The Trial

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The Trial of Christopher Columbus
A PowerPoint Comic Book By Mr. Brent
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
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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
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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.
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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
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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 new-found lands, and the fame
that would go with a new title Admiral of the
Ocean Sea
No.
Queen Isabella, what was your original agreement
with Christopher Columbus?
King Ferdinand, your majesty, did you give any
specific instructions to Columbus on how to deal
with the Native Americans?
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Those are all the questions I have your honor.
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You, Christopher Columbus, are going by our
command, to discover and subdue some Islands
and continent in the ocean, and it is hoped that
by God's assistance, some of the said Islands and
continent in the ocean will be discovered and
conquered by your means and conduct.
to use force against you, declaring war upon you
from all sides and with all possible means, we
shall enslave your persons, wives and sons, sell
you or dispose of you as the King sees fit we
shall seize your possessions and harm you as much
as we can
King Ferdinand, In the year 1500 you sent this
letter to the Taino and Arawak Indians. Would you
please read this document and tell the court what
your threats were to these tribes
Queen Isabella, your Majesty, here we have a
document entitled A Grant for Christopher
Columbus, 1492. Would you please read what your
commands were to Admiral Columbus?
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The defense has no further questions, your honor.
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2nd witnesses Columbuss Crew
Every Taino over the age of fourteen had to
supply the rulers with a hawk's bell of gold
every three months or twenty-five pounds of spun
cotton those who did were given a token to wear
around their necks as proof that they had made
their payment
So Columbus was the top authority and therefore
the person who gave all the orders?
What was the name of the person in charge of the
Expedition and what was his title?
Isnt it true that many of the crew abused the
native Americans is some way?
Would you please tell the court about the tribute
system, imposed by the Governor on the Taino
tribe sometime in 1495.
Did Columbus do anything to stop this abuse?
Don Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the Ocean
Sea, Royal Viceroy and Governor of Hispaniola
Only the King.
Was there anybody else of a higher authority?
And what happened in the native did not supply
this tribute?
Yes.
His hands were cut off.
No.
Yes.
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Those are all the questions I have your honor.
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On the ship Columbus worked very hard. He often
spent days without sleep. He was also very
religious. Every day began with prayers and hymns
and ended with religious services in the evenings.
Did you ever see Admiral Columbus, himself, abuse
any of the Native Americans.
In you opinion was Columbus a good Captain.
I have never personally seen him do that.
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The defense has no further questions, your honor.
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3rd witnesses Arawak Natives
We tried to put together an army of resistance,
but we faced Spaniards who had armor, muskets,
swords, and horses.
In the year 1495, the Spaniards went on a great
slave raid, rounded up fifteen hundred Arawak
men, women, and children, put them in pens
guarded by soldiers and dogs
They then picked the five hundred healthiest of
these people loaded them onto ships. Of those
five hundred, two hundred died en route to Spain.
In two years, through murder, mutilation, or
suicide, half of the 250,000 Indians on Haiti
were dead.
When the Spaniards took prisoners they hanged
them or burned them to death.
Would you please give an example of how your
people were treated while Columbus was Governor
of Hispaniola.
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Those are all the questions I have your honor.
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Its possible, but Columbus was the governor. If
one of his men gave the orders then he should
have known about it.
And if the orders came from Spain, then they
could not have taken place without Columbus
helping to make them work.
So it is possible that these orders could have
come from anybody. Somebody who worked for
Columbus or even the King and Queen of Spain?
He was the governor so therefore he was the one
in charge.
Do you believe that these acts were committed on
Columbuss personal orders?
But you never saw him give these orders?
No, I never saw this.
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No further questions, your honor.
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4th witness Father Bartolome de las Cases
In 1493 Columbus returned with an invasion force
of seventeen ships, appointed at his own request
by the Spanish Crown to install himself as
viceroy and governor.
The Indians had been given an impossible task.
The only gold around was bits of dust garnered
from the streams. So they fled, were hunted down
with dogs, and were killed.
Gold. Columbus believed that the natives knew
where there were rich supplies of gold. In
reality there was not much.
It was among the most unpardonable offenses ever
committed against God and mankind.
How would you describe the Indian slave trade,
begun by Columbus during his time as governor?
And what reasons would the governor have for such
a policy?
He promptly instituted policies of slavery and
systematic extermination against the native
population.
Would you please describe what happened?
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No further questions your honor.
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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.
