More handpicked essays just for you.
5 paragraph essay about christopher columbus
Christopher columbus biography essay
The affects of the americas made by christopher columbus
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Christopher Columbus- Hero or villain? Every year in America, countless citizens celebrate Columbus day, but not everyone knows the truth about this adventurer. Italian explorer Christopher Columbus was born in 1451, and he began sailing when he was 14 years old. In his later years, Columbus wanted to find a westward passage from Spain to India, which led to his accidental discovery of the Americas. Although Columbus paved the way for other explorers and risked everything for the unknown, contributing to the knowledge of the new world, he was blinded by his obsession to the needs of others and the way his decisions affected them, making him a less than ideal captain. He was stubborn and too confident in himself, not listening to the ideas of others, and was abusive to the natives. …show more content…
Columbus was a bad captain to his crew because his obsession, at times, blinded him from their needs.
On his fourth voyage, he and his crew had been sailing for 60 days when a group of sailors demanded that Columbus turn the ship around. When he refused, they threatened mutiny. “...not trusting where they were going, not trusting whether they were going to come back- clearly discipline was a real problem. They knew that they had reached a point beyond which, if Columbus was right, they should have seen land. And this led them to believe that perhaps Columbus’ great idea was totally wrong.” Columbus asks the crew to give him 3 days to spot land, and eventually they do, but even knowing they considered mutiny makes it seem like Columbus didn’t take very good care of them. He also lies to the sailors on the way- he writes, “sailed this day nineteen leagues, and determined to count less than the true number, that the crew might not be dismayed if the voyage should prove long.” Even though he was essentially lying to save their feelings, it was still lying. He was determined to reach his goal at any cost, even his
crew. Columbus is too stubborn to listen to others’ ideas. One example of this is when he and his crew are in Chiriquí, known today as Panama. In the movie Columbus: The Lost Voyage, the narrator states the following: “He follows an inland waterway which he believes will take him to the Indian Ocean. Columbus is about to discover whether his theory about the westward passage is right. But the vast waterway comes to an abrupt end. It is just another huge lagoon... But the Indians of Chiriquí offer an important clue. They refer to an overland route to a different ocean, a journey which takes nine days march across the mountains. If Columbus takes the route, he will become the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean by traveling west. Standing virtually on the spot where the Panama Canal will be built three and a half centuries later, Columbus refuses to take the path. He remains convinced he can still find a sea route to Asia and he thinks that his crews won't survive a dangerous expedition across unknown lands. But this is the closest Columbus will ever come to solving the riddle of the westward passage, and his refusal is condemning his men to an indefinite period at sea. Japan still lies over 8,000 miles away. The lost voyage is about to become a disaster.” Columbus was so totally convinced that he would be able to find a way on his own that he didn’t listen to the Indians who obviously had more experience with the landscape than he. Although Columbus never got to Asia as expected, he had been determined and persistent. He proved wrong those who opposed him across Europe, leading four journeys across the vast “ocean sea”, as it was called, in ships not designed to brave the dangerous waters of the Atlantic. For better or worse, Columbus eventually bridged the gap between the new and old worlds. He set the stage for other explorers by making maps and charting what had previously been unknown. His voyages made possible the transfer of ideas, plants, animals, and cultures between different parts of the world. This is now known as the Columbian Exchange, and it changed the world entirely. Columbus made natives his slaves and was brutal toward them. When he first arrived on the island he later named Hispaniola, Columbus came across a group of natives called the Taino. They were peaceful and friendly to the explorers, trading jewelry, supplies, and animals with them readily. “They were very well built, with very handsome bodies and very good faces,” Columbus wrote in his diary. “They do not carry arms or know them....They should be good servants.” So Columbus didn’t see these pleasant natives as people, he saw them as things he could use and take advantage of. He forced them into slavery. If they didn’t meet his requirements, or more specifically, if they didn’t gather enough gold, Columbus would publicly mutilate or even kill them. This shows that he had no respect for the Taino or their lives. Within decades, the entire Taino people was obliterated. MAYBE WE SHOULDNT CELEBRATE COLUMBUS DAY AFTER ALL!
