Was Christopher Columbus a positive influence in the Americas?

Abolutely not, quite the opposite in fact, his trip commenced the biggest holocaust in human history. Detailed by many researchers, including Professor David Stannard in his Book "American Holocaust", it is estimated over a period of four centuries, over a 100 million natives were wiped out.  Here's five Chilling Quotes from Christopher Columbus that really put his approach into perspective. 1. Convert or expel all Muslims and Jews: "...as Catholic Christians and Princes who love the holy Christian faith and the propagation of it and who are enemies to the sect of Mahoma [Islam] and to all idolatries and heresies, resolved to send me, Cristobal Colon, to the said parts of India to see the said princes ... with a view that they might be converted to our holy faith .... Thus, after having turned out all the Jews from all your kingdoms and lordships..." 2. Enslave the natives: "They (the natives)... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned... . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear arms and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane... . They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want." 3. Enslaving natives is easy: "As soon as I arrived in the Indies, in the first island which I found, I took some of the natives by force, in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts. And so it was that they soon understood us and we them, either by speech or by signs and they have been very serviceable." 4. It's acceptable to rape and whip the natives: "While I was in the boat, I captured a very beautiful Carib woman, whom the said Lord Admiral gave to me. When I had taken her to my cabin she was naked - as was their custom. I was filled with a desire to take my pleasure with her and attempted to satisfy my desire. She was unwilling and so treated me with her nails that I wished I had never begun. But - to cut a long story short - I then took a piece of rope and whipped her soundly and she let forth such incredible screams that you would not have believed your ears. Eventually we came to such terms, I assure you, that you would have thought that she had been brought up in a school for whores." 5. Rape, kill and destroy, even if the natives do not fight back: "Endless testimonies . .. prove the mild and pacific temperament of the natives... But our work was to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle and destroy..."