Christopher Columbus has always been known as one of the first men to discover America and he has been hailed as a hero. As time goes on, the story of Columbus continuously grows clouded in mystery. Columbus was known as a cruel conqueror who was capable or rape and genocide. On his first voyage, Columbus landed in the Bahamas. Thinking that he landed in India, he called the native Taino tribe Indians. Columbus described the tribe as gentle and nice. He also said that they would make very good slaves and they would be easy to convert to Christianity. On his second voyage Columbus said that his aim was to convert the Indians into Christians, but he was really after the vast amounts of gold. He gave each tribe member over 14 years old a quota of gold that they had to find per day. If that didn't reach their goal then their hands were chopped off. If they refused then they were killed. If they ran away, then they were hunted down or left to starve. On another voyage he crossed to ocean to be a colonial governor. He was arrested and brought back to Europe then acquitted. Columbus has always been thought of as the man who discovered America and is a great hero. Still many do not realize how this man acted like a villain. He may have discovered a new land, but he destoyed cultures in the process.
