On October 31st, 1451, the famed explorer name Christopher Columbus was brought into this world. The discovery of America is what has brought him fame, but many have found that his discovery may be false. Christopher Columbus was said to be the man who discovered the “New World.” He was also known as the courageous explorer who risked his life every time he set sail to explore the world we all live in today. People have always thought of him as a brave and honest man. So many people in our world see Columbus as a great hero, but what if he is just a great fraud? The three main arguments against Columbus that will be covered are the claims that he didn’t discover America, the way people perceived him versus how he actually acted towards the …show more content…
people he ruled over, and how much good his so called “discovery” of the New World actually brought. There is no doubt, that Columbus was a great explorer who discovered many things in his life. But his discovery of America, is a great stretch. Christopher Columbus was the famed Italian explorer who discovered America. But, was Columbus really the man who discovered the New World, or was he just a fraud? Biography.com states, “...the not-so-minor fact that millions of people were already living in North America in 1492…” When Columbus arrived in the New World, there were already inhabitants of this country. The Native Americans had already discovered this land and made a life on it. So, there is no way Christopher Columbus discovered America if people were already there. Next, Debate.org states that some believe him to have gained the knowledge about America, but was not the first man to set foot on American soil. Many people believe that this is the reason he should not be credited with the discovery of the New World, for he was not the first man to find and live on this land. Also, according to Biography.com, “Leif Eriksson is the first European believed to have sailed to North America, having reached Canada 500 years before Columbus set sail to the west.” This is one solid piece of evidence that many can not argue with. Eriksson had already set foot in the Americas and started a life there before Columbus even conjured up the idea to set sail to discover this land. Christopher Columbus should not be credited with the discovery of America for there were already people who had made life on these lands before he knew of the existence of it. Next, are the claims that Christopher Columbus was not as great a man towards the subjects under him as we thought he was.
People who believe that Columbus was an extraordinary man, say that he always treated the Natives with fairness and respect for they were in the Americas before him, after all. But historians have found many of these claims of Columbus being a “nice guy,” to be false. History.com states, “In an era in which the international slave trade was starting to grow, Columbus and his men enslaved many native inhabitants of the West Indies and subjected them to extreme violence and brutality.” Many perceived Columbus as a fair man, but he was far from this. He treated the natives with violence and disrespect. Christopher believed that sense he had found the land, it was now his even thought there was people already living there. On Biography.com, it says that some blame Christopher Columbus for the destruction of the Native people of the Islands he explored throughout. People blame him for this for after he set foot on these Islands, the population of these areas seemed to decline. This was because he brought unknown diseases to the Islands, caused some deaths with his own hands, and it is said he caused some of the Natives to be sent away. Also according to History.com, “...the forced conversion of native peoples to Christianity…” Christopher Columbus took his power to the point that he forced his own people and the Natives to believe what he believed. He forced them to change their religions, belief systems, and ways of life all together. The conclusion that can be reached from this information is that Columbus was not the man that many believed him to be. He was actually a man of violence and disrespect to those whom he
ruled. Lastly, is the thought that his so-called “discovery” of the Americas may have done more harm than good. Yes, Columbus finding what we now call home did us a great deed. But what about the hardships his discovery brought? History.com states, “...had the additional consequence of bringing new diseases to the New World which would, over time, devastate the native populations of many New World islands and communities.” This was the most important of the many reasons that Columbus not discovering America would have done us good. With Christopher Columbus and his band of soldiers, came unknown diseases from the countries they came from. These diseases being brought to a place that knew nothing of them, brought many deaths. According to Biography.com, “...governor of any land he discovered. It also stated that Columbus could keep 10 percent of any ‘merchandise, whether pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices and other objects’ that he ‘acquired’ within the new territory.” This is another largely known reason that Columbus brought hardships to the Natives. When Columbus first arrived on these lands, he struck a deal with the Spanish, giving him power over almost all of the people. These deals allowed him to name himself governor of any land he discovered and allowed him to keep 10 percent of anything worth money he found, or acquired. As said on History.com, Columbus and his brothers were able to get away with most of the unlawful things they did, for no one dared to go against their power. But soon, people began reporting the crimes that Columbus has committed, such as bringing harm to the Natives, confiscating things from people that were not his right to take, and keeping slaves which the Queen did not approve of. These pieces of text evidence show the real kind of man that Christopher Columbus was. Contradictory to what many believe, Columbus was not a good man. He was actually a lying and manipulative man of power. In conclusion, Christopher Columbus should not be given as much fame for the discoveries he did not actually make, and he should be seen as a power hungry ruler instead of a fair and kind man. The discovery of these unknown facts about Columbus has shed some light on the real type of man that he was and his real motives behind traveling to the Americas. The three main topics that were covered were if Columbus’s “discovery” of America did more harm than good, the truth about the kind of ruler he was and how he acted towards his subjects under him, and the claim the Columbus did not discover America at all. If you have never encountered a person that turns out to be somebody they are not, then you just did. Columbus was a power hungry man in disguise, which is not the person many perceive him to be.
