Wendy Aguilar CHS 245 OL-14003

They are Indians from the Bahama Islands. (Zinn,1) They were known for their hospitality and their believe that they need to share what they have. (Zinn,1)

We all have been taught that he is the founder of “The Americas” He persuaded “the king and queen of Spain to finance a expedition to the lands.” (Zinn,2) He wanted to go to the Indies and Asia to get wealthy, he was expecting to find gold and spices. (Zinn,2)

When the Arawaks saw that Columbus was arriving they went to greet them. Columbus main purpose was to find gold. He took some of the Arawaks as prisoners to have them learn from him and him learn from them.

Columbus believed he had discovered the Indies and Asia but he actually discovered the Caribbean Islands.

Christopher Columbus was promised “10 percent of the profits, governorship over new found lands, and the fame that would go with a new title: Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” (Zinn,2) He had then sent an exaggerated report of the discovery of this land they allowed him to go on another expedition this time they gave him more boats so he can bring more things back to Spain.

In Hispaniola where Santa Maria crashed Columbus did a ford and left his men there when he came back he found them dead. Columbus took many as slaves for their second voyage. He took women and children as slaves for sex and labor. (Zinn,4)

Fort Navidad where Columbus found his men killed by the Arawaks.

Columbus took many Arawaks as slaves back to Spain.

Because Columbus had promised to bring back as many gold as they wished to be wealthy he was getting more slaves because he didn’t know where to find gold and he wasn’t having any luck. “In 1495, he took 15 hundred Arawak men, women and children, put them in pens guarded by Spaniards and dogs.” (Zinn,4) From those fifteen hundred he only took 500 on the boat.

Here we see how cruel Columbus and the Spaniards were with the Arawaks that they took to be slaves.

Spaniards had turned conceited. If they needed to go somewhere in a hurry they would tell the Arawaks to carry them. Since the Spaniards had total control they saw themselves as the big ones this later turned into total cruelty for the Arawaks.

Between 1494 to 1508 over three million had died from the wars, slavery and the mines. Through out history this isn’t the only example of cruelty to others. Cortes treated the Aztecs of Mexico the same as Columbus treated the Arawaks with cruelty. He turned Aztec against Aztec that way they would kill each other and scare others so they will listen to him.

Christopher Columbus as we know discovered the Americas not Asia how he said he did. He treated the Arawaks very cruel. Arawaks where sold as slaves in Spain and Christopher Columbus didn’t find much gold at the Americas. Columbus isn’t the only one is history to treat a special group cruelly, Cortes did the same to the Aztecs.

Works Cited Zinn, Howard. A people's history of the United States. New York: Harper & Row, Print. Casas, Bartolomé de las. History of the Indies. New York: Harper Torchbooks, Harper & Row, Print.