Christopher Columbus

931 Words2 Pages

Since Elementary School, the epic tale of Columbus’s harrowing journey that ultimately lead to the discovery of America has been recited to us time and again. However, as more information has been unearthed about Columbus, his status as an American hero has been put into question. Not unlike most European explorers, Columbus came across many Native American tribes on his journeys. Since Columbus was under pressure to find new lands and amass large amounts of gold, he and his team of explorers viewed the indigenous people as nothing more than a means to an end. Columbus forced much of the native population to convert to Christianity, as well as using extremely harsh and often brutal methods to keep the Native American people in line. Since Columbus’s voyage also took place during a time where slavery and human trafficking was practiced, Columbus and his men enslaved many native inhabitants of the West Indies and subjected them to arduous work for the sake of profit. On his first day in the New World, Columbus had six natives enslaved because he thought they would be adequate workers. Appallingly, Columbus oversaw the selling of native girls into sexual slavery. Young girls aged 9-10 were in the highest demand Columbus even references this in his personal journals stating, “A hundred Castellanos are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten are now in demand.” (Columbus). The Spaniards subjected the natives to work in the gold mines until they died of exhaustion. If a Native American worker did not deliver their complete quota of gold dust by Columbus' deadline, soldiers would cut off the man's hands and tie them around...

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...nocide known in history.

Works Cited

"Did Columbus Bring Syphilis to Europe?: Scientific American." Did Columbus Bring Syphilis to Europe?: Scientific American. N.p., 11 Aug. 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

Liquete, Felisa LÃ³pez. "The Legacy of Columbus." JSTOR. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.

Malone, Corey. "Diseases." Diseases. Gettysburg College, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.

Cartwright, F., M. Cohen, and P. Ewald. "3_3 European Disease in the New World." 3_3 European Disease in the New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

"Columbus Controversy Video." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

"Christopher Columbus." Christopher Columbus (1451-1506). N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

Encyclopedia Brittanica. "Christopher Columbus (Italian Explorer)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.

The Myint Author Of Christopher Columbus: Hero Or Villain?
821 Words | 2 Pages
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
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2323 Words | 5 Pages
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Persuasive Essay On Christopher Columbus
817 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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735 Words | 2 Pages
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
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A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
1226 Words | 3 Pages
In some respects, we can attribute the founding of America and all its subsequent impacts to Christopher Columbus. Columbus a hero in the United States, has his own holiday and we view as the one who paved the way for America to be colonized. However, people tend to forget the other side of Columbus, the side that lusted after gold and resources that often belonged to the native inhabitants he came across in his exploration. In his insatiable greed, he and his crew committed countless atrocities, such as torture and killing of defenseless natives. Columbus’s discovery of these new lands contributes profound and negative effects as future colonists arrived. “Zinn estimates that perhaps 3 million people perished in the Caribbean alone from raids, forced labor and disease” (Zinn, 1980). Columbus was seen as a cruel man, who saw the peaceful inhabitants as right for the conquering and lead to the devastation of the native population, yet is celebrated every October.
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1062 Words | 3 Pages
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.
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1284 Words | 3 Pages
Typhus, diphtheria, malaria, influenza, cholera, and smallpox killed many of the native people. Many lands of the Americas were discovered before and after the year of 1492; European influence had a roaring effect on the reign it sprung forth, during the many voyages by explorers. Christopher Columbus is profoundly known to be the key asset to advancing European culture across seas. The Columbian Exchange, colonization, and the growth of slave usage throughout the usage of the Triangular Trade, all conveyed foreign practices to the American Continent while also interrupting, but at the same time joining with the lifestyles of the inhabitants of these lands.
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745 Words | 2 Pages
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548 Words | 2 Pages
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1229 Words | 3 Pages
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821 Words | 2 Pages
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1820 Words | 4 Pages
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Christopher Columbus

The Myint Author Of Christopher Columbus: Hero Or Villain?