Columbus is a national hero. Columbus is a genocidal killer. Which is correct historically? Which applies to our common ‘moral compass’ today? From examining the records of the time, it is true and accurate (if we are to believe Columbus’s own words) that he systematically brought about the destruction of a large number of people in order to gather wealth for himself and his benefactors. Howard Zinn uses the example of Columbus’s morally questionable actions to demonstrate our own subjective interpretation of the past. We see it from our own time, with our own prejudgments. But how do we see the present? Although some are quick to condemn the explorer, others justify his methods by examining the end result. Five hundred years ago, Columbus was an imperial vanguard of a rising medieval super-power. Today, Wal-Mart comprises over 20% of all retail purchases in the United States. In 1492, The Spanish conquistadors killed without consequence in order to establish an empire, while today American generals are quick to point out that they do not count enemy dead. Gold and God were centers of an ideological intoxication with power in 1492. Today, capitalism and technology drive the engines of ‘progress’ forward. Both are stories of victims. Both are stories of power. The events of history may work in cycles, but our collective conscience seems to be reset with each generation, waiting to learn how to view the past. Does Columbus see our image in his mirror?
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