Christopher Columbus is known for committing many atrocities during his time in the Caribbean. Here are some of the bad things he did:
- Kidnapping and rape: Columbus kidnapped a Carib woman and gave her to a crew member to rape.
- Enslavement and punishment: Columbus enslaved thousands of natives and harshly punished them for every small mistake they made. He ordered at least a dozen Spaniards "to be whipped in public, tied by the neck, and bound together by the feet" for trading gold for food to avoid starvation. He ordered a womans tongue cut out for having "spoken ill of the Admiral and his brothers." He even ordered the ears and nose cut off one miscreant, who was also whipped, shackled, and banished from the island.
- Genocide: Columbus's violent tactics and the diseases he and his followers brought to the Caribbean resulted in the virtual annihilation of Native Americans in the region within 100 years.
While some argue that Columbus's actions were typical of explorers during his time, others believe that he was uniquely evil in his actions.
