Although Christopher Columbus was never really brought to trial,
and never would have been back during the age of Exploration,
many people today believe that he is at least in part responsible for
the genocide of the Native population of the Americas.
You will be the jury in this trial. You will be expected to write an
essay that tells why you found Columbus guilty or not guilty. The
essay must include at least three reasons why you came to this
conclusion
AIM: Was Christopher Columbus
responsible for the Genocide of the native
population of the Americas?
Do Now: write down the Aim and the
definition below:
GENOCIDE - the purposeful and
carefully planned planned killing of an
entire national, racial, political, or ethnic
group
Mr. Harley Dog
Prosecution Lawyer
He will try to prove that Christopher
Columbus was driven by a lust for
gold and power to enslave and abuse
members of the Taino and Arawak
tribes he and his soldiers came in
contact with.
These policies, pursued by the
Spanish while Columbus was
Governor of the island of
Hispaniola, led to the deaths of
thousands of natives and should be
considered an act of genocide.
He will try to prove that Christopher
Columbus was just following the
orders of King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella of Spain.
He will also maintain that Columbus
cannot be directly tied to any of the
abuses that occurred while he was
Governor of the island of Hispaniola
and that large majority of these
deaths were due to diseases.
Therefore these deaths cannot be
considered purposeful and carefully
planned and thus should not be
considered an act of genocide.
Mr. B.W. Cat
Defense Lawyer
1st witnesses: King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella
In return for bringing back gold
and spices, we promised
Columbus 10 percent of the
profits, governorship over newfound lands, and the fame that
would go with No.
a new title:
Admiral of the Ocean Sea
Queen Isabella, what was
yourKing
original
agreement
Ferdinand,
your
with
Christopher
majesty,
did you give any
Columbus?
specific instructions to
Columbus on how to deal
with the Native
Americans?
Those are all the
questions I have your
honor.
“You, Christopher Columbus, are going by our
“to use
force against
you, declaring
war upon
command,
… to discover
and subdue
someyou
Islands and
fromcontinent
all sides and
with
all possible
weby God's
in the
ocean,
and it ismeans,…
hoped that
shallassistance,
enslave your
persons,
wivesIslands
and sons,
some
of the said
andsell
continent in the
you ocean
or dispose
of you
as the King
sees fit; weby
shall
will be
discovered
and conquered
your means
seizeand
your
possessions and harm you as much as
conduct.”
we can…”
King Ferdinand, In the
year
1500
you sent
this
Queen
Isabella,
your
letter
to the
Taino
Majesty,
here
we and
have a
Arawak
Indians.
Would
document
entitled
“A
you
please
read this
Grant
for Christopher
document
tell the
Columbus,and
1492”.
court
what
threats
Would
youyour
please
read
were
these
tribes
whatto
your
commands
were to Admiral
Columbus?
The defense has no further
questions, your honor.
2nd witnesses: Columbus’s
Crew
Every Taino over the age of
So itColumbus
was the
top had to supply the rulers
fourteen
Isn’t
What
true
was
that
the
name
many
of
of
the
Would Did
you Columbus
please tell do
theanything
authority
and therefore
withthe
a hawk'sDon
bellChristopher
of gold every
person
crew
in
abused
charge
the
of
native
the
courtthe
about
the
tribute
toperson
stop this
abuse?
Only
the King.
who
gave
all
the
three
or twenty-five
pounds
Was
therehappened
anybody
else
of months
a
Americans
Expedition
isand
some
what
way?
was
And
what
in
the
Columbus,
Admiral
system,
imposed
by
the
Yes.
orders?
of
spun
cotton;
those
who
did
were
higher
authority?
his
title?
native
did
not
supply
this
of
the
Ocean
Sea,
Governor on the Taino
His hands
were
No.
given
a
token
to
wear
around
their
Yes. Viceroy and
Royal
tribetribute?
sometime in 1495.
cut off.
necks as proofGovernor
that theyofhad made
their paymentHispaniola
Those are all the
questions I have your
honor.
On the ship Columbus
worked very hard. He
often spent days without
sleep. He was also very
I have
neverEvery
personally
religious.
day
seenwith
him prayers
do that. and
began
hymns and ended with
religious services in the
evenings.
Did you ever see Admiral
Columbus, himself, abuse
Inany
youofopinion
was
the Native
Columbus
a good
Americans.
Captain.
The defense has no further
questions, your honor.
