Columbus shouldn't be considered a hero.

To start I will be rebutting a few of the cons arguments, then I will get to some of my own. Rebuttal #1: The con stated that "Slavery was common throughout the world at that time". In this statement the con is pretty much saying that Columbus can be excused for endorsing the enslavement of Native Americans because it was common at this time. This would like giving Hitler a pass since [1]anti-semitic behavior was common at the time period. Some historians have gone on to say that Columbus did not promote the enslavement of native americans, but he did. We know this because of the following diary entry that he wrote [2]"They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane. .. . They would make fine servants. .. . With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want ". This is all the evidence we need to see that Columbus supported the enslavement of Native Americans. Rebuttal #2: Next I will be discussing the cons statement" . .. most Native American tribes were killing and slaughtering each other years before the white man came. " To address this I will be pulling another quote from Columbus' diary. In his diary Columbus wrote the following about what occurred upon his arrival to the new world. [2]"When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone. .. ."" After reading this I hope you understand that Native Americans first instinct was not to fight but rather to make peace. The only time that they would have "slaughtered" anyone is during war or when they felt threatened. Rebuttal #3: My last Rebuttal will include the cons last argument in which he said" 'Columbus and the Europeans are to blame for introducing diseases such as smallpox which killed many Indians. ' Using that same line of reasoning, perhaps we should blame the Native Americans for introducing the Europeans to tobacco because people have died of lung cancer. " To be honest there is not much to point out here besides the fact that the con compared an airborne disease that was impossible for the natives to realize that they were ingesting with a product that was voluntarily use. End of rebuttal. Argument #1, Greed: One of the many reasons why Columbus should not be considered a hero(not to mention the reasons above) is because of of his greed. Columbus valued gold more than the lives of the Native Americans(he put an object over human life. ), which is a terrible trait for someone who is given a holiday in some places to have. Here are just a few examples of the things that he did for gold. [2]". .. they ordered all persons fourteen years or older to collect a certain quantity of gold every three months. When they brought it, they were given copper tokens to hang around their necks. Indians found without a copper token had their hands cut off and bled to death. " I can't speak for you but in my personal opinion killing someone seems over exaggerant for not bringing forth enough gold. Not to mention that some Native American tribes were no where near enough gold to supply the demands according to well accredited historian Howard Zinn [2]"The Indians had been given an impossible task. The only gold around was bits of dust garnered from the streams. " Closing argument(s): In the words of Zinn"[2] To emphasize the heroism of Columbus and his successors as navigators and discoverers, and to de-emphasize their genocide, is not a technical necessity but an ideological choice. It serves-unwittingly-to justify what was done. Also I would like to remind the con that part of his job is to prove that Columbus was a hero rather than just debating why he wasn't a terrible person. Lastly I would like to thank kbub for the resource that she gave me, which held up much of my argument. With this said I will conclude my round 2 arguments. Definition(s) [1]Anti-semitic- discrimination against or prejudice or hostility toward Jews. Source(s) [1]. http://dictionary.reference.com... [2] . http://www.thegoyslife.com...