Katia Medina MR.

Espiritu Ethnic studies 12-16-2010

Medina 1

In 1492 Columbus landed in the Caribbean. At first Columbus and his people were nice among Tainos but when they saw that they had gold they started to make the Tainos work for them, the Tainos had to work day and night. By the years most Tainos died of disease for over working. Thats when they needed more people to work for them so they went to Africa, and enslaved people. This will prove that we should not have a national holiday that honor Columbus. The Tainos were a friendly civilization. The Tainos were all equal with one another. They will all work together to make their place a peaceful and they had a great community. For example Barrero recorded among Tainos the womens and mens harvested corn, nuts, cassava, and others roots. They appear to have practiced a rotation method in their agriculture (Barreiro 186). The womens and the mens practiced a rotation that made their crops grow better. The rotation was that each year they will grow their crops in a different place so that same place will be ready for next year. Barrero also recorded they could build a dwelling from a single tree (the royal plan) and from several other (gammier, caibola) canoe that could carry more than one hundred people. The Tainos could build so many things without hurting the averment. They could build houses from their own tree, build there own canoe to go trade goods. This explains how they will use the canoe to exchange things for example they will give crops for animals. One all the Tainos died because Columbus, they needed people to work for them so they can make the sugar. In his famous book, (a people history of the us) 1492- presents Zinn recorded. They ordered all persons fourteen years or older to collect a certain quantity of gold every

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three months. When they brought it they were a given copper tokens to hang around their necks Indians found without a copper token had their hands cut off and bled to dead ( Zinn 4). By that time there was no more gold so the slaves who wanted to live had to really look for gold and do what the Spanish said to do. The Spanish really needed gold. They needed gold to buy things for example to buy arms for the soldiers so they can keep control of the slaves. Zinn also add the Indians Columbus reported are also nave and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them could believe it when you ask for something they never say no to the contrary they offer to shave with anyone ( Zinn 3). Before Columbus and the Spanish went to Africa and enslaved the African people, they were fee to do anything they wanted they also helped each to make their community a better place. Just like the taints they had their own community that they would all do things to help each other in their own way. The African people were like the Tainos they traded good with other people, they made their own houses. According to Philip Martin at first the Spanish forced the Indians to work for them but by 1505, the Indians around the settlements were nearly gone driven away or killed by over working, disease, murder, and suicide (Philip Martin 8). By 1505 there was no more Indians without the Indians they did not had people to work for them , by that time gold was really hard to find, they needed people to work for them. This is what they did to Africans to get slave so they could work for them, and they can also get killed by over working. Philip Martin added so the Europeans turned to Africa between 1505 and 1888 an estimated 9.5 million Africans were brought to the Americans as slave. About 2.5 millions worked on the Caribbean, mostly on sug-

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ar plantations. For over 300 years slavery resigned and millions of humans beings suffered labored in terrible conditions, and died harvesting sugar cane. Just like the Tainos they had to work in plantations of sugar cane they also had the same life style and the same rules. Others had to find gold for the Spanish so they can buy guns for the solders so they can keep control of the slaves. For more than 300 years they work so much but never expecting anything back just waiting for their dead. By that time there was a lot of disease, ones a slave get disease they did not had a no doctors for the slaves they will just let them died. The African American resistance, the Africans were people from Africa that were brought to European for them to work in Incomiendas. It also talks how they were kill. Bill Fletcher adds it is also important to understand that Africans and native people resisted the European slave trade. Their resistance range from individual escape to rebellions involving hundreds and in some cases, tens of thousands of people (Bill Fletcher 2). Before the European slave trade the Africans just to live in their own communities, when Columbus arrived in the western. He was the one who started enslaving people. The way they will bring the African people was they will put the people under the ships for more that 52 days without air and without moving. Josephy recorded for fourteen years Enrique and his Arawak supporters fought the Spaniards to a standstill ( Josephy 7) many people just like Enrique tried to stop slavery. Enrique and the Arawak were people who fought to dead so they can free the slaves. If they free the slaves they would they will still work but they will get pay but no one had the right to tell them anything.

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People who fought for the slave will do anything to see them live a happy life. Enrique and their people would even go to war tor the slaves. Thank to the king and Queen Columbus had the power to do whatever he wanted with the Tainos. Columbus gad to bring back to the queen and king gold food and other thinks. Columbus not only kills people but he rapes the womens and the girls. This is why we have to stop celebrating his day is like celebrating these people who he kill all the bad things he did.