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Effects of colonialization of native americans in america
Impact of christopher columbus discovery
Effects of colonialization of native americans in america
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The book I chose to analyze was “Where do you Think You’re Going, Christopher Columbus?” by Jean Fritz and illustrated by Margot Tomes. It was originally published in 1980. I had a hard time finding a book that was written earlier than 2010, so I downloaded the audio version of this book. Because of this, I did not see the illustrations that went with the story. However, this version of the story had many dominant white undertones and outright lies. Some of the lifestyles that were portrayed in this book included the inferiority of the natives, and belittling the white lower class. For example, Christopher Columbus grew up in a port city, but his father was only a master weaver; this profession did not appeal to Columbus, and there were many …show more content…
references stating this profession wasn’t good enough for him. It was made clear that being a sailor was a better trade and society looked up to it. Sailors were brave men who brought value back to their countries. They continue to romanticize the great notions Columbus had about finding a shorter path to the Indies; he is to be rooted for, and the reader wants him to succeed.
There is also a reference in this story about “God’s Plan”; Queen Isabella believed in Christianity so much that she ordered her kingdom to be devoted practicing Christians. Anyone who did not obey was burned. This appealed to Columbus because he thought God chose him to lead this voyage and only he could succeed. There were many references when Columbus’s ego was in the way, he stated “this is God’s Plan. He handed all the information personally to Columbus”. This makes the reader believe Columbus had a noble cause even though it was a selfish one. Again, referencing back to the middle working class being below Columbus, there was an undertone that his crew were stupid and did not have a strong faith. They could not possibly understand because they were not superior like Columbus. Once the crew arrived at the first island, they were greeted by the natives. The author Fritz does try to give the perspective of the natives. First was the white man’s perspective, “Half naked and only covered up by a leaf, but they were not all that different from …show more content…
us. Their willingness will prove to make good servants and good Christians.” The natives “… if the Spaniards were surprised to see naked natives, the natives were even more surprised to see dressed Spaniards. All that cloth over their bodies. What were they trying to hide? Tails perhaps?” The article written by Bigelow explains even though the author tries to give a perspective on how the natives felt, he states “the interior monologue for the Indians makes fun of the explorers but in the process trivializes the Indians’ concerns.” The readers are assured that the Indians have nothing to fear about the new arrivals. The relationships between the Natives and the new arrivals were one sided.
Columbus’s “discovery” put him in charge regardless of the fact a civilization already existed with kings of their own. The natives way of life was undermined and now they had to work for Columbus for his cause. It is also mentioned that natives could not understand Columbus or the interpreter; this statement tells readers that Columbus is superior so it is the natives who cannot understand him, not him who also can’t understand their language. This tells readers the only language that is important is the dominant language; it is up to minorities to learn to understand the dominant
language. There are many examples of how the author softens the egregious actions of Columbus by saying words such as “unfriendly," “took aboard," “friendliest natives so far,” “entertaining natives," “punished,” and “comfort”. When any of these words were used by the author she was omitting truths about Columbus’s real actions, and still, makes the reader want to root for him. One of my favorite examples of this was “ Columbus and his crew had been so busy entertaining natives, they didn’t sleep for 48 hours. They were worn out.” The author makes it sound like it was one big party and everyone was getting along. The author rationalized many actions taken by Columbus and didn’t talk about the real tragedy that took place. She blames the death of the natives and Spaniards on mosquitos or differences between Columbus’s men and the natives. She never once blames Columbus for his command of the island. She even goes on to say Columbus tried to keep the peace between the natives and men but was unsuccessful.
In Symcox and Sullivan’s Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies, another side of not only Columbus but also his peers is brought to light. I have never read anything written by Columbus’s contemporaries before reading this book, so it gave me some refreshing insight as opposed to the repetitive glamorized content in high school textbooks. I also appreciate how legal documents such as the Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal are included because they give a sense of what else was going on during the time that Columbus was going on these voyages.
