Really four separate books. The first and largest concerns the "discovery" of America by Columbus and his voyages too and from the coast of S. America, extinctions of the of the natives found there and there and setting up of the Spanish Empire in this hemisphere, the second the voyage of Cortes to Mexico and conquest and destruction of the Mayan people, third; the conquest of Peru and lower S. America by Pizzarro and the in-fighting that resulted in the massacre of the Inca's, the fourth the founding of the United States and a brief history up to 1892.

The first book on Columbus details his early life, stuggles with the court and insurrections faced by him at various times up until his death. It outlines the finding of a navigable route to South America, how he searched diligently for a passage to India, as well as his people excesses and total destruction of the native people. Throughout this and other books the papal principals of recognizing and establishing sphere's of influance as well as conversion to "christianity" by any and all means including torture enslavement and rape because what does it matter what happens to the mortal shell if the immortal soul is saved is clearly outlined. Columbus established the Spanish system of enslaving and requiring certain tributes of gold to be made upon pain of death by the natives. The author places most of the blame for the extinction of the native populations on the successors of Columbus who took over upon his recall to Spain for excesses against royal subjects (the native peoples) noting that only about 25% dies under Columbus the rest whithering over the next 50 years under his successers.

The next two smaller books show the pattern adapted by Cortes against Montezuma of assuming the guise of "gods" and moving small parties of men with calvery, canon, and steel weapons unto the empires, overawing them, then capturing their leaders and ransoming and later killing them despite promises to the contrary destroying the lines of succession of the royal caste, the natives belief in their leaders as gods and establishing that the conquistadores were undefeatable in the eyes of the Inca and Mayan peoples. The backbiting, and betraying of the "leaders" by warring factions within the Spanish and their incessant need for more gold and riches are clearly spelled out.

The fourth book, which is extremely truncated concerns the rise of the US from colonies to 1892 creating the world fair to celebrate the discovery of America by Columbus 400 years before. Primarily it concerns the election of Presidents but goes into the civil war and some of the base points along the way in a very brief fashion. This is the weakest and least detailed chapters of the work.

Overall a good read, unlike modern history books it doesn't gloss over parts or make them more politically correct. Also some of the source material the books are built upon have been lost in the Spanish civil war, WW1 or WW2. ( )