Christopher Columbus: Hero Or Villain?

Christopher Columbus was a son of a merchant, he was born in 1436. When he was a teenager, he also had a job on a merchant ship.

He stayed until 1470. When the French privateer attacked his ship as it was sailing the north along Portuguese coast.

Then his boat went under water, he was lucky to be able to float back to shore on a piece of scrap wood.

Then made his way to Lisbon where he studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation.

Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic ocean in 1492, 1493,1498,1502.

Then Christopher Columbus was so determind to find the direct water route west from Europe to Asia.

Was Christopher a hero or a villain?

When coulumbus finally proposed a three voyage that he discovered across the Atlantic.

First

to the Portugese alongside Genoa and finally to the to Venice therefore he was rejected everytime he asked.

In 1486 Christopher Columbus went to the Spanish monarchy of Isabell of Castile alongside Ferdinand of Aragon.
They had only one focus was a war with the Muslims, therefore they nautical, experts were very skeptical, so they initially kept rejecting Columbus.
The idea however, must have intrigued the monarchs, therefore they kept Columbus on a retainer.
Columbus would continue to lobby the royal court.

Soon after the Spanish army captured the last Muslims stronghold in Granada in January of 1492.
Later, the monarchs agreed to finance his expedition.

In August of 1492, Columbus left Spain with the three ships Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta.

In 1493, Christopher Columbus took to the seas on his second expedition even more islands in the Caribbean seas.
After the arrival at Hispaniola, Columbus and his crew discovered the Navinder settlement which was sadly was destroyed.
Spurning the wishes of the queen, who thought slavery was very bad.
Columbus established a forced labor policy over the native population that would rebuild the settlement and that would explore for gold, thinking it would approve profitable.
His efforts did produce small amounts of gold and great hatred among the native population

Its untils his third voyage Columbus actually reached the mainland off the Orinoco river in present –day Venezuela.

Conditions at the Hispaniola settlement had deteriorated to the point of near munity.

The settlers claimed they had been misled by Columbus claims of the riches and complaining they had poor management by Christopher Columbus brothers.

Before returning to Spain, Christopher Columbus left his brothers Bartholomew and Diego back to help the settlement on Hispaniola.
Sailed briefly around the larger Caribbean island, further saying to himself he had discovered the outer Islands of china

The Spanish crown then sent a royal official who sadly was arrested Columbus and took away his authority.

He then returned to spain in chains to face royal court.

The charges were amazingly dropped, but Columbus sadly lost his title as governor of the Indies and, for the time, much as of the riches made during his voyage.

August 3, 1492 was when Columbus went on his voyage to the new world two monthes later he discovered the new world now called America.

Columbus has been credited for many things just as opening up the Americans to Europeans colonization but blamed for the destruction of the native people of the islands he explored.

He failed to find a new route to Asia and the riches it promised. In what is known as the Columbian exchange, Christopher expeditions set in motions the widespread which transfer many people, plants, animals, diseases.

The culture that’s greatly affected nearly every society on the planet. (Theres this horse that’s from Europe that’s allowed native Americans tribes in the great plains of north American to shift from a nomadic to a hunting lifestyle).

Coffee from Africa and sugar cane from Asia became major cash crops latin American countries.

Food from the Americas such as potatoes, tomatoes and corn, became staples for Europeans and helped increases their

populations.
Accordingly the Native Americans population fractions of their original numbers.

The exchange also brought the new diseases to both hemispheres, One of the greatest in the Americans, Smallpox was from the old world that made millions sick.
The overwhelming benefits of the exchange went to Europeans initially and eventually to the rest of the world.

The Americans forever altered and there once was vibrant and rich cultures of the native Americans civilization were changed on and lost, denying the world any complete understanding of their existence.

In May 2014, Christopher Columbus did make headlines as the news broke that a team excellent Archaeologist may have found that the Santa Maria off the north coast of Haiti.

Barry Clifford the leader of this expedition told the independent newspaper that all geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggest this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship the santa maria.