Columbus’s “intentions were far from selfless.” (Myint, 2015, Para. 5). The greed was immense as Columbus believed in the entitlement of ten percent of all the treasures that were plundered. Nothing was shared with the crew. Natives were also mutilated and enslaved. If the natives did no collect enough money they lost limbs, some also lost their lives. A hero would not hurt innocent people trying to survive.
According to the Columbus journal he said “I ordered each man to be presented with something”(Columbus Excerpt 5). He also said “Indians found without a copper token had their hands cut off and bled to death” (Columbus Excerpt 4). So like most of the Europeans he was a two-faced hypocrite who made promises but didn’t keep them. Columbus did violent crimes in the name of Spain, He didn’t think the Native Americans were worth anything he thought they were just “Arawak men and women, naked, and full of wonder” (Columbus Excerpt 3). All so it wasn’t just the doings of Columbus people all over Europe thought that slavery was legal including
In 1492, Christopher Columbus unintentionally discovered America, when he landed in the Caribbean Islands, while looking for a direct sea route to Asia. Despite the fact that Columbus believed he had found a direct sea route to India, he has been called the discoverer of America and hailed as a hero. More recently, however, he has been called a villain, with accusations saying that not only did he not discover America, but also that he was the cause of slavery and oppression in the Americas. These allegations are absurd and lack logical evidence.
First, Columbus was a cruel man who enslaved, raped, and murdered the natives of the countries he sailed to. According to an article by John Margolis entitled "Goodbye Columbus", Columbus "oversaw the killings of some (Indians) and ordered the enslavement of others." Margolis goes on to say that Columbus did not prevent his crewmen from raping the innocent natives, and even that he himself raped an Indian women after beating her "with a piece of rope". If these actions do not constitute villainy, I don't know what does.
Christopher Columbus, was he a hero, or villain? For about 500 years, people have praised him and celebrated his life as though he was someone who did good for us. Schools teach students that Columbus was a great man, found gold and pearls, and discovered new lands. Students are even taught the names of Christopher Columbus' three ships he used on his first voyage. However, they grow up not knowing the truth about Christopher Columbus, what he really did to 'accomplish' his tasks. I simply believe that schools should show both sides of Columbus' story, so that students can be aware of the facts behind the 'discovery' of Early America.
Everyone has heard the story of how Christopher Columbus discovered America. Almost every child is taught to think this from kindergarten. There's even a day every year dedicated to him. The thing is, not everyone knows the whole story. Christopher Columbus isn't quite the hero people make him out to be. He is responsible for almost all of the deaths of the 1-3 million Taínos Indians. Columbus was the one to ask for the money to explore. He was the one to claim the land for Spain. It was him who gave to order to kill everyone. He's obviously completely guilty, right? Well, not exactly.
Columbus’ goal in his mission to America was somewhat heroic: “Christian missionary and anti-Islamic fervour, the power of Castile and Aragon, the fear of Portugal, the lust for gold, the desire for adventure, the hope of conquests, and Europe’s genuine need for a reliable supply of herbs and spices for cooking, preserving, and medicine all combined to produce an explosion of energy that launched the first voyage” (Flint). Although Columbus’ mission may have been heroic, what really matters is what Columbus did when he got to America, which was kidnap, enslave, and kill Native
During the whole course of the letter, Columbus beat around the bush and was not upfront with their true intentions of the voyage. He speaks of gold, he speaks of quarreling, but whenever these subjects came up, Columbus quickly changes the subject to a lighter matter. Based on much of the fine print, much of the things that he did not realize what he was writing, and by reading in between the lines of this letter, I saw much more than what was just written. The strayed away from the fact that he was tyrannically taking over the indigenous peoples of this land, even though it was so apparent that he in fact was. Because of this information that we now know about Columbus’s tyrannical ways, was hard for me to read this letter and still believe in Columbus’s integrity as an eyewitness for describing the events on at this New World.
