Christopher Columbus: Discoverer or Invader?

821 Words2 Pages

Did Columbus discover or invade the west Indies? There have been circular arguments,internaionally, concerning whether Columbus discoverd or invaded the west Indies. through this essay I will explore all counter arguments for this particular topic. Its complex yet simple, one step at a time. Christopher Columbus was a renaissance explorer in 1492. he was sent by queen Isabelle and king Ferdinand of Spain to look for a trade route to east Asia What do the word discover and invade actually mean? Well, if one discovers something it means to be the first to find something. Whereas invading means to take/be in a place without permission. Usually violence is involved. Many people would argue that Columbus had discoverd the west Indies this is because most of the historians in the 1400's, which were Europeans therefore they writ biased text glorify their country where by they wanted to avoid any form of negative conspiracy attached to it. Even though we have read the Europeans point of view, we are still left in the dark as to hearing both sides of the story. We have been shown only one side of the coin, the arawaks were illiterate and therefore is was most unlikely to keep anyform of records concerning the evens that had taken place. As outsides to the real facts, we have little knowledge of the arawaks and what had really happened. As there is a letter to which Columbus himself admits on 'discovering' west Indies. In the time, the news was spread in Europe and the arawaks were not aware. One would like to thoroughly explore the meaning of discover, to discover a place means to be the only person to find something before anyone else. How can Columbus 'discover' when people already inhabited it? How can he claim he was the s... ... middle of paper ... ...ombing was planed by the government " the next historian will use this information for his own report. On the other hand, some historian books say that he had invaded the west Indies this is because he has set foot into an area saying that he had discoverd it when clearly there were people living there. Another reason is that some books had said that the Vikings from Iceland and Greenland reached there almost 500 years before Columbus. I personally think that Columbus has invaded the west Indies because of the way they were treated by the Spaniards (mention in the invading paragraph). I think he was responsible for the ethical cleansing of the arawaks because he had slowly wiped them out by selling them and giving them diseases. He was prejudice, I know this because he wipes them out simply because of their skin colour and the fact they didn't worship who he did.

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Columbus And Cortes

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on unknown territory, however, in his perspective of Earth he thought he made a new route to Asia. He travels throughout the lands, soon, he discovers new forms of inhabitant plants, as well as, indigenous people that were native to those lands. Years later he soon unravels that it was all unaccustomed terrain. The monarchy of Spain also discovers Columbus’s new discoveries, then, they send more explorers to conquer the lands. In 1520, Hernan Cortes goes with the order from Spanish royalty to go to the newly discovered lands to conquer them, also, help expand the Spanish empire. Overall, Columbus and Cortes both reported the new lands they recently discovered back to Spain, however, their descriptions

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Christopher Columbus's Letter To Luis De Santangel

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world.

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus Case Study

    1123 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many historians have put forward the view that the Americas was discovered by the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. It is commonly thought and accepted that with the approval of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Columbus went in search for India which was located in the East. However Columbus unknowingly sailed to the west across the Atlantic Ocean which led him to a land mass which was unknown to

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus: Villain or Hero?

    460 Words  | 1 Pages

    Christopher Columbus has been discredited with discovering America, because for thousands of years, Native Americans had thrived on the land he claimed he discovered. There are also claims that the Phoenicians, Jews, Romans, Hoei-shins, Vikings, and the Portuguese landed in America long before Columbus; but these claims have yet to be backed by solid evidence. Columbus was not the first person to be on the shores of America, or maybe not even the first European; but when he landed, he brought the new land to the attention of a growi...

