Since grade school, the epic tale of Columbus' harrowing voyage that ultimately led to the discovery of America has been recited to us over and over again. However, as more information about Columbus has been discovered, his status as an American hero has been called into question. Not unlike most European explorers, Columbus encountered many Native American tribes during his travels. Because Columbus was under pressure to find new lands and amass large quantities of gold, he and his team of explorers viewed the natives as nothing more than a means to an end. Columbus forced much of the native population to convert to Christianity, as well as using extremely harsh and often brutal methods to keep the Native Americans in line. Because Columbus' voyage also took place during a time when slavery and human trafficking were practiced, Columbus and his men enslaved many native inhabitants of the West Indies and subjected them to arduous labor for the sake of profit. On his first day in the New World, Columbus enslaved six natives because he thought they would be adequate workers. Surprisingly, Columbus oversaw the sale of indigenous girls into sexual slavery. Girls aged 9 to 10 were the most in demand. Columbus refers to this in his personal diaries by stating: "A hundred Castellanos are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there are many dealers who go on the search for girls; those from nine to ten are now required.” (Columbus). The Spanish subjected the natives to work in the gold mines until they died of exhaustion. If a Native American worker did not deliver his full quota of gold dust by the deadline established by Columbus, i soldiers allegedly cut off the man's hands and tied them around... the center of a sheet of paper... a suicide known in history Works Cited "Did Columbus bring syphilis to Europe?: Scientific American". Syphilis in Europe?: Scientific American. Np, 11 August 2011. Web. 12 December 2013. Liquete, Felisa López. “The Legacy of Columbus.” Np. Web. 14 December 2013. Malone, Corey ." Diseases. Gettysburg College, nd Web. December 13, 2013. Cartwright, F., M. Cohen, and P. Ewald. "3_3 European Disease in the New World." 3_3 The European disease in the New World. Np, nd Web. December 12, 2013. “Video on the Columbus controversy.” History.com. A&E and Web television networks. December 16, 2013."Christopher Columbus." Christopher Columbus (1451-1506). Np, nd Web. December 16, 2013. Encyclopedia Brittanica. "Christopher Columbus (Italian explorer)." Encyclopedia Britannica online. Encyclopedia Britannica, nd Web. 14 December. 2013.