Many consider Columbus a Hero, others believe he was selfish and self centered. Myint author of “Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?” and Ransby author of “Columbus and the Making of Historical Myth.”, are faced with the same dilemma. From a young age children are taught about Columbus and his greatness, but the books fail to document the atrocities committed in the process. Most of the books use biased language; little evidence and vague language is used to hail Columbus as a great hero. Myint provides a more objective stance, while Ransby condemns Columbus entirely. However, both suggest to consider Columbus a hero is a mistake.
Although Columbus was increasing the wealth and strength of Spain, he was “a catastrophe for the indigenous inhabitants of the lands” (Belasco 67). He had no remorse for the natives as he proceeded to establish plantations, enslave them, slaughter them, and create a new colony called Espanola on their lands. According to Schuman, Howard, Barry Schwartz, and Hannah d’Arcy, Christopher Columbus “deserves condemnation for having brought slavery, disease, and death...
Who is Christopher Columbus? You may already have prior knowledge of him, but if you do not, Christopher Columbus was a Spanish explorer who made four voyages to the Americas. His voyages led to the Columbian Exchange and colonization. Many cultures, ideas, technology, and foods were spread between the Americas, the “New World,” and Europe, Africa, and Asia, the “Old World”. Even though many great things were exchanged between the Old World and the New World, many diseases from Europe were introduced to the Natives. Does this make Christopher Columbus a hero, or a villain? The answer is not that debatable. A closer look must be taken at Christopher Columbus 's life to be able to judge such things. This essay will take a look at his life,
Christopher Columbus was a man who much credit was given to for a very small deed. In fact he discovered a new world, but that world was only new to him and the men of his previous generations. What about the many Native Americans whose fathers and father’s fathers shed their blood for the land in which they had lived for so many years. How could one such as Christopher Columbus who was looking for freedom and hope cause so much bondage and destruction? One man’s victory turned out to be devastation for millions.
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.
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.
Christopher Columbus was a cruel, delusional, and self-centered man who does not deserve high praises for the discovery of America.
Christopher Columbus is a mythical hero or in other words, not a true hero. The story of Christopher Columbus is part of the many myths of Western civilization. Also the story of Christopher Columbus represents the power of those that are privileged and in most cases white European men that have written this mythical history. Zinn (2009 exposes the truth about Columbus through eyes of the people who were there when he had arrived which were the Native Indians (p.481). Columbus had kept a personal journal for his voyage to describe the people and the journey. What was evident throughout his journal was the Native Americans were very nice, gentle and kind hearted people (Zinn, 2009, 481). As Zinn suggests Columbus spoke of the Native Americans as” they are the best people in the world and
While discovering the New World he brought smallpox with them that wiped out most of the native people living there. Although, Columbus did never mean to do that intentionally, he did basically kill hundreds of people. In the article “Columbus Doesn’t Deserve a Holiday” the author says “Within 70 years of his arrival, of the hundreds of thousands of Arawak Indians on the Bahama Islands only hundreds remained.” Even with the small number of native’s left after the smallpox, Columbus brought them back and put them on sale. They started with 500 native’s, but 200 died on the way there. Not only did Columbus kill hundreds, he also destroyed a natural, peaceful place. He just took people out of there land and called it his. After reading this one might not believe Columbus is the hero we all think of.
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.
For more than five centuries Americans have lifted Christopher Columbus to heights of greatness and god-like. We celebrate his life as though he was a man that had done us a great favor. In resent years Christopher Columbus has come under scrutiny, his life and works being questioned more than celebrated. There have be many great men and women that contributed to the building of our great nation but they do not receive anywhere as much recognition as Columbus. When a person begins to study the actual accounts of the "finding of the New World" they begin to wonder if Columbus should adored or hated for his actions. As a child I was taught that Columbus was a great man that had accomplished great things for the sake of humanity, but in reality his agenda was not to better humanity but to better himself. He found the Americas by mere chance and he did not even know of what he found. We give him credit for "finding" the Americas but history tells of the people, that he called Indians, already inhabiting the foreign land. So you decide whether or not Christopher Columbus should be revered a hero.
I didn?t know much about Columbus, but when it was taught to us as a class, which was rarely, the lessons were brief and covered only the ?positive? things that he did. That is, from the eyes of those who believe Columbus was a noble man. It wasn?t until 6th grade when my teacher showed my class the book Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen that we opened our eyes and saw reality. We had been deceived. Deceived by videos. Deceived by books. Deceived by teachers. But at least it felt good to know the truth-finally.
Many Americans honor Christopher Columbus Day as a holiday that celebrates his discovery of the New World on October 12, 1492. Some make the argument that Columbus is not to be considered a hero because of his actions. However, this day celebrates his discovery but not his mistakes after. His findings brought new knowledge to the Old World, profited many countries, and improved life conditions of many people. Before his voyage some thought if sailing West all one would find is India, however Columbus’ expedition found
[2] Columbus is a mainstay of American patriotism. He is the patron saint who planted the seeds of our nation. Our culture has been lulled into his heroic myth for hundreds of years and has celebrated this man with much pomp and circumstance. Columbus’ worthiness has been the subject of much controversy and is now being linked to such un-heroic terms as mass murder, holocaust, and genocide.