Why Is Christopher Columbus Bad

A world known word that brings fear and hatred for to most people hearts when they hear it is genocide. What Christopher did was ‘purify’ his new found land. Most of the Indians were used for work, killed, or used for ‘entertainment’. As to giving no thought into their emotions or thoughts, he used them to discover new lands and inventions. Forcing them to walk distances hard to imagine so they can relocate them to places that is more suitable for them (doc 8).

First, Christopher Columbus made the Native Americans the slaves of the European people. In the text it states, “In the year 1495, they went on a great slave raid, rounded up fifteen hundred Arawak men, women, and children, put them in pens guarded by Spaniards and dogs” (Zinn 2). This goes to show that the Spaniards and Columbus rounded up slaves for their own good use and for pleasure. This also shows that he is cruel and really mean. This man was really bad. The text explains, “They would make fine servants…. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want” (Zinn 1). Enslaving the Native Americans appears to be his intentions since day one. This shows that Columbus only wants the glory and every good thing to himself.

Brooke, you make a good point about that Columbus was a genius by venturing on his journey, and who dared to do the impossible for his century. However, he committed acts of violence and brutality with Native Americans, he became a murderer. The Native Americans especially the Arawak Indians were very good, warm, and friendly people who did everything that Columbus wanted. Unfortunately, for them they ran out of gold, and there had started their problems. All For the ambition of a man who is called Cristobal

Christopher Columbus, explorer for Spain, is he a hero or a villain? Columbus started a new age of exploration when he set sail in 1492. He asked many leaders if he could sail for them, but they said no and that they were happy with the way things were. He sailed west for the Indies, but found America instead. Columbus should not be judged by today’s standards, he is hero and should be treated as one.

Christopher Columbus may have discovered America and taken an immense step towards globalization, but the way he did is what is being criticized and frowned upon. The Columbian Exchange was extremely beneficial and convenient for the advancement of the human race, however a population of approximately three million people had to die in order to make this possible. “Among the Arawaks, mass suicides began, with cassava poison. Infants were killed to save them from the Spaniards. In two years, through murder, mutilation, or suicide, half of 250,000 Indians on Haiti were dead.” These people were being killed on their own land at the expense of searching for gold. Once Columbus realized there was no more gold to search for, he began to enslave these people and ship them off to Europe. Once the enslaved Indians arrived in Europe, they began to die. Their bodies were not accustomed to the weather, or the diseases that the Europeans have become immune to. Still paying off his debt, Columbus kept sending slaves, despite the massive number of deaths that were occurring on the voyages to Europe. He had no mercy and no remorse for the atrocities he was

In the year 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic hoping to land in Asia, but ended up in the New World. The world where he met Native Americans and called them Indians. Hoping to find spices, he found enough to trade between continents that ended up being called the Columbian Exchange. His rediscovery marked a new chapter in textbooks which many are still arguing whether it makes him a hero or villain. Christopher Columbus should be remembered as a villain because his encounter, with the intention of taking advantage of Native Americans, lead to many deaths.

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,

The first reason I believe Christopher Columbus is a villain is because of his enslavement of the indigenous people who already lived in the Americas when he arrived. Many people do not believe that Columbus actually enslaved any of them, but there are journal entries written by Columbus mentioning the enslavement of the natives. One clear example of Columbus speaking of slavery is this excerpt from his journal, "their Highnesses may see that I shall give them as much gold as they need .... and slaves as many as they shall order to be shipped. " (Bourne, 1906) This is proof that Columbus had intentions of sending the natives gold and some of the natives, as slaves, back to Spain. He didn’t care for their well being, only what benefited

However, the destruction of the natives was as far removed from Columbus's thoughts as from his interests. To Columbus, the Indians were the true ‘wealth of this land,’ and that without them, the colony would have no labor resources. At a deeper level of Columbus' personal concerns, they were the great glory of his discovery, and their evangelization justified it and demonstrated its place in God's plans for the world, even if the material yield was disappointing to his patrons back in Spain, namely the monarchs of Spain, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Columbus had the sense to realize that a large and contented native population was the 'chief desire' for his

All my life, I have been hearing about Christopher Columbus. Since little, first, my family talking about him, then in school learning about him. I really thought he was a hero. The way they teach you about him in grammar school or middle school makes you think he really is a hero. But later on, doing research on him, looking for what he really did, where did he came from etc. I realize that he is not a hero. There are many reasons why people think he is good as well there are many reasons why they think he is bad. Personally I think Columbus is a villain, he did a lot of bad things that most people don’t know a bout. However if they know them, it would make them think a little bit deeper if Columbus is the Hero

Some people say Christopher Columbus is the man who discovered America and is a hero. Others might say Columbus is a sadistic villain who destroyed the Native American people. There are valid points to each side of the argument for this and are good points. He went to America in 1492, not discovering it. Columbus became well known in America because of this and was made into a holiday. He has his own holiday because of America’s short history. In almost all cultures, they look up to an historical figure, except for America. Columbus had a huge impact in history according to Time who said that Columbus is #20 on the most significant figures. So why wouldn’t Columbus be looked at a hero? I believe, Christopher Columbus is a villainous figure

Before we can truly label Columbus as a hero or evil, we must first define what is viewed as a hero. Many dictionary definitions exist having the meaning of a hero as one with courageous or noble qualities but seeing as these definitions are extremely objective, the definition of a hero I will be using for the purpose of defining Columbus will be, quoting Joseph Campbell, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Christopher Columbus clearly demonstrated giving and self sacrifice in his investments of time and risking his life for his voyages with “commercial expeditions resembling warlike cruises” and at some points in his travels being away from home for 29 months. The rewards that Columbus, along with the rest of Europe, reaped from his efforts include the new access to vast expanses of resourceful land, as well as the eventually successful, even flourishing, colonization of America, not to mention, that Columbus, “[the] founding figure of a new world” laid the framework to modern day globalization as well as played a key role in the creation of one of the most significant, powerful, and impactful nations existing today. The fact that Columbus grew up in poor conditions and being completely self taught in the art of navigation and seafaring only adds to the magnitude of his immense accomplishments.

First and foremost, Columbus’ experience was of high value to the Spanish monarchy. Despite initially following in the footsteps of his father as a member of the wool weaving industry, Columbus was quick to pick up mapmaking and sailing as studies (Mariners Museum). Columbus was on the sea even as a teen, joining expeditions through the Aegean and Mediterranean seas (Don Quijote). It was difficult to find such an experienced and educated seaman in contemporary Spain. Many of the future influential conquistadors had yet to be born; the oldest was Francisco Pizarro, and even he was only sixteen years of age when Columbus set sail in 1492. With experience being such a valuable commodity, it was difficult for the Spanish monarchy to justify allowing Columbus to simply offer his skills to another country. Columbus’

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.

Even though Columbus did everything that was stated above he wasn’t that bad. He overall really helped the development of the nation that we now know. He is one of the most celebrated explorers and for good reason. Stated by Dr Thomas C Tirado in Christopher Columbus and his legacy “The routes he took to and from the newly found lands are the ones we still use; his choice of the Atlantic Canary Current