09/07/2026
First read the meme. This meme uses a quote from Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" that intentionally merges 2 of Columbus’s sentences, that have nothing to do with each other, so it seems like he’s looking down on the natives and is interested in enslaving them.
People see it and think, “Oh those are his words, he’s talking about ‘servants’ and ‘subjugate’, he must be an enslaver! Good enough for me!" And they're off to tear down his statue.
But no valuable knowledge can be obtained from just 2 sentences, and if you read Columbus's journal and the context of those words, the truth emerges and exposes how misleading Howard Zinn and this meme are.
Columbus is recording what he sees and encounters for the first time. As he island hops he encounters different tribes. In the meme he describes this particular native tribe’s generous nature. Then comes the half truth, “They would make fine servants…” and the ellipses at the end purposely leaves out crucial context!
When looking at the original Spanish language, which his diary was written in, and as translated by historian John Cummins, and many others, Columbus says, “They MUST BE good servants, and intelligent, for I can see that they quickly repeat everything said to them. I believe they would readily become Christians.”(1) Columbus is complimenting these natives as capable and intelligent and when he uses the word “servants” he does not mean slaves. He means they must be good servants to their leaders and chiefs.
The natives had both slaves and servants. From Columbus’ journal December 22,1492, ”The chief of this area, who has a village close to here, sent a large canoe to me full of his people, including one of his principal servants, to ask me to go in the ships to visit his land,” In the same context, Columbus was a servant to the Queen of Spain. Bartolome de las Casas, known as “the Apostle and defender of the natives” even called Columbus “an outstanding servant.”(2) Does that mean Columbus was a slave? Did Las Casas want to enslave Columbus?
But what about that “...With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want." line? That line came from a diary entry that was made 3 days later on another island. This quote was cherry picked by Howard Zinn to take Columbus's words out of context. Notice the ellipses before that quote. Howard Zinn purposefully removed crucial context so as to make it seem that Columbus was interested in slavery. In reality, Columbus was considering a location to build a fort but proceeded to tell the King and Queen that he did not see the necessity for one since the natives posed no threat. They lacked fighting experience. How much so? “That with fifty men one could keep the whole population in subjection”(3). Here's the entire quote, read it and discern for yourself Columbus's true meaning:
"I bestirred myself to explore all this this morning so as to be able to give Your Majesties a description of it all, and also of a possible site for a fort. I saw a piece of land which is virtually an island; there are six houses on it, and it could be converted into an island with a couple of days' work, although I do not see the necessity. These people have little knowledge of fighting, as Your Majesties will see from the seven I have brought back with us so as to teach them our language and return them, unless Your Majesties' orders are that they all be taken to Spain or held captive on the island itself, for with fifty men one could keep the whole population in subjection and make them do whatever one wanted."(3)
Columbus is humbly acknowledging that in the end he is a servant of the Majesties and will do whatever they order, but he informs them that the natives on this island are peaceful and smart as he's looking to bring seven of them back to Spain, show them the Old World, teach them the Spanish language and return them to their land. He's not looking to enslave anyone. Columbus even adopted one of the Tainos as his own "godson" and when they returned to the New World this native shared his experience with the rest of his tribe.
Finally, if Columbus’ goal was slavery why was he so intent on converting them to Christianity? According to Papal Law Christians could not be enslaved. Why did he not enslave them all right then and there with his 90 men, advanced weapons, and return to Spain a conquering hero? The answer is self evident, slavery was never Columbus’ intent. If anything he showed respect and admiration for the natives and wanted them to be treated justly:
On Dec 21, 1492 Columbus wrote, “I gave them glass beads, brass rings and hawk bells, not because they demanded them but because I thought it only right, and above all because I look on them as already Christians, and subjects of Your Majesties even more than the people of Castile itself.”
With that quote Columbus sees the natives as equals to the Spaniards in Castile and thus should be awarded the same rights and protection as a Spaniard. And who would the Taino’s need protection from?
"The natives (Tainos) believed Columbus was sent by God to save them from the Caribs, a tribe of cannibals who constantly terrorized them. The Caribs would hunt the Tainos, ra**ng their women, castrating the boys, and killing the men. They cannibalized entire islands before Columbus’s arrival. Ironically, [Howard] Zinn omitted all that information."(4)
Thus we see how the meme uses quotes from Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" that purposely puts 2 lines together to deceive the reader into believing Columbus is thinking of enslavement when in reality the opposite is true. Unfortunately, today this misquote/lie is repeated throughout Hollywood movies, TV shows, and our classrooms to mislead our youth.
(1) The Voyage of Christopher Columbus, Columbus' Own Journal of Discovery" by John Cummins p94
(2) History of the Indies by Las Casas, Book One, Chapter 80
(3) The Voyage of Christopher Columbus, Columbus' Own Journal of Discovery" by John Cummins p97
(4) Debunking "Top 5 Atrocities Committed by Christopher Columbus" by Rafael Ortiz
