the natives and the natives likewise so for both groups it was a new experience. Columbus took advantage of this and showed social oppression over the natives. He and his men murdered many natives and enslaved even more and forced them to adopt their culture. The natives were tortured, their resources were taken, they were raped and slaughtered all for Columbus’s gain. He made the natives think that he was a friendly face from a foreign land but in reality he only wished to use the intermingling of the two cultures to obtain personal goals. Christopher Columbus has proven to be a villain with his many acts of violence and oppression. He took advantage of unsuspecting native peoples, forced his religion of culture onto them with extreme brutality, and took the resources and freedom of these native peoples. His lust for gold and power led to extreme measures to acquire them. Overall Columbus was an explorer who was willing to destroy ways of life and the people living them all for fame, glory, and