His journeys expanded European knowledge of the world and signified an important moment in the evolution of exploration. To add on to his accomplishments, Columbus's encounters with native peoples shines a bright light on his legacy. Once Columbus got to the Caribbean, he first came in contact with the people of Taino, who stayed in Hispaniola. The interactions he had with the aboriginal people were found to be by inequality, abuse, and exploitation. The Taino people were taken through beatings and extortion by Columbus. He created payment systems, had them working as slaves, and used force to try to get them to open up to Christianity. Also, since the native peoples' cultures lacked immunity to European diseases, Columbus's behavior played a big role in the spread of diseases like smallpox, which took out whole tribes. Columbus's involvement in helping start the transatlantic slave trade further makes his legacy look bad. Since he viewed the Native American people as products to be taken advantage of for profit, he took an active role in their enslavement and
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