Christopher Columbus : A Hero Of The American Eyes

School taught us about the infamous Christopher Columbus who was known as the hero who found the Americas in 1492, but is that the truth? Is Columbus really the hero that grade school portrayed him to be? Columbus was not. Columbus was a greedy man who destroyed an entire race of people with genocide just so only he could benefit and become a man of money and power.

Have you ever wondered why America has had an annual holiday known as Columbus Day ever since the early 1900s? While enjoying the day off has the question of why an Italian explorer has a day dedicated to him in America ever occurred to you? Probably not, but every American with at least an elementary education has the general knowledge that Christopher Columbus is the hero credited with discovering America. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to even say that he is a national icon. In actuality, he’s far from being a hero. Although he did find a land that was unknown to the “civilized” world, his actions after the discovery illustrate no characteristics of being heroic at all.

Christopher Columbus is best known for his voyage across the Atlantic where he accidentally discovered America. He paved the way for future exploration and set the course for history. Although Columbus is known as a historical hero for this discovery, he committed many awful acts along the way. Therefore, this writer concludes that Columbus was more of a villain than a hero.

After many centuries, a lot of controversy still surrounds Christopher Columbus. He remains to be a strange figure in history regarded as a famous explorer and a great mariner who made many discoveries in his days. Other people still regard him as a visionary and a national hero while others chose to remember him as a brutal and greedy person who used the rest of the humanity for his own selfish gains. Despite the fact that there have been protests in his being honored through a holiday referred to as the Columbus Day, he still deserves recognition and acknowledgement as a historical figure performed a great role in the making of the modern world.

Christopher Columbus is commonly known as the “discoverer” of the Americas. From a young age students are taught all the wonderful things he did for our land and how well he interacted with the Natives. Although the truth is disregarded and as students grow, they come to learn that Columbus was not a hero in fact. Columbus came close to causing a genocide of the Native Americans, and basically began the “white power” movement that America is forced to deal with today. The truth of what Christopher Columbus did makes him no better than Hitler, yet America still praises him as an important figure in our history. The actions of Columbus has impacted all Americans lives since the 1400’s when he first landed on American soil. Although it did make America into the super power it is today, the structure within the borders will never be equal because of his abuse of power back then. Christopher Columbus is not the hero American students are taught from a young age and does not deserve any of the praise or recognition that we as American citizens continue to give him on a daily basis.

In 1492, Italian cartographer and explorer, Christopher Columbus, set off on a mission from Spain in order to find a quicker, alternative route to Asia. With him, Columbus brought eighty-seven men and three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María, to sail across the large and vast Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately for Columbus, a new route to Asia was never discovered by Spain that year because he had arrived in the Caribbean, which was found in North America. Thinking that he had just entered the Indies, he started to call the people of this land, “Indians”. These Indians were actually Native Americans who had lived on these lands for thousands of years prior. Immediately, letters from Columbus to the King and Queen of Spain were sent by boat back to Europe and soon Columbus was seen as the man who helped create a bridge of prosperous trading and riches between Europe and “Asia”.1 While this discovery proved that Columbus was a hero-like figure to Spain, it’s what he did within the new land that actually makes him one of the biggest villains to ever set foot on Earth. But what classifies this explorer as a villain? Columbus captured thousands of natives, many of which were sent back to Spain to live and work as slaves. Along with that, Columbus also forced the Christian religion onto them, spread diseases that killed thousands of lives, and used violence as a means of persuasion and control.2 Corrupted by his pursuit of riches,

It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory

All throughout history, whether present or past, books are filled page to page with people we consider heroes, as well as villans. Some quick people that come to mind when thinking of the fall of their legacy lead me to people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Andrew Jackson and Napoleon Bonaparte. No matter what the subject; whether it be considered history of a sport, US history or even some celebrities lives, there will always be the one who was a hero in the spotlight and then the real truth comes out. Herofication dates back to the times of the beginning of America where Christopher Columbus, the man who we celebrate on Columbus Day to the public eye today is seen in a positive light. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus wasn't the nicest

Christopher Columbus is mainly known for being the one to uncover America. He had been labeled as a brave voyager who discovered new land, and started settlement there.

Christopher Columbus was a Italian explorer that was sent by the King and Queen of Spain to sail west in hopes of finding a new trade route to China and the West Indies. Instead of landing at either of those regions, he landed on a new continent later to be named America. Many regard Columbus as a hero for discovering this new place, but Columbus is actually the villain in this case. Christopher Columbus should be regarded as a villain due to the fact that his actions led to the death of many Native Americans through disease and by the hands of Spanish conquistadors as well as fueled the African Slave Trade.

Many around the world always picture Christopher Columbus as a man who did great things for what America is today. Is that all really true? As kids, we have all, been taught that Columbus was the man who discovered America but in reality that is all a lie. Christopher Columbus was a man that made a mistake that started many issues that is still around today. Some of many things Columbus did was: he started the slave trade, he treated the Native Americans poorly, kidnapped the Tainos, and stole gold and many other items of value. Even though he did a lot of bad things not everything that Columbus did was terrible. I feel that though many things that are wrong today are his fault at the end of the day he still made America known in Europe. Christopher Columbus is a man that causes a lot of controversies but it makes a person think that was all he did worth the outcome. Bringing light to what Christopher Columbus does helps to acknowledge his legacy and what he left behind.

Christopher Columbus is a very important person in our country's history. He found the "New World," the one we live in today. He started the society that makes us who we are today, the society that allowed our ancestors to come to America and start the life that we live now. This whole world owes their lives to him. Columbus should always be remembered as a very important and very good person in history.

In his biography of Christopher Columbus, historian Felipe Fernandez- Armesto, wrote the true side to Columbus. Columbus had facers to himself both brilliant and evil., “Her had an implacable temperament which could never be satisfied and unremitting ambition which could never be assuaged.”(Fernandez Columbus) Columbus was a ruthless, rough conquistador who encountered the Indians and treated then with no respect whatsoever. Columbus did anything possible to conquer the world even if that meant behaving like a villain.

Whether viewed as a monster who destroyed ancient civilizations or a legendary figure who led society to where it is today, Christopher Columbus remains a greatly controversial historical center point as his impact on civilization then, and now, have sparked ongoing debates for centuries. But despite the greatly exaggerated slander against him, Columbus should be revered and celebrated as a hero for his contributions to societal development instead of hated for the blatant lies created by mainstream media in an effort to demonize an iconic historical figure in an attempt to push anti-western sentiment.

During 1492-1502, Christopher Columbus did some good things, but also did some very bad things, theses would make him a villain.