An example of colonization portrays Columbus and his crew as being civil with the natives when they first arrive, but Columbus had plans to colonize and use them because, in his head, they were simple minded. Columbus became greedy and treats the natives as an extravagant find, rather than human. The book shows how Columbus brings the natives and other findings back to Europe and it states, “Columbus was triumphant. He showcased all the products and people he found in this New World…he brought with him ‘Indians’, as well as gold, plants, and animals. The public was mesmerized (Gibson, 19).” However, I believe this is an example Gibson uses as foreshadowing. She wants people to understand that colonizing the natives, forcing religion upon them, and receiving gold from them, was a global occurrence during that period. Inevitably, more countries would soon inhabit the ‘New World’ in hopes of rebuilding their own economies at home with trade, and slave labor. “With such dramatic events in the Americas, it was impossible for Spain to keep the news secret. Throughout Europe people were talking about the ‘New World’… (Gibson,
Ransby believes “Columbus 's image has been scrubbed clean and sanitized by many generations of American historians so that he can now be offered up as a sterling example of the glorious era of discovery.” (Ransby, 1992/2015, p.14). Objective evidence is also a major component in this article. Columbus’s journal proved he wanted to exploit, and enslave the Indians. A population of 300,000 dwindled to a mere one by 1540. (Ransby, 1992/2015, p.12). Many scene of rape, murder and beating were also described in journals of sailors that travelled with
Howard Zinn writes from the perspective of the minorities who whites mistreated while Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen write from the more traditionally historical perspective, that of the explorers and settlers. Zinn dives deep into the injustice of the way whites treated minorities while Schweikart and Allen opt to equally explain both points of view. Neither author writes a more correct book and people need both sides to completely understand the history of the United States. Zinn sets out to give a voice to those minorities who historians often glaze over. He attempts to shock the reader with the harsh reality of what transpired in the early days of America’s settlement. Zinn effectively backs up his information with credible primary and secondary sources about the time period, including writings from Columbus himself. The perspective he takes helps to illuminate the unfairness, and some may argue evil, of early American history. However, Zinn focuses primarily on the negative aspects of exploration and rarely mentions the good things Englishmen did, or the positives to their exploration. Schweikart and Allen attempt to balance the perspective of American history in their book. They, also, provide evidence from history to support their claims, and use facts to argue their point. They focus on
Columbus described the people as being timid and unfitted to use weapons. He wrote, “They have no iron or steel or weapons, nor are they fitted to use them. This is not because they are not very well built and of handsome stature, but because they are very marvellously timorous.” Columbus described them as though they will not provide any resistance because they do not have the skill to use weapons, and that they very timid people. However, as shown in the first quote, Columbus wrote that they did not put up any opposition; he later wrote in the letter that he took some of the natives by force. If the natives did not put up any opposition to Columbus, why would he need to take them by force? Columbus also notes that they had been very serviceable, and would very much be open to evangelization. An important note, Columbus wrote more and provided more detail about the vast islands he had “discovered” compared to the indigenous people, of which he wrote, “ In all these islands, I saw no great diversity in the appearance of the people or in their manners and language.” In the end, Columbus’s description of the Indigenous people was that are serviceable people would make adequate slaves. Columbus’s letter paints a good picture into his imperialistic mind, as opposed to providing information about the
In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world.
Despite being one of the most renowned explorers in history, Christopher Columbus’ legacy remains controversial. The debate on whether Columbus should be celebrated has captured news headlines for decades. While many view him simply as a gifted Italian navigator who laid the seeds for the colonization of the New World, history paints a much more complicated picture. His journal entries and eye-witness testimony reveal Columbus to be a man of intolerance and indifference towards those deemed inferior to himself. Christopher Columbus’ treatment of Indigenous’ people, in addition to his ethnocentric worldview, allows for the conclusion that he should not be idolized as a hero in the modern age.
Along the Columbus journey bits of gold were found amongst the Native Indians which led to Columbus concluding that there was more (Zinn, 2009, p.481). The Native’s were turned into servants looking for a certain amount of gold for Columbus. If they had not met the daily quota their arms were to be cut off (Zinn, 2009, p.481). This is just part of the brutality that Columbus had put upon the Natives. More cruelty can be seen when Columbus sent five hundred Natives as slaves to the King and Queen in Spain. Also stabbing of Indians was done as a sport and those that resisted against the Spaniards were hunted down as animals (Zinn, 2009, p.482). Zinn shows that the Columbus story is one of the many myths of Western civilization. All the stories about Columbus especially in the USA since, it is a celebration are seen as a heroic adventure. However, many teachers argue that children should not be told such a violent story filled with horrific history (Zinn, 2009, p.485). It is important to teach children at a young age the truth about the Columbus story, so that they know what a monster he
Although this essay is historically accurate it lacks important details, which might paint a different view of Columbus. Boorstin writes favorable of Columbus and depicts him as a heroic and determined figure who helped shape history, but he neglects to include Columbus’ unethical acts committed in the world that was not supposed to exist, the Americas. When Columbus first discovered the New World, he took care that the royal standard had been brought ashore and he claimed the land for Spain in front of all, including the indigenous population who had been sighted even before Columbus made landfall. According to the medieval concepts of natural law, only those territories that are uninhabited can become the property of the first person to discover them. Clearly this was an unethical act. Thus, the first contact between European and non-European worlds was carried out through a decidedly European prism, which ensured Spanish claim to the islands of the Americas. Faced with a colony in an inhospitable area, the Spanish soon inaugurated the practice of sending regular military parties inland to subdue the increasingly hostile natives. Members of the indigenous population were captured and enslaved to support the fledgling colony. The object of Columbus’ desire changed from exploration and trade to conquest and subjugation.
