Epilogue To Christopher Columbus

Millions of people in the US have mixed historical and traditional interpretation about the legacy of Christopher Columbus. The history of the famous explorer has been rewritten many times. He was one of the first of many Europeans to land in the New World. He is an Italian explorer whose discovery of the New World— Caribbean– with his crewmen marked the beginning of decades of colonization and trans-Atlantic invasion on the American soil. Columbus sighted the New World, as he intended to sail west hoping to reach Asia through a water path from Europe in August 3, 1492 . He wanted to find a quicker direction to reach the countries in the East that provided the gold desired in Europe, due to the difficult route from Europe to Asia by land. Today, his legacy has sparked controversies among people. In the United States, the second Monday of October is dedicated to him. To some, Columbus Day is a great day, but others find the day offensive. His supporters remember him as a heroic explorer who transformed the New World to what it is today— America— and that we must respect his accomplishment; however his critics focus on the devastating actions by him and the Spanish towards the Indian population they conquered. I personally go in favor of his critics because one cannot celebrate an evil sailor. Christopher Columbus should be remembered in history for his exploration of what the New World is now, however his day should be criticized for his severe actions towards the Native

In the letter that Christopher Columbus wrote to Luis de Santangel regarding the results of his first voyage in 1493 demonstrated several problems in Columbus’ breakthroughs, aside from his comprehension of what he uncovered. When interpreting the letter, I observed Columbus’ egotism. He appeared to be providing admiration to the King and Queen of Spain, but in actuality, he was only bragging about his own accomplishments. Columbus composes, “Since I know that you will be pleased at the great victory with which Our Lord has crowned my voyage, I write this to you, from which you will learn how in thirty-three days I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies, with the fleet which the most illustrious king and queen, our sovereigns, gave to me. There I found very many islands, filled with people innumerable, and of them all I have taken possession for their highnesses, by proclamation made and with the royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me.” In this situation, Columbus tells of his outcomes from the expedition and communicates what it encompassed, and how it was proficient.

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

The Journal of Christopher Columbus is the day to day journal/diary writing of Christopher Columbus. He started taking notes of his journey starting the year of 1492. This took place mostly on his voyage over the Atlantic Ocean on his way to the Indies, and also on the lands he discovers on the way to his destination. He wrote every day of his journeys as a journal to the king and queen of his discoveries.

The arrival of Columbus lead to the decline of the Arawaks because of many factors. Columbus took advantage of the Arawaks’ land, resources, and people. As Zinn mentioned, the Arawaks lived in Bahama Island (which Columbus arrived on) and they were known to be very kind and generous. The Arawaks had great agriculture and weaving skills; they had farms of corn, yams, cassava. But lacked on having working animals and iron. What intrigued Columbus the most was their gold earrings. With no iron and real tools of defense, the Arawaks became defenseless.

When Christopher Columbus sailed to America he was happy and proud of himself because he was the first to discover the land which is now named america, and he was also happy because he found out that there were a lot of resources found on that land which he found was necessary to take and use. According to the document A “Day after day they looked for land;They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand” this shows that the purposely are trying to find land for them to dock and discover. Additionally according to the document A “Columbus sailed on to find some gold To bring back home, as he'd been told.He made the trip again and again,Trading gold to bring to Spain” this shows that he was there not just to discover land but to make riches too and

The main argument of Columbus in his diary from October 11-15, 1492, is that the natives that populated America before he “discovered” it are ignorant brutes who should be enslaved into servants and taught to be Christian. Columbus clearly supports his thesis as shown by three pieces of evidence. The first piece of evidence he gives is that the natives are ignorant: “They do not carry arms nor are they acquainted with them, because I showed them swords and they took them by the edge and through ignorance cut themselves.” He writes about how they do not even know what a sword is and how they use primitive weapons without iron. Another piece of evidence is that they are poor in everything: “All of them go around as naked as their mother bore them; and the women also . . . Our Lord pleasing, at the time of my departure I will take six of them from here to Your Highness in order that they may learn to speak.” The natives don’t understand about covering their bodies to preserve modesty, and they still need to be taught to speak properly. The final piece of evidence Columbus gives is that the natives are savages. He alludes to the fact that the natives do not understand how the world works and that they are cannibals who are a threat to society. The source did add to my own understanding of the topic. Before I read Columbus’s account of meeting the natives, I did not know that he thought the native inhabitants of the West Indies were deserving of torture, murder, and enslavement;

     The Indians thought Columbus and his men had come down from Heaven...[and] when           Columbus and the sailors went back to their ships, the Indians followed...Over five           hundred wanted to go; they thought they would reach Heaven in this way.

In America, Christopher Columbus is undoubtedly regarded as a hero who captained a courageous voyage to the West Indies and accidentally discovered America. He led a conquest throughout North America, fighting off natives and seeking riches. While there is some truth to this tale, most of it is embarrassingly false. Although Columbus was a brilliant navigator and an intelligent explorer, he was also a harsh governor who harshly ruled the land he claimed in the name of Spain. Most textbooks omit the fact that the beloved explorer, who has the same reputation among American children as Gandhi or Martin Luther King, started a slave trade. His actions led to millions of Native American deaths; he inadvertently paved the road leading to the destruction

Christopher Columbus. A name known far and wide, a name that has been profoundly applauded with incredible disclosures of new terrains and new people groups, a name that would likely suit a solid pioneer. In any case, it is only that, a name, the man behind the name however is altogether different from what everybody undoubtedly pictures in light of what has been thought to everybody. Be that as it may, depend on it Christopher Columbus was, in actuality, a villan.

Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 on a mission to find an all water route to the western Indies, instead Columbus reached North America where he continued his search for gold and trade.