Without question, one of the major driving forces behind the rapid expansion of the British Empire was colonization. The British developed colonies throughout the world with the primary purpose of acquiring wealth not for the colonialized territory, but for Britain itself. These colonies provided the British with natural resources, which were scarce or nonexistent in Britain itself, and new markets in which to sell produced goods. The support provided by these colonies was one of the main reasons why the British Empire grew to be so powerful and wealthy. For many of these colonies, the subjects being ruled were forced to comply with British rule or face dire consequences. Despite inflicting grievous suffering on a countless number of people, many British believed that it was Britain's duty to civilize the barbaric societies throughout the world. .
Through studying Columbus' first encounters with Native Americans, his admiration of their way of life is clear: "They are the best people in the world and above all the gentlest--without knowledge of what is evil--nor do they murder or steal.they love their neighbors as themselves and they have the sweetest talk in the world.always laughing" ( Zinn, p. 2). Despite Columbus looking up to the Native Americans in this way, he viewed their savage lifestyles as ungodly. Being a devout Christian, Columbus viewed it as his duty to spread the word of the Lord and convert all those who he encountered. To Christians, a life not devoted to God will result in the soul being trapped in an eternal hell. In an attempt to prevent this from happening, Columbus did everything in his power, including murder and torture, in an attempt to convert Native American's to Christianity. "When they brought it, they were given copper tokens to hang around their necks. Indians found without a copper token had their hands cut off and bled to death" (Zinn, p. 16).
