Columbus, an Italian, worked for the Kingdom of Spain. His goal was to reach India from the west, a shorter route, but instead, he arrived in the American continent. Mistakenly believing he had reached India, Columbus, lacking accurate information, thought he had discovered an unexplored part of the country and prepared to plunder it. Deceptively, he took gold and jewels from the natives and returned to the Spanish court, heralding his success and promising to bring more riches, including gold, jewels, and slaves. With the support of Spain, Columbus returned to the Americas with a large fleet of 17 ships and 1,200 soldiers for further looting and colonization. Soon, other European colonizers learned of this new continent and sent numerous ships to claim land, mines, gold, jewels, and slaves for themselves. For over a century, Spain, France, England, and Portugal had free reign over the new continent, justifying their actions as a means to civilize Native Americans and spread Christianity among the primitive tribes. These European colonialists took control of lands spanning the entire American continent, from north to south, which today includes the territories of 35 independent countries and covers a third of the world’s landmass. The Native Americans, who opposed the colonization and the seizure of their lands, fought back against the European aggressors, leading to a surprising outcome. Starting in 1622, wars between Europeans and Native Americans ensued, lasting until the early 20th century. Equipped with superior weaponry, the colonialists committed unprecedented acts of cruelty and brutality, seldom seen in human history. Since the 18th century, when American settlers gained independence from the British, the American federal army also participated in these brutal acts, intensifying the killing of Native Americans in North America. The surprising result of this conflict was the gradual decline of the Native American population. The original inhabitants of the American continent, estimated to number between 60 and 100 million, including civilizations like the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas, dwindled to around 7 million people. The native population transformed from the majority to a minority. This decline was not solely due to war and violence; infectious diseases brought by Europeans also devastated the native populations. Additionally, some Native Americans were sent to Europe as slaves. While slavery began in Europe in the 15th century, it reached its peak in the 17th and 18th centuries due to the demand for African slaves to work on agricultural lands in the Americas. Ships that transported African slaves to America also carried Native American slaves to Europe. October 12th is celebrated as “Columbus Day” in the United States of America and some countries in the Americas. However, for the surviving Native Americans, there is no cause for celebration as they are well aware of the calamity brought upon their ancestors by Columbus’ actions.
About The Author
English