20. Native Americans Welcomed Columbus
The story that Native Americans welcomed Columbus and his crew with open arms is far from the truth. While first encounters may have involved curiosity and cautious exchanges, relations quickly turned violent and exploitative. Columbus and his men enslaved, mistreated, and brought disease to indigenous populations, leading to devastation and suffering. The myth of a friendly, harmonious meeting obscures the reality of conquest, resistance, and profound disruption brought upon the original inhabitants of the Americas by European arrival.