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus: The Villain

    352 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Expansion of western europe

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the mid 1400’s Spain and Portugal began to take separate routes of discovery. Prince Henry of Portugal, in reaction to the shortage of bullion in Western Europe, was interested in sending his captains to the African coast in search of gold. As a result, many Portuguese ports were established along the African coast and “The Portuguese were able to exploit at least a part of the African caravan trade they had sought.” (p.340) While Portugal was focused on expansion along the African coast; the Spanish were the first to discover the “new world” despite the lack of geographical knowledge the Spaniards and Columbus in particular possessed. This “new world” wasn’t quite what Columbus had though it was, however; as Columbus maintained to his death that he had reached Asia. He hadn’t, “He had landed at one of the Bahaman Islands, San Salvador.” (p. 342) Columbus’ distorted reality proved to...

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus: The Hero

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory voyage from King John II of Portugal, but he was refused. In 1485, Columbus took his son Diego and went to Spain to get some help.

    Read More

  • Analysis of A People´s History of the United States

    2807 Words  | 6 Pages

    3. In traditional history books Columbus is often portrayed as the hero who discovered new land. These books do not mention the massacres of the Indians that took place, and if they do, they only say so briefly, and focus on all the positive about Columbus.

    Read More

  • What Is The Letter To Christopher Columbus Santangel

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...at he was trying to enhance his understanding of what he obstinately believed to be Asia: “I understood sufficiently from other Indians whom I had already taken, that this land, in its continuousness, was an island.” Again, this letter coincided with the map to help clarify which island at what time Columbus was addressing in his writings.

    Read More

  • How Did Christopher Columbus Sailed To The America

    268 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue sea . When Christopher Columbus sailed to the americas because he wanted to find some gold to bring back to his home . According to “ the letter Columbus wrote himself , he stated that “ everything that has been done and discovered in his voyage of mine “. This shows that everything that he was supposed to do he had completed . Additionally , according to document C “ the letter the Bartolome” were mainly about how spaniards came and were acting like wild beast . The spaniards and the indies were acting in like a bad way . “they are still killing , terrorizing and destroying the native people “. also that was stated in document C “ in 40 years , at least 12 million men , women and children

    Read More

  • History of the Dominican Republic

    2484 Words  | 5 Pages

    When Columbus crossed the Atlantic with his crew of Spaniards, he first came to islands in the Bahamas and then Cuba before landing on the island of Hispaniola. But this was the place that really got them excited for several reasons. First, his journal is full of descriptions indicating how beautiful was this island paradise he had discovered, with high-forested mountains and large river valleys. Furthermore, the inhabitants were very peaceful and docile, and even though they were very generous and cooperative, the Europeans quickly realized that with their lack of iron weapons and European technology, the Indians could easily be conquered and put to work for them. But, ...

    Read More

  • Comparing The Song Vs. Children's Song Of Columbus

    442 Words  | 1 Pages

    We all know the children song about Columbus and just in case you forgot the song goes like this:“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue...”. You may be asking yourself why start by talking about a children song? The reason I started with that song is to bring up the point that the way we were taught completely gives off the wrong impression of Columbus. Unlike this children’s song I want to focus more on the atrocious things Columbus did and the things he brought, which is still with us today. Because I think learning about both sides of the story is more important than learning facts that make one side look victorious. Before I start columbus DID NOT discover America.

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus and Samuel de Champlain

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Columbus and Champlain were both devoted to the success of their expeditions; however, Columbus had far more selfish intentions. Columbus was an Italian who sought aid for a journey that would travel across the Atlantic Ocean in search for riches in the East. His support did not come easy as he was rejected by the courts of Portugal, France, and England. Ultimately, Columbus was able to gain authorization and funding for a voyage to begin in 1492 by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel. After starting the long awaited expedition in April, Columbus was able to reach the West Indies by October of that year. Upon encountering the New World, Columbus immediately claimed the land along with its natives for his Spanish sovereigns.

    Read More

  • Paradise Found And Lost - Critique

    632 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    In October of 1492, when Christopher Columbus stepped foot on the Island of Bahamas thinking it was Asia he was instantly greeted by the Arawak’s who came barring gifts, food and water.

    Read More

More about Christopher Columbus: Discoverer or Invader?

Open Document