For generations upon generations, students have been taught about the “hero” Christopher Columbus who had discovered our new world. However, to say he was a hero would not exactly be the truth; Columbus was an eccentric man who cared much more about his profits than the well being and even lives of the natives. It is documented in journals that he and his crew had slaughtered entire villages at a time, and that he had even killed people just for the point of testing how sharp his sword was. Not only did Columbus and his crew have a thing for violence, on multiple accounts crew members wrote down every single successful rape of women; and used the voyage to help begin a slave export for the royalty of Spain.
First of all, the accounts of Zinn and Loewen are quite different that what textbooks and mainstream media tell children. As mentioned previously, Zinn’s People’s History of the United States conveys the narrative of the travels of Columbus and the beginnings of slavery and racism through the eyes of the common or native people. This point of view enlightens the reader, who most likely believes that Columbus was a good and benevolent American hero, to that fact that Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” out of greedy and self-glorification. In reality, Columbus caused pain, suffering, and death because of his greedy; he captured natives for their ability to perform hard labor and information on where to find riches, primarily gold (Zinn, Ch. 1). The heroic adventures, as portrayed in society, melt down to be the acts of a greedy man who sought glory for himself b...
As part of an ever-developing endeavor to truly grasp Christopher Columbus, his character and his mission, it is crucial to find sources that lend an accurate portrayal and in-depth evaluation of his true disposition, his ambitious intentions, and the outcome of his success or failures in regards to those. To grasp the ensuing reverberations felt profoundly throughout the centuries due to his exploits, and the collateral damage caused thereby, one must first trace him back to his origins; and in so doing, follow him along through his quest for notoriety, power, wealth, and prestige. Columbus: the four voyages, by Laurence Bergreen, does all that and more.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. However, even after centuries later, little is truly known of the mysterious voyage and findings of the new world.1 By examining “Letter from Columbus to Luis Santangel”, one can further contextualize the events of Columbus' exploration of the New World. The letter uncovers Columbus' subtle hints of his true intentions and exposes his exaggerated tone that catered to his lavish demands with Spain. Likewise, The Columbian Voyage Map read in accordance with the letter helps the reader track Columbus' first, second, third, and fourth voyage to the New World carefully and conveniently. Thus, the letter and map's rarity and description render invaluable insight into Columbus' intentionality of the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.
[1] Why would a person in 1992 make a historical film about Christopher Columbus’ discovery that completely ignores the then current debates that question whether or not it precipitated genocide? Director Ridley Scott set out to produce the be-all-end-all depiction of Columbus, yet he blatantly neglected to address the most heated issue: Native American genocide. In Scott’s film, the native voice is unheard, their identity is muted, and their culture is disregarded. The quincentennial celebration of Columbus’ voyage triggered a proliferation of literary criticisms addressing the controversy over the traditional Columbus myth. 1492: Conquest of Paradise, however, is silent about these issues. Having full knowledge of this multi-faceted debate, did Scott simply take the easy way out by providing another typical Columbus story? Under the pretense of a historical film, did Scott sacrifice historical truth and intellectual integrity for mass appeal at the box office? In his silence, Scott decides to avoid the genocide debate. Whether or not the discovery of the New World indeed precipitated genocide is still under debate, but it is an important one and should not be ignored. We still have a lot to learn from our heritage and need to address the important issues in order to better learn and evolve. The two strong arguments below represent the two sides of a heated debate that was not represented in the film 1492. They contain harsh truths which aren’t marketable to the American public but are vital to the understanding of the moral implications of cultural conquest.
This is an analysis of Christopher Columbus’s Letter on His First Voyage on page 381. Christopher Columbus wrote a letter to his King and Queen of Spain, while he was in the West Indies. He wrote this letter in February 1493 reflecting on his voyage across the Atlantic in 1492. After reading this letter, I can tell that Columbus felt like he was better than the native people of the different islands he journeyed and that a lot of things they did were very strange to him. I can also tell that the world was a lot different to him and to people in 1492, than it is to people in 2014 because he referred to the native people of the various islands he traveled to as Indians, whereas most people in 2014 know that India and Latin American are not the