In the text, it is easy to discern how the Europeans feel about the natives. They are described as “timid and full of terror” many times throughout the letter. Columbus also mentions that he took some of the natives by force from their island, “in order that they might learn from us.” This means that they think of the natives as people who need to be taught, or as people who are living incorrectly. It is also said that the natives attempt to fight but always inevitably run away, “parents abandoning children, and children their parents.” He also writes that the natives are happy to trade things of huge value for things of very small value, like bits of glass, and that he has forbidden his men from taking part in unfair trades such as those. In all of these ways, he describes the natives as cowardly, child-like people who need to be taught how to live the “right” way. …show more content…
Because he describes the natives as timid and cowardly, he thinks of the Spanish as brave and resilient. Columbus mentions how naked the natives are, how little they understand the value of different materials, and even goes so far as to forcefully take natives from their homes in order to teach them. This shows that Columbus thinks that as much as he the natives are children, he the Spanish are mature, educated, and understanding of the correct way to live. Columbus’ belief that the natives are innocent and naive shows that he thinks the Spanish are fully-aware, intelligent, and competent, in