Biography of Milton Meltzer

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Recommended: Effect of the Columbian Exchange on the Americas

Milton Meltzer is a distinguished biographer and historian, and, is the author of more than 70 books for young people and adults. Milton Meltzer was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was educated at Columbia University. He worked for the WPA Federal Theater Project and then served in the Air Force in World War II. He has edited and written for newspapers, books, magazines, radio, and films. Among the many honors of his books are five nominations for the National Book Award, as well as the Christopher, Jane Addams, Carter G. Woodson, Jefferson Cup, Washington Book Guild, Olive Branch, and Golden Kite awards. To conclude, Columbus is the latest of 17 biographies, which include such subjects as George Washington, Mark Twain, Langston Hughes, Dorothea Lange, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Betty Friedan.
While reading Columbus and the World Around Him, I was able to determine the three most important themes that you should know about Christopher Columbus and the world that he was surrounded by. The first theme is domination, the second is kindness, and the third is recognition. These three themes are very simple yet the background behind them is quite meaningful.
With regard to the first mentioned theme, domination, the Spaniards were very power-hungry and dominant people. While there are many times where Milton Meltzer points this out about Spain and the famous explorers and sailors such as Christopher Columbus and how they had impacted the New World, or the Native Indians, I would like to address a specific area of how the theme domination is effectively applied. The author mentions how Bartholomew had one of his soldiers, Mosén Pedro Margarit, take the responsibility of exploring the countryside and to discover any useful products o...

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...ueen Isabella and King Ferdinand II of Spain. Christopher Columbus was also quite interested in acquiring treasures from what he thought was Asia. However, some people thought what Christopher Columbus did was as glorious as the creation of the world. In the end, Christopher Columbus’s “reputation had its ups and downs over the centuries” said Milton Meltzer (174). To conclude, through the power of technology, the courage and bravery of individuals, and having the right mindset of other nations and their cultures, beliefs, and traditions, there is nothing wrong with two nations interacting with one another. However, if two nations are interacting with one another through crimes against humanity, genocide, and no emotions, then that’s not discovery. It’s invasion.

Works Cited

Meltzer, Milton. Columbus and the World around Him. New York: Franklin Watts, 1990. Print.

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