Christopher Columbus, one of the most famous explorers with an extraordinary legacy was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He was an Italian explorer and navigator and is very well known for his four voyages and his “discovery” of the New World. Columbus began sailing when he was just a teenager in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Later, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal and then Spain, where he spent the rest of his life. Columbus’ purpose was to find a passage to Asia by sailing West, but during his voyage he ended up in the Caribbeans and South America. Columbus’ proposal was turned down by King John of Portugal and the rulers of England and France. After several years of being declined, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella funded Columbus’ voyage
Regardless, a few people still celebrate Columbus as a hero. He did in fact travel to many lands, while trying to find a safer route to Asia. Columbus also claimed many of these lands for Spain. Not to mention, from the article “Accomplishments of Christopher Columbus”, the author states, “Columbus started the Columbian Exchange, which brought the potato and the corn to Europe, and Africa”. Although, he had one goal and this was to find a safer and shorter route to Asia. He believed that his goal was met and no one told him otherwise. As a result he died believing he had gone to Asia.
When Columbus returned to Madrid from his first trip, he lied and said that he had made it to Asia. The things told to the Court were exaggerated. Columbus told people that the land was filled with gold and spices and other valuables. Columbus talked about the natives being naive and could easily be tricked into becoming slaves for them. Christopher promised the king and queen that if he went on another trip that he would bring back as much gold and slaves as possible. Of course the ships and crew were granted to Columbus and he returned to the New World. Though he soon discovered that he could not keep his promise of gold and
Everybody knows Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but does everyone know what he did after he got to America? Even though Christopher columbus was a great explorer and a brave leader to modern civilization, he did not treat everyone fairly after he got to America, especially the Native-Americans. Christopher Columbus kicked the Native-Americans out and brought european diseases, he gave Natives junky things like glass beads in return for great stuff like gold, and now the state of california is changing Columbus day to indigenous peoples day. So all in all Christopher Columbus is a bad person to celebrate after all of the horrible things he did to the Native-Americans .
His people also beheaded the Natives and put them in boiling soap and threw infants head first into large rocks. Butcher shops were placed all around the Caribbean. Columbus and his men used the Natives as dog food. They would also feed live babies to the dogs. Columbus also brought a lot of diseases which helped contribute to deaths of many Natives. People always give Columbus credit for the Columbian Exchange but all the resources that were traded he stole from the Indians, such as gold, tobacco, potatoes, and tomatoes. Columbus didn't work for the exchange, he enslaved the Natives to do it so he doesn’t deserve credit. He also never found what he set out for, he was supposed to find a water route west from Europe to Asia, so he never achieved the goal he was supposed to. In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail to discover new trading routes to benefit the King and Queen of Spain, but instead he discovered the New World. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. He believed by finding a route to Asia, would bring large fortune to the Kingdom of Spain, which he did but he made the profit and land off of
Nevertheless, Columbus, taking his brother Bartolomeo and his thirteen-year-old son, Fernando, sailed from Seville with a fleet of four caravels on 3 April 1502, still in search of a passage to the Indian Ocean. He stopped briefly at Santo Domingo to replace a damaged caravel; but Nicolas de Ovando, his successor as governor, refused his request for aid and denied him permission to land. Setting off again, Columbus sailed south of Jamaica and reached the Gulf of Darien. His discovery there of a Mayan canoe persuaded him that he was on the brink of finding a civilization more advanced than that of the natives previously encountered; and he sailed further south, convinced that he would soon reach the long-sought passage to India. He discovered Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia, from which hostile natives and malaria forced him to retreat. Columbus took refuge in Jamaica, his vessels unseaworthy and his crew on the verge of mutiny. Two of his officers, Diego Mendez and Bartolomeo Fieschi, outfitted a canoe and courageously paddled the 108 miles to Santo Domingo. It was nearly a year before they were granted permission by Ovando to outfit a ship, which rescued Columbus and his men on 28 June 1504.
On the second trip fitted out with a large fleet of 17 ships, with 1,500 colonists aboard, Columbus sailed from Cádiz in Oct., 1493. His landfall this time was made in the Lesser Antilles, and his new discoveries included the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico. The admiral arrived at Hispaniola to find the first colony destroyed by Native Americans. He founded a new colony nearby, and then sailed off in the summer of 1494 to explore the southern coast of Cuba. After discovering Jamaica he returned to Hispaniola and found the colonists, interested only in finding gold, completely disorderly; his attempts to enforce strict discipline led some to seize vessels and return to Spain to complain of his administration. Leaving his brother Bartholomew in charge at Hispaniola, Columbus also returned to Spain in 1496.