Christopher Columbus Good Or Bad Essay

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Why is Christopher Columbus such a controversial topic? Some believe he was great; others feel he was pure evil. Either way, it is undeniable that Christopher Columbus changed the way people were used to living into how we do things today. Although he was not the first European to voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and discover America, Christopher Columbus’s exploration had a lasting effect on the narrative of World History. Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He began sailing in his teenage years, and took voyages in the Mediterranean Sea and Africa. He wanted to find a quicker and safer way to get to Asia, and he began to come up with an idea. He wanted to sail west all the way, instead of going south and around Africa. …show more content…

In fact, majority of Europe was looking to explore. Europe was in search for three g’s, gold, God, and glory, and one way they would get them was exploring. Although kings were looking to explore, Columbus was rejected by Portugal, Genoa, and Venice before getting a sponsor. After a wait, the Spanish monarchy, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, agreed to sponsor Columbus’ three-ship voyage (Christopher). Across the ocean, there is a Native American group known as the Taino. The Taino is a large, subgroup of the Arawakan Indians (Rivera). They traveