A superb book that not only defends Columbus but traces the history of Columbophobia. Zinn wasn’t the first to critique Columbus as he claimed. That was Aaron Goodrich, whose 1874 book called ‘A History of the Character
and Achievements of the So-Called Christopher Columbus’ invented the false claim that Columbus was a pirate. He also shows that Samuel Elliot Morison was the first to accuse Columbus of genocide, debunking Zinn’s claim that he constructed a “grand romance” of the Genoan! He includes information that Columbus haters intentionally leave out, like the 1,500 Indians Columbus took prisoner, 500 of which were sent back to Spain, 300 of which drowned, killed 39 of Columbus’s men on the Hispaniola colony of La Navidad. He also shows that Bartolomeo de Las Casas defended Columbus and didn’t blame him for the atrocities he talked about. Most importantly, Guacomo shows how Columbus defended and protected the natives, specifically ordering his men not to harm them. He shows that Columbus condemned the actions Columbophobes pretend he supported. Columbus condemned the selling of girls aged nine and ten into sex slavery “as a terrible calumny by turbulent persons”. He warned my men not to take anything from the people without giving anything in exchange,” and ordered the natives christianized “by love rather than by force.” The only problem with this book is that Richard fails to connect anti-Americanism to the anti-Columbus movement. And he portrays Laurence Bergeen as different than any other lying Columbophobes, when he’s just as bad! Other than that, this book is readable and recommendable.