This was Columbus's commission. I"m sure though that he was primarily driven by the prospect of gaining exceeding fame for his discoveries. That is why it's such a shame that we as Americans honor him with a holiday, because we"re just giving him what he wanted, and by no means what he deserved. Americans should all be of the same opinion as most Italians with regard to Columbus. Columbus, who was an Italian, was not given any respect by his own country during his time because they knew the true nature of this horrible man, and that is why he was forced to go knocking on Spain's door for the opportunity to set sail across the Atlantic.
The main legacy of Columbus is death and destruction. Columbus is consistently seen as a symbol of slavery and genocide, and the celebration of his arrival likened to a celebration of Hitler and the Holocaust. Both he and Hitler encouraged racist violent acts against groups they considered inferior. According to American Indian activist Russell Means, "Columbus makes Hitler look like a juvenile delinquent." Columbus's ideas killed millions of more people then Hitler's ever did. Almost from the exact moment Columbus landed in the New World, he and his men committed horrific acts against the native people. They also initiated the first racist thoughts in the Americas. Bartolome de Las Casas was a Dominican priest who was with Columbus on his expedition. He saw the tragic injustices that were taking place, and fought to defend the rights of the Indians. In an excerpt from his book, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, he described first hand the slaughter carried out by the Spaniards that came with the arrival of Columbus. .
[The Spaniards] forced their way into native settlements, slaughtering everyone they found there, including small children, old men, pregnant women, and even women who had just given birth.