Christopher Colum's Letter To The King And Queen Of Spain

Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2003

The letter Christopher Columbus wrote back to Spain to report his findings in the New World sparked intrigued me and sparked my imagination. Why I have been so absorbed in this letter I can not explain. This letter is supposed to be about describing an unknown land, a land that has not been seen by anyone besides the natives, but it seems that there is more to it than that. Columbus is known in elementary schools as the man who found the New World, and is regarded as a hero. To the contrary, historians who have done more research on Columbus say that he was driven by fame and fortune and that he was tyrannical in his ways with the indigenous peoples of the places that he came to find. I feel that the contradictory tones Columbus uses

Convinced of the superiority of Catholicism to all other religions, Spain insisted that the primary goal of colonization was to save the Indians from heathenism and prevent them from falling under the sway of Protestantism. The aim was neither to exterminate nor to remove the Indians, but to transform them into obedient Christian subjects of the crown. To the Spanish colonizers, the large native populations of the Americas were not only souls to be saved but also a labor force to be organized to extract gold and silver that would enrich their mother country. Las Casas’ writings and the abuses they exposed contributed to the spread of the Black Legend-the image of Spain as a uniquely brutal and exploitative colonizer. This would provide of a potent justification for other European powers to challenge Spain’s predominance in the New World.

In Patricia Seed’s Ceremonies of Possession in the Europe’s Conquest of the New World: 1492-1640, several different “possession methods” were displayed from the different groups that conquered the new world. Ranging from artwork, to astrological maps, to a reading of submission, each group devised their own technique when claiming a new land.

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.

During his fourth voyage, Christopher endured many hazards, like imprisonment, which triggered him to compose a letter filled with his many accomplishments that he believes went unnoticed. Columbus had hopes that this will generate some sort of pity from the monarchs.

The 2nd letter states that “all hope is dead”. This refers to the fact the Columbus is depressed because he did not gain honor or wealth. This point is proven when Columbus is requesting to leave the place that he “discovered”. A portion of the passage reads “ I humbly pray your

For this essay I will be talking about the book “A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies” by Bartolomé de Las Casas. Whom wrote this to the King of Spain, Prince Philip II, in 1542 to protest what was happening in the New World to the native people. I will be explaining many things during this essay. The first thing I will go over is what the books tells us about the relationship between Christianity and the colonialism. The second thing I will talk about is if it was enough to denounce the atrocities against indigenous people. Next, if it is possible to

“Christopher Columbus Details His First Encounters with Native People” is a journal reflection in which he is reflecting his personal adventure as a traveler. This letter was published in the year of 1493 by Christopher Columbus written to Luis de Sant’ Angel who was known as an administer official who scrutinized Queen Isabella into financing the voyage.

To prevent possible death and punishment, he had to say what he did. It would also help later on with the Indians on any return trip if they had excellent relations with each other. His purpose of the narrative was the economic development of the new territory and to ensure his place in it. Not able to do it on his own, he needed to get more money from the king and queen of Spain. The reason he had to do that was Europeans had already traded with China and the Far East. However, they did not know anything of the New World other than what he and the rest of his crew had written. That is why Columbus had to sell them on the opportunities he discovered. That is why he ended his letter with, “In conclusion, to speak only of that which has been accomplished on this voyage. Which was so hasty their highness can see that I will give them as much gold as they may need if their highnesses will render me very slight assistance; moreover I will give them spices and cotton, as much as their highness shall command.” One could say that he was a land developer trying to sell the new world to the crown of Spain. It is now understandable now how he was able to secure funding for more voyages, and start the great exodus of explorers to the new world. Kupperman stated in her article “Reading Columbus's Diario, even in the imperfect form in which it has come down to us, is exhilarating; it allows us to participate in

He requests gold commonly from the natives and inquiries every one of the islands with expectations of finding more. He sees the natives as a wellspring of efficient advantage, planning to utilize them for functional purposes. Despite the fact that there are no signs of enormous measures of gold and spices in the New World, Columbus keeps on requesting more Spanish support with a specific end goal to seek after his yearning for acclaim. All through his letters, Columbus conveys to King Ferdinand and his wife an explanation behind his investigation. He specifies his heavenly reason as his entitlement to the New World. He imagines that God has picked him to find and develop this freshly discovered land. Columbus has included both his God given right and his own expectations in his writings, however he utilizes his awesome reason to legitimize his craving for riches, greatness, and control of the Indians. He has basically secured his own selfish ways with a heavenly slant predominant among numerous peers and “learning men” of his time, in this way making an unadulterated mental self view for

The full measure of Columbus's failure as a colonizer was not yet apparent when he returned to Castile in 1496. Yet by the end of six or seven years of his governorship, with his own, the monarchs', and the settlers' objectives all still unachieved, and Hispaniola suffering an apparently interminable series of rebellions not only by the Indians but by the colonists too, Columbus was to be superseded and disgraced, and shipped home to Spain in chains.1 Overall, Fernandez-Armesto depicted Columbus as an annoyingly eccentric person incapable of succeeding. Although, he discovered the Americas, he failed to be a leader to his crew and the natives. Instead, he was on the lookout for ways of manipulating the motives for profit.

The author of the document is Oliver Dunn and James E. Kelley Jr. The document was originally written by Christopher Columbus and was later interpreted by a priest in his own words though he quoted certain passages from the original diary. He is writing about this topic to describe his first experience to the new world when he arrived. He wrote every detail seen in that island including the people he found. He tells in detail his encounter with the Indians and their behavior. He is also writing about this topic to share his experience with other including the King and Queen. Columbus describes their physical appearance, the animals found there, and setting which helps us understand what he first saw when he arrived in the Caribbean island.

In Columbus’ letter to King Ferdinand of Spain, he starts off by describing the many islands he has found and taken possession of. Columbus wants to prove to the king, who has funded this journey for him, that he has found something and that what he has “found” is of worth. Although, he claims he found these islands, he did not find these lands empty. The land had already been occupied by the Native Americans and because of a language barrier between the two groups, Columbus was able to use that against them and prove its legality of his possession of the land. The Indians on the other hand had no idea what these Europeans were up too.

Christopher Columbus’s successful voyage and discoveries are shown in great details throughout his First Letter to Luis De Sant Angel. Throughout this letter, we see from Columbus’s word choices the accomplishments he achieved through statements made such as “You will