Christopher Columbus was morally incompetent, greedy, and cruel according to Howard Zinn. In A People’s History of the United States Zinn makes it clear that Columbus was never a hero and should not be credited as such. Columbus’ only intention was to go on a voyage for purely monetary reasons and he never had benevolent intentions. On top of this, Colombus and his men extorted, imprisoned, and abused countless Indians in the Americas. Zinn is attempting to shed light on the fact that Columbus is not a hero and should not be portrayed as one. This is supported by numerous excerpts from Columbus’s journal and other accounts of his actions. It also seems as if Zinn is hinting at the idea that authors who do not acknowledge Columbus’ misdoings