Isnt it true, Father de las Casas, that you
were a slave holder as well?
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No further questions, your honor.
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5th witness Christopher Columbus (The
Defendant)
I had a royal grant from the King and Queen of
Spain that instructed me to discover and
subdue the Natives of the Americas
Isnt it true that the King and Queen gave you
no exact orders on how to treat the Native
Americans, and in fact your treatment of them was
your own decision?
According to your journal, what was the first
thing you wanted to find out about the natives
you met on your first day in the New World?
I strove to learn if they had any gold.
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No further questions your honor.
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I presented them with some red caps, and strings
of beads to wear upon the neck, and many other
trifles of small value, wherewith they were much
delighted, and became wonderfully attached to us.
As I saw that they were very friendly to us, and
perceived that they could be much more easily
converted to our holy faith by gentle means than
by force,
Mr. Columbus, Did you have any control on how
the Europeans who came after you treated the
Native Americans?
So your main concern was converting them to
Christianity and not just to find gold?
Could you tell us your first impression of the
natives you met on October 12th 1492?
What was your main goal in dealing with these
natives?
I believed that they would very readily become
Christians
Of course not.
That is correct.
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The defense rests your honor.
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Eyewitnesses such as Bartolome de las Casas, a
Catholic priest, estimate that in 1496, over 5
million people had been exterminated within the
first three years of the Columbus rule. If this
doesnt qualify as genocide - what does?
Columbus was given a monetary incentive from the
King and Queen of Spain In return for bringing
back gold and spices, he was promised 10 percent
of the profits, governorship over new-found
lands, and the fame that would go with a new
title Admiral of the Ocean Sea
The Prosecutions closing summary
Let us, also, not forget Columbus own statement
about how as soon as he arrived in the Indies, on
the first Island, which he found, he brutally
kidnapped some of the natives by force in order
to gain information.
The abuses that were inflicted by Columbus and
soldiers under his direct control on the Native
Americans were without any direct orders from the
King and Queen of Spain.
Under Columbus governorship, all Natives
fourteen years or older were ordered 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.
According to the members of the crews that sailed
with him, Christopher Columbus was the admiral
and appointed governor, and was therefore the
person in charge. Even if Columbus personally did
not harm a single native, it was his policies
that his crew enforced and if they committed
cruel acts, Columbus did nothing to prevent this.
In the year 1495, after a slave raid, rounded up
fifteen hundred Arawak men, women, and children,
Columbus later wrote "Let us in the name of the
Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that
can be sold."
Although the later conquistadors such as Hernan
Cortes must take responsibility for their own
actions, we need to ask would such abuses have
taken place if the first governor of Hispaniola,
Christopher Columbus, had established a colony
where the Native population was treated with
kindness and respect?
Based on this evidence, we ask that the jury find
the defendant, Christopher Columbus, guilty
committing genocide against the Native peoples of
the Americas.
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The Defenses closing summary
With regards to the horrible abuse of the
natives who were forced to gather gold under pain
of losing their hands, the prosecuting attorneys
have offered no documents signed by Columbus,
which could be said to be ordering such an
atrocity.
Based on this evidence, we ask that the jury
find the defendant, Christopher Columbus, not
guilty of committing genocide against the Native
peoples of the Americas.
Regarding the undeniable number of deaths among
the population of Taino and Arawak tribes, it
must be understood that the large majority of
these deaths were due to diseases. Although it is
certainly possible that these illnesses were
brought by the Europeans, this cannot be
considered an act that is purposeful and
carefully planned which an important part of
our definition of genocide.
There is no proof that Columbus personally
harmed a single Native. Any policies that led to
the abuse of the Native population simply
resulted from letters and decrees issued by the
King and Queen of Spain.
Christopher Columbus was only following orders.
In a royal document the King and Queen of Spain
gave Columbus specific orders to discover and
subdue the Natives of the Americas with hopes
that they would be conquered by your means and
conduct
With regards to the abuses that the Native
Americans suffered in the centuries after him,
Columbus cannot be held responsible for things
that happened outside of his direct control.
Those who did these deeds, people like Hernan
Cortes, are the ones who alone bare this
responsibility.
In a letter sent by King Ferdinand to the Taino
and Arawak Indians, the King, in his own name
threatens to use force against you, declaring
war upon you from all sides and with all possible
means, we shall enslave your persons, wives and
sons, sell you or dispose of you as the King sees
fit we shall seize your possessions and harm you
as much as we can
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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