Who Is Christopher Columbus A Low Character

A Man with low Character

Christopher Columbus, the man that sailed across the Atlantic in search for a route to the Indies, but found the New World instead. That is all we really here about him, but what about his time in the New World, especially his interactions with the Indians? Why was he cruel and unfriendly to them? Showing the natives violence in effort to find riches in the New World, and forcing them to convert to Christianity? Indeed, through his life, and from his actions, towards the Indians, he showed to have a virtue ethic perspective. Virtue ethics is what Aristotle argued, that based on a man’s character he determines right or wrong, and that a man of character would make the right decision, based on universal virtues. However,

Christopher Columbus, like the future conquistadors, was a man who showed low character towards the Indians.
During the time Christopher Columbus was born, the Reconquista was still going on, approximately a 750 year war against the Christian kingdoms, and the Moors. The Christian kingdoms conquered land to the Iberian Peninsula which was then made up of three kingdoms (what is today modern Spain and Portugal): Aragon, the smallest of the three kingdoms bordering France on the Mediterranean Sea; Castile, the largest of the three, which was in between the other kingdoms; and Portugal, which is still where modern Portugal is today. The last Muslim state, Granada (southern part of modern Spain), was over thrown 13 years after King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile married, in 1479. In 1492, the King and Queen joined kingdoms (modern day Spain) and armies and over through Granada. In these Christian kingdoms, other religions besides Christianity sought persecution. In result of the Reconquista, Christianity was the most common religion in Europe, which is the faith Columbus, was a believer of.
Columbus was born in the year 1451, in the Italian port of Genoa. He was the oldest of his four siblings, who all grew up in a poor wool merchant home, which resulted in his late start to formal education. However, in his education he studied subjects such as geography, navigation, and astronomy. Through his life he put his interest in the sea life. For example, when he was 16 he traveled to Iceland, and when he was around the age of 19 he was a privateer, attacking Moor ships, which was during the Reconquista. Also, Columbus married into a rich Portugal family (Columbus married twice in his life time), and which his father-in-law was involved in the discovery of the Madeira Islands (located South West of Portugal and West of Morocco). Columbus also taught himself much of the Bible, and became very knowledgeable of it. In result he wrote several scholarly biblical commentaries, and also thought that the Holy Ghost had provided him with a sense of power to interpret biblical messages.
During this time Asia was popular in Europe, in ways to become wealthy from its spices, foods, gold, and other luxury goods, that Europeans desired.

There were many routes that Europeans used to trade with Asia; the latest water route was discovered in 1488, by Bartolomeu Dias. He sailed around the southern tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope) to Asia. Also, during the time of Christopher Columbus, scholars had a good idea that the world was indeed round and not flat. Columbus thought that by traveling the Atlantic westward, he would find Asia. However, he had much trouble getting anyone to fund his expedition. He proposed his ideas to the crowns of England, and Portugal, and other countries, but no one would sponsor his voyage due to several reasons. One main reason was that Columbus proposed the Atlantic to be shorter than many scholars believed it to be. But once the new monarchs of Spain started to rule they decided to fund Columbus’ voyage, in thinking this would be a great way to spread Christianity, and increase their wealth. Columbus ended up with a business contract with the King and Queen of Spain, entitling him to 10% of all

profits.
On August 3, 1492 Columbus famously set sell with his three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, to what he thought was the Indies. Two months, one week, and two days later, on October 12, 1492 Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas. Once Columbus landed he praised God for a safe voyage, and claimed the land for Spain. Here Columbus thought he had landed in India, and in result calling the natives that lived there “Indians”. Prior to making sail he believed that he was on a mission, playing an important role for the second coming of Jesus Christ. He portrayed the same mind-set as those ruling Spain, which everyone should convert to Christianity, and it was their job in converting non-believers. He wrote a letter to the King and Queen of Spain restating their mission to the people of India, “converting them to our holy faith.” However, through his actions he betrayed these ideas.
When he first met the Indians he wrote in his journal: "with fifty men they can all be subjugated and made to do what is required of them." He had already set his mind that he would overtake these people and enslave them, and use them for his purposes in becoming wealthy. He enslaved the natives using them to plant and grow sugar cane, and also to work in gold mines. In one instance when Columbus was preparing to return from one of his expeditions he did not have enough profit to pay for the expedition, and in result had his men load nearly 500 Indians that he would sell as slaves in Spain. Unfortunately, many of them died and their bodies were cast over board. Columbus and his men showed no respect towards the Natives, they only saw them as a source of making money.
Religious-Based Ethics, I believe are the correct ethic perspective that we as humans should have, based on my faith.

Religious-Based ethics is a type of Deontological ethical perspective, it is the belief that God determines what is right and what is wrong, and to know what God wants one must interpret His word (the Bible), listening to religious leaders, or be told by God himself. Yes, Christopher Columbus showed somewhat of this ethic in his reason to discover the New World, but yet failed to carry it out in his actions. If he were to carry out this ethic, and treat others like the Bible says in Mark 12:31: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” by rewarding the Indians for their work (if they chose to work). Perhaps, the Indians would have worked harder, maybe even show the Spaniards where a greater supply of gold could be found, or where a better area for growing crops could be found. And better yet maybe these Indians would not have seen so much loss amongst their

people.
Unfortunately, we can see that Christopher Columbus, like the future conquistadors, was a man that showed low character towards the Indians. Indeed, Christopher Columbus had a Virtue ethic belief, which based his actions towards the Indians. Columbus did not make very good decisions in his interactions towards the Indians. Therefore, after reviewing these instances, it is hard to say if it had any positive impact at all on American Society. It for sure caused slavery to become a norm in America, which would have caused much grief and lives in the years to come. However (impossible to know), with him enslaving the Indians and making it a norm, it would go on to help the productions and profits in making Spain very wealthy, and powerful. And in result would push England to start colonizing in the New World, and to form the United States of America.