Christopher Columbus 's The New World

     Columbus was like a God in the eyes of the Native Americans and they believed that he could save them. They followed him around and wanted to find out more about these strage people who had landed on there territory. The natives saw no harm in Columbus and his men and offered them most of the things they had as gifts. They were willing to give the Europeans anything they wanted. All of the things the Europeans had were new to them. For example in Columbus’s own journal, I Take Possession for King and Queen, he states that:

In his letter, Columbus praised the land and the natives in the New World, knowing that his letter would have likely been seen by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He also knew that if they approved of the colonization of the land, he would receive more funding and would get to keep ten percent of the revenue achieved from the land. Columbus also highlighted the natives’ lack of weapons, stating, “They have no iron, nor steel, nor weapons, nor are they fit for them…” In addition, he claimed that they were very timid and seemed to think he was a god, meaning they were very compliant and easy to enslave. Similarly, Guns, Germs, and Steel notes that the Spanish conquered the Inca empire in their quest for gold and glory.

According to Meredith, Columbus had said that the Arawak Indians willingly traded everything that they owned and that they seemed a poor people.# He later states in his log to make himself appear humble that he gave gifts to one particular man, a red cap, a string of glass beads, and two hawks’ bells which were together worth less than 3 cents.#

Columbus’s big plan for Hispaniola since the beginning was to take advantage of the natives and take their land, and the gold he believed was located there. He built the first fort in the Western Hemisphere, and left some of his men to find and store gold there. Columbus had to ask for a little more help from their majesties, he convinced them by saying he would take them “as much gold as they need ... and as many slaves as they ask” (Zinn,6 ) Columbus’s plans affected the natives, in many ways; first of all they were going to lose their land, and also they were going to be taken captive for slave labor.

Columbus was no exception. The Indians, Columbus reported, "are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on 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.” (A People’s History By Howard Zinn). Columbus took some of the friendly natives by force just so that he might know where the treasure was hidden. He goes on to say, “I was very attentive to them, and strove to learn if they had any gold. I gathered from them by signs that... there would be found a king who possessed large vessels of gold, and in great quantities.” (-- Christopher Columbus (1492)) The Native’s strong belief in sharing, unfortunately, caused the Europeans to fall into greediness. They took advantage of their kindness beyond the limit. Furthermore, he came up with a cruel system. In this system “they ordered all persons to collect a certain quantity of gold every three months. When they brought it, they were given copper tokens to hang around their necks. Those without a copper token had their hands cut off and bled to death (-- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States (1980)). “ Columbus and his crew went to an extreme here in order to

The natives that Christopher Columbus had come against were not in opposition of him but wanted to be able to hear him out and see what he could offer them. From his first voyage, Columbus had sent Indians back to Spain with him as a trophy to flaunt to the King and Queen of Spain for the recognition he should receive up on his return from the New World. In the Letter from Christopher Columbus (1493) he gives a description of how he gains their trust, “they are timid and full of fear… As soon as they see that they are safe, and have laid aside all fear, they are very simple and honest, and exceedingly liberal with all they have, none of them refusing anything he may possess when he is asked for it,” (Page 300). Columbus and his men were never

Christopher Columbus set out on his voyage in 1942 on the West Indian islands, to find a new world for the Europeans. When he landed on the Caribbean Island the Indian Natives that lived there were at first scared but greeted him in a friendly manner. The conquest and settlement of the Western Hemisphere opened new opportunities for other Europeans such as the French, Dutch, English and Spanish to come to the island and colonize the Indian's land. For the Europeans to colonize and move in on Native land they had to find a way to interact with the Indians. Through their interaction they found cultural understandings and confusions that were documented by both the Europeans and the Indians. In the book, "Major Problems in American Colonial

When Christopher Columbus had first arrived in 1492 to the New World, American Indians and European colonists started interacting with each other. These two very different societies interacting with one another was caused by the European colonists’ desire to expand into the New World and the land owned by American Indians. Due to the unwillingness to accept the Native people, the relationship in the New World between these two societies was a one of unease and violence.

Columbus's arrogance and exploitation regarding slavery began on his second voyage. Ferdinand and Isabella had ordered that the natives be treated kindly. In opposition to this order, Columbus began exporting slaves in great numbers in 1494. It was because he was not making any real profit elsewhere on the island that he decided to exploit the one source of income--people--he had in abundance (Fernandez-Armesto 107). When word reached him that the crown did not want him sending more slaves, Columbus ignored it. He was desperate to make his expeditions profitable enough for Ferdinand and Isabella's continued support. Evidently he was not reprimanded because thousands of Indians were exported. By the time they reached Spain, usually a third of them were dead. Bartolome de las Casas wrote that one Spaniard had told him they did not need a compass to find their way back to Spain; they could simply follow the bodies of floating Indians who had been tossed overboard when they died (17). It is horrible to consider that the exportation of these natives resulted

1). The Admiral and the crew offered tokens of small value, such as strings of beads (later in time, the same price as for the whole of Manhattan Island) – and received “parrots, balls of cotton thread, javelins, and many more such things” in return (Id.). Columbus remarked on the beauty and youth of the natives, noting they were unabashedly naked, “not with prominent bellies,” and seemingly none over the age of thirty (Id.). Yet, all of Columbus’ written remarks and observations were superficial. Not once did Columbus attempt to discern the true culture, society, indigenous faith(s), and/or rights of these native people to maintain their lives and ownership of the lands they occupied. They greeted Columbus in peace. Columbus came to

Columbus sold the natives of Arawak tribe from what now called Haiti when he and his crew member found that there was no gold to bring back to the king and queen. In Chapter 1 of Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progression by Zinn it states that “In the year 1495, they went on a great slave raid, rounded up fifteen hundred Arawak men, women, and

Columbus came across a wealth of things that would help them for life. They had a vast area of land to do whatever they wanted to do with it. They could use the water, oil, lumber, coal, and so many other things. They were faced with a new group of people, people they didn't know what to do with. These people could be used as slaves for their personal use, being they came in and took over the land, and with the land come the people. When Columbus found this New World, he brought a world of wealth back to the Spanish, later to be shared with all of Europe.

    In addition to being greedy towards his crew, Columbus was greedy towards to the natives. When Columbus arrived in the New World, the natives believed he came from the heavens, due to advanced technology, the reputation of curing diseases, and the Spaniards appeared foreign to the natives, implying they must be from the heavens. Overall, the natives were curious and interested in Europeans and tried to please them. The natives brought them food and clothes, bathed them, allowed them to sit in a chair similar to a throne, and gave them valuable information regarding the

Christopher Columbus has two sides in history. One being a heroic voyager on a quest for gold, sent by the King and Queen of Spain. Two being a reckless man with a thirst for gold and will stop at nothing till he gets it. In Chapter 1 of A Young People’s History of the United States, author, Howard Zinn, expresses the cruelty of Columbus’s journey in history and how others perceive it. The chapter shows how the Arawak Indians were a calm tribe who believed in sharing with one another. Columbus however was only hungry for one thing and was willing to do anything in his power to get what he wanted. Once Columbus arrived to the Bahama Islands, he had taken some of the Arawak Indians by force. Although the Arawak people

The journals of Christopher Columbus and Bartolome de Las Casas describe their opinions, attitudes, and actions toward the indigenous groups they both encountered while on their many voyages. Although their views were vastly incompatible, one could conclude both gentlemen had favorable intentions prior to their encounters with the Indians.