The Critics of Columbus

The character and conduct of Christopher Columbus has come under more criticism than almost any other historical figure. This book will outline the various forms of attack upon Columbus over the centuries. This is what I call the Columbus conspiracy. It is a systematic attempt to assassinate the character of Columbus by a long line of people not working in conjunction, but nonetheless building upon one another cumulatively over the years. From the contemporary enemies of Columbus who sought to steal his glory and his wealth to later historians who sought to impugn his reputation in response to the hero worship that grew up around him in the 19th and 20th centuries. Every aspect of Columbus life has come under attack from his origins, his study and preparations, his proposals for the great ventures of exploration, his claims of discovering America first, his conduct towards the Native Americans and the Spanish settlers, his endless quest to find gold, the nature and primacy of what he discovered, and his role in the history of slavery, genocide, and environmental destruction. His legacy has been contested in a literal, legal sense in a lawsuit between his heirs and those who wanted to steal his fame and wealth. These appeared in the Pleitos Colombinos, or Columbian Lawsuits, which are examined in this context in detail for the first time in this book. It has also been contested in the literary and historical sense by a long succession of historians, which has sought to make a name for themselves by digging up more dirt on Columbus and further discrediting him. Columbus has been called a lowborn, uneducated imposter, pirate, usurper, rapist, mass murderer, poor sailor, accidental discoverer, bumbling fool, tyrant, liar, greedy gold hunter, religious fanatic, hypocrite, evil slaver, bloodthirsty and indiscriminate killer, and raving lunatic. This is just to name a few of the attacks made on him. It is difficult to understand why a single man has drawn such opprobrium when similar contemporary historical figures are not as harshly criticized. It is equally difficult to understand why Columbus has been singled out as the sole individual origin of the sins of an entire generation in first exploiting and then wiping out the Native Americans that he encountered.All of the various attacks on Columbus over the centuries will be discussed in this work and thoughtful and well-researched rebuttals will be given to them, including to some of the most outrageous and unfair claims. The purpose of this book is not to defend Columbus, but to call for a more mature and balanced treatment of him by historians and the general public. This is not merely a Columbus apologist treatment. It is a plea that Columbus be understood in the context of his times and that his accomplishments be given equal weight with his faults.