Columbus Pros And Cons

     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:

Columbus never even walked on what we now call the United States of America. Where ever he did land, he was motivated only by his own greed. Columbus came for the gold, spices, and slaves. In his diary, he mentioned gold 75 times just in the first two weeks, alone (Katz 13). Indians who weren’t able to find gold, were punished by having their hands cut off. Most slaves died en route to Spain. Many Indian females were taken as sex slaves, some as young as nine and ten years old. Columbus forced cooperation from the Indians by disfiguring them and using them as examples. Even worse, he used hunting dogs to tear the Indians apart. Many natives committed suicide, and murdered their own children to save them from such a horrible life. Those who survived the voyage were worked to death. Still, another huge portion of these Indians died from disease brought over by Columbus and his

     In addition to opening up a New World to Europe and inspiring a spirit of adventure, Columbus’s experience also showed the importance of diversity. Columbus was an Italian, but he learned to sail from the Portuguese, and his trip was funded by the Spanish. He needed the help of several different countries to accomplish what we now know him for today. Conversely, Columbus’s confrontation with the Natives shows how cultures conflict when they do not understand each other. Columbus and his troops massacred thousands of

Columbus has always been portrayed as an enlightened, peaceful explorer who “discovered” a new world, and became friends with the native people. Howard Zinn’s view on Columbus’s encounter with the natives is an entirely different perspective. Zinn describes Columbus as a man who is willing to torture and kill others to be able to accomplish what he wants; in this case he wanted to obtain gold and other resources to take back with him to Spain.

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,

In modern day society, we often overlook key points in history. For example, Columbus Day, why do we celebrate it? Well, from one’s point of view, we celebrate this holiday for several reasons, one of these reasons are because it recalls Christopher Columbus' entry to the Americas on October 12, 1492. This occasion is questionable on the grounds that the European settlement in the Americas prompted the downfall of the history and culture, of the indigenous people groups. What are some of the pros and cons from naming Columbus Day to Indigenous Day? That is what you will learn in this essay.

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 was an Italian-born man that managed to win the favor and funding of the Spanish monarchy. With this funding, Columbus led the most well-known voyage in human history: the voyage to the New World in 1492. This voyage laid the foundation for future colonies and, eventually, many nations in the world. However, this voyage would not have gone past conceptualization if Columbus had not been supported by the Spanish monarchy. While a variety of factors affected the monarchy’s decision, the primary factors were Columbus’ experience in navigation, assistance Columbus received from Jewish supporters, and the capitulations laid out by Columbus himself.

Now, in our present society, people are rethinking the goodness of Columbus and the actual impact that he had on our world. People feel that the killing of the American Indians was “unethical and morally wrong,” says Janet Mckay in an article from TIME magazine (“Columbus Day in Cali” TIME MAGAZINE Oct. 15, 1995, pg. 17). When Columbus made the Voyage to the Americas it was a different time, a different way of life. People thought differently than we do today. In 1492 there were many internal conflicts in many countries. Fighting was a thing that was normal.

Columbus was a user. He only talked to the people of the new country just to gain their gold. In Document 1 it states “ I was very attentive to them, and strove to learn if they had any gold” This shows he played a game with them, meaning he pretended to be their friend just to gain their trust but really came down to it he was only using them for their gold. He never meant well for the natives, to him they were almost like a stepping stool for him to get to a higher purpose. Columbus had established himself to be a racist man, but unfortunately the natives were unaware of this. Therefore the were used as a pawn in a large game he was playing.

Christopher Columbus’s founding of North America: Bad or Good Christopher Columbus is a key figure in many historical doctrines. His founding’s of the continent of North America led to the creation of the United States and many other historical battles. However, people still wonder what would happen if he did not accidently find North America. In this paper I will highlight the main arguments that people since North America was found in history the native people were treated unfairly.

One of the most interesting, immediate things Mann says about the Indians is that they broke one of their own rules out of desperation. There were rules in place about the Indians not trading with the colonists, or letting them stay passed their welcome, but out of fear of going to war with their biggest enemies, they abandoned, and almost reversed these rules. This alone says a lot about the legitimacy of the stories believed of the Indians. Many tales of the Indians before Columbus make the Indians seem uneducated, uncultured, and sparse in numbers. These stories have alluded to a small, nomadic group of Indians welcoming Columbus into their homes with open arms and no questions. However, the

Some people think of Columbus as a hero others think of him as a reckless adventurer.I think Columbus was a reckless adventurer and should not be honored or celebrated.For example,Columbus and his men mistreated the natives and brought diseases such as the measles,small poxss,and chorela."As a result of their mistreatment and the diseases brought by the settlers,the population of natives rapidly declinedin 20 years,from 3 milllions to as few as 11,000" (p.3;paragraph 10;sentence 7).According to the reading the Tainos were ordered to collect a certain amount of gold per month or they would have to get their hand cut off.The text states this because the population of the natives decreased as a result of diseases and mistreatment.What the author

In 1491, America was a large, spacious place that consisted of wildlife ranging from the lush jungles of South America to the glaciers of the Arctic North. No one in Europe would have imagined this beautiful bounty on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. In Spain, Christopher Columbus stood on the coast looking west, dreaming of leading an expedition to find a new trade route to Asia. If he succeeds, it will mean glory and riches for himself and the monarchy. Columbus presented this idea to the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. Ferdinand and Isabella wanted fame and riches as well but also wanted the opportunity to spread Catholicism all around the world. The Spanish rulers agreed that Columbus would receive 10

Of the many misconceptions Christopher Columbus had about the land he was traveling to, perhaps one of the largest faux pas was the mislabeling of the indigenous people as “Indians”. The famous misconception stems from the norms of Europe at that time. The population referred to Asia as India which sometimes were divided into sub groups. He also assumed that when they landed they must be near the Indies so it stuck. Of course we now know that the people Christopher Columbus made contact with were in-fact a tribe about sixty miles southeast of his original landing zone of San Salvador.