[Global Issue+] Columbus Downgraded from New World Explorer to Symbol of Racism

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Recently, statues of Christopher Columbus, once hailed as the "discoverer of the New World," have been under attack across the United States. These statues have been vandalized by anti-racism protesters, with heads being chopped off or entire statues pulled down and thrown into water. This is interpreted as a result of the ongoing racial justice protests coinciding with a historical reevaluation of Columbus, who is now regarded as a root cause of America's racial discrimination issues.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 10th (local time), Columbus statues in several cities including Minnesota, Boston, and Richmond have been repeatedly targeted. In front of the Minnesota State Capitol, protesters tied ropes around a Columbus statue and pulled it down to the ground. Meanwhile, in Boston, Massachusetts, the head of a Columbus statue was torn off. That same evening, in Richmond, Virginia, where over 1,000 protesters gathered to protest racial discrimination, a Columbus statue was thrown whole into a lake.

It is unusual for Columbus statues to be so brutally pulled down in the United States, where the second Monday of October, marking Columbus's arrival in the West Indies, is a public holiday known as Columbus Day. In 1992, a film titled "1492: Conquest of Paradise" was produced to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus's exploration of the West Indies, and large parades have been held annually. So why has Columbus become known as a root cause of racial discrimination and a target of protesters' anger?

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

In fact, Columbus has never had a very good reputation in Europe. He is portrayed as a ruthless swindler who deceived Queen Isabella I of Spain, crossed over to America, and exploited indigenous peoples solely for profit. He was only celebrated as a hero in Spain, which gained American colonies through him. However, in most American countries including the United States, he was regarded as a great explorer. Recently, however, historical reevaluations have begun as research has revealed the horrific atrocities he committed in the West Indies.

From his arrival in the West Indies in 1492 until his return to Spain in 1504, Columbus is known to have committed numerous atrocities throughout the Caribbean. He called these areas Hispaniola and, after becoming governor, demanded precious metals from the indigenous peoples to repay debts borrowed from Spain. When the expected quantities of precious metals did not materialize and it became clear there were no large gold mines, he forcibly captured indigenous people to make them perform labor and enslaved them to cultivate cash crops like sugarcane. Indigenous women were also kidnapped and forced into prostitution.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

However, the indigenous peoples of the region had no immunity to deadly diseases such as smallpox and cholera, which were brought by Columbus and the Spanish expedition from Europe. This is believed to be because when the indigenous peoples migrated from Asia to America via the Bering Strait in the Arctic Circle about 20,000 years ago, they lost immunity to certain viruses. As a result, the islands where Columbus set foot saw the indigenous population wiped out within just 3 to 4 years. It is estimated that about 300,000 people died.

When there were no more indigenous people to enslave, Columbus imported African black slaves to supplement the labor force. This marked the beginning of black people being brought to the American continent. Subsequently, until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865, over 15 million black people were forcibly brought to the Americas. This trade system, combining European greed, African labor, and American land, became known as the triangular trade. In fact, Columbus was the person who laid the foundation for the plantation management system using black slavery that lasted nearly 400 years after his death, effectively creating the root of racial discrimination.