3rd witnesses: Arawak Natives We tried to put together an army of
In They
the
year
1495,
the
Spaniards
went
In the
two
years,
through
murder,
then
picked
the
five
hundred
When
Spaniards
took
prisoners
resistance,
but we
faced
Spaniards
on
a
great
slave
raid,
rounded
up
mutilation,
or suicide,
half
of the
healthiest
of
these
people
loaded
them
they
hanged
them
or
burned
them
to
who had armor, muskets, swords, and
fifteen
hundred
Arawak
men,
women,
Would you please give an
250,000
Indians
onfive
Haiti
were
dead.
onto
ships.
Of
those
hundred,
two
death.
horses.
and
children,
putenthem
example of how your
hundred
died
routeintopens
Spain.
guarded by soldiers and dogs
people were treated while
Columbus was Governor
of Hispaniola.
Those are all the
questions I have your
honor.
It’s
Andpossible,
if the orders
but Columbus
came from
was
Spain,
thewas
then
governor.
they
could
If onenot
of
He
the
governor;
so
hishave
men
taken
gave
the
place
orders
without
thenin
therefore
he
was
thethis.
one
No,
I never
saw
heColumbus
should have
helping
known
to about
make
charge.
themit.work.
So it is possible that these orders
couldDo
have
come
fromthat
anybody.
you
believe
these
But
never
saw himfor
Somebody
who
worked
actsyou
were
committed
on
give
Columbus
orthese
evenorders?
the
King and
Columbus’s
personal
Queen orders?
of Spain?
No further questions, your
honor.
4th witness: Father
Bartolome de las Cases
The
Indians
InColumbus
1493had
Columbus
been
given
returned
Gold.
believed
It was among
the most
an
impossible
withnatives
an invasion
task.
The
force
onlyof
that
the
knew
where
unpardonable offenses ever
gold
around
seventeen
wasships,
bits ofappointed
dust
Howwhat
And
would
reasons
you describe
would
there
were
rich
supplies
of
committed
against
God and
He
promptly
instituted
policies
garnered
at
his
from
own
the
request
streams.
by
the
the governor
Indian slave
have
trade,
for such
gold.
In
reality
there
was
not
mankind.
of
slavery
and
systematic
So
they
Spanish
fled,
were
Crown
hunted
to install
Would youduring
please describe
abegun
policy?
by Columbus
much.
extermination
against
the
native
down
himself
with
dogs,
as
viceroy
and
were
and
happened?
his time aswhat
governor?
population.
killed.
governor.
No further questions
your honor.
I owned a plantation on which
Indian slaves worked, but I gave
this up. I freed my slaves and
became a critic of Spanish
cruelty.
Isn’t it true, Father de las
Casas, that you were a
slave holder as well?
No further questions, your
honor.
5th witness: Christopher
Columbus (The Defendant)
I had a royal grant from
the King and Queen of
Spain that instructed me
Isn’t
it true that
the journal,
King andwhat
Queen
According
to your
was
I strove
to learnand
if they
“to discover
gave
you
no
exact
orders
on
how
to
the first thing you wanted to find out
had
any gold.
subdue”
the Natives of
treat
the
Native
Americans,
and
in
about the natives you met on your
the Americas
fact your treatment of them was your
first day in the New World?
own decision?
No further questions
your honor.
I presented them with some red
As I saw that they were very
caps, and strings of beads to
friendly to us, and perceived
wear upon the neck, and many
that theythat
could
bewould
much very
more
I believed
they
other
trifles
of
small
value,
Of course not.
easilybecome
converted
to our holy
readily
Christians
wherewith
they
were much
That
is correct.
faith by gentle means than by
delighted, and became
force,
wonderfully attached to us.
Mr.your
Columbus,
Did you
So
main concern
Could
you
tell
usmain
your
have
any
control
on how
What
was
your
goal
was converting them
to
first
impression
of
the
Europeans
who
inthe
dealing
withand
these
Christianity
notcame
just
natives
you
met
on
after
yougold?
treated the
natives?
to find
th 1492?
October
Native 12
Americans?
The defense rests your
honor.
