Is there anyone who understands "History Is A Weapon" - Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress, by Howard Zinn and can briefly explain it to me?

Let me just add a couple points.

To Zinn, Columbus was pretty much a genocidal murderer.  Zinn argues that Columbus came to the New World with a lust for gold and other riches.  He was met there by innocent Indians who wanted only to share with him.

Because of his greed, Columbus systematically exploited the Indians.  He did this by such things as

• taking hostages in an attempt to force them to tell him where he could find gold


• by enslaving them on encomiendas

Basically, Zinn argues that Columbus intentionally destroyed the Indians out of his own greed.