Oh yes, Columbus. Patron saint of gratitude.
On Columbus first voyage, he met the Taino.
In his diary, Columbus writes:
They traded with us and gave us everything they had, with good will ... they took great delight in pleasing us ... They are very gentle and without knowledge of what is evil; nor do they murder or steal ... Your highness may believe that in all the world there can be no better people ... They love their neighbors as themselves, and they have the sweetest talk in the world, and are gentle and always laughing.[93]
On Columbus' second voyage, he began the process of enslaving the Taino.
On Columbus' second voyage in 1493, he began to demand tribute from the Taíno in Hispaniola. According to Kirkpatrick Sale, each adult over 14 years of age was expected to deliver a hawks bell full of gold every three months, or when this was lacking, 25 pounds of spun cotton. If tribute was not brought, the Spanish cut off the hands of the Taíno and left them to bleed to death.
Such a great way to reward people who "love their neighbours as themselves."
Such a perfect blueprint for the settlement of the Americas.