The Prosecutions closing summary:
Eyewitnesses
such
asa
Let
us,
also,
not
forget
Columbus
was
given
The abuses that were
Bartolome
de
lasstatement
Casas,
a
Under
Columbus’
Columbus’
own
monetary
incentive
from
In the year
1495,
afterand
a
inflicted
bytoColumbus
According
the
members
Although
the
later
Catholic
priest,
estimate
governorship,
all
Natives
about
how
as
soon
asup
he
Based
on
this
evidence,
we
the
King
and
Queen
of
slave
raid,
rounded
soldiers
under
his
direct
of the
crews
that
sailed
with
conquistadors
such
as
that
in
1496,
over
5find
million
fourteen
years
or
older
arrived
in
the
Indies,
on
the
ask
that
the
jury
Spain:
In
return
for
fifteen
hundred
Arawak
control
on the Columbus
Nativethe
him,
Christopher
Hernan
Cortes
must
take
people
had
been
were
ordered
to
collect
a any
first
Island,
which
he
found,
defendant,
Christopher
bringing
back
gold
and
men,
women,
and
children,
Americans
were
without
was
the
admiral
and
responsibility
for
their
own
exterminated
within
the
certain
quantity
of
gold
he
brutally
kidnapped
some
Columbus,
guilty
spices,
he
was
promised
10
Columbus
later
wrote
"Let
direct
ordersgovernor,
from the and
King
appointed
actions,
we
need
to
askin
first
three
years
of
the
every
three
months.
When
of
the
natives
by
force
committing
genocide
against
percent
of
the
profits,
us in
theQueen
namethe
ofSpain.
the Holy
and
of
was
therefore
person
in
would
such
abuses
have
Columbus
rule.
Ifwere
this
they
brought
it,
they
order
to
gain
information.
the
Native
peoples
of
the
governorship
over
newTrinity
go
on
sending
all
the
charge.
Even
if
Columbus
taken
place
ifasthe
first
doesn’t
qualify
genocide
given
copper
tokens
to
hang
Americas.
found
lands,
and
the
fame
slaves
that
can
be
sold."
personally
didHispaniola,
not harm a
governor
of
what
does?
around
their
necks.
Indians
that
would
go with
a new
single
native,
it
was
his
Christopher
Columbus,
had
found
without
a
copper
title:
Admiral
of
the
Ocean
policies that his crew
established
a colony
where
tokenenforced
had their
hands
cut
Sea
and
if
they
the
population
off Native
and bled
to death. was
committed
cruel acts,
treated
with kindness
and
Columbus
did nothing to
respect?
prevent this.
The Defense’s closing summary:
With
the horrible
Basedregards
on this to
evidence,
we ask
Regarding
the undeniable
abuse
ofjury
the natives
who were
that
the
find
There is no proof the
thatdefendant,
Columbus
number
of
deaths
among
the
Christopher
Columbus
was
only
forced
to
gather
gold
under
pain
With
regards
to
the
abuses
Christopher
Columbus,
not
guilty
personally
harmed
a
single
In a letterofsent
by King
population
Taino
and
following
orders.
In aagainst
royal
of
losing
their
hands,
the the
that
the
Native
Americans
ofNative.
committing
genocide
Any policies
that led
to the
Ferdinand
to
the
Taino
and
Arawak
tribes,
it
must
be
document
the
King
and
Queen
prosecuting
attorneys
have of
suffered
in
the
centuries
Native
peoples
of
the
Americas.
abuse of
the Native
population
Arawak
Indians,
the
King,
in his
understood
that
the
large
Spain
gave
Columbus
specific
offered
documents
signed
by
after no
him,
Columbus
cannot
simply
resulted
from letters
and
own
name
threatens
to
“use
majority
of
these
deaths
were
ordersbe“to
discover
andbe
subdue”
Columbus,
which
could
said to
held
responsible
for
decrees
issued
by
the
King
and
force
against
you,
declaring
war
due
to
diseases.
Although
it
is
the
Natives
of happened
the Americas
with
be
ordering
such
an atrocity.
things
that
outside
Queen
of
Spain.
upon
you from
all sides
and
with
certainly
possible
that
these
hopes
that
they
would
be
of his direct control. Those
all
possible
means,…
we
shall
illnesses
were
brought
by
the
“conquered
by
your
means
and
who did these deeds, people
enslave
your persons,
wives
and
Europeans,
this
cannot
be
conduct”
like Hernan Cortes, are the
sons,
sell you orandispose
ofisyou as
considered
act
that
ones who alone bare this
the
King seesand
fit; we
shall seize
purposeful
carefully
responsibility.
your possessions
and
harm you
planned
– which an
important
as much
we can…”
part
of ouras
definition
of
genocide.
Using the ballots you have been given,
vote whether you think Columbus is
GUILTY or NOT GUILTY.
For homework, you will be expected to
write an essay that tells why you found
Columbus guilty or not guilty. The essay
must include at least three reasons why
you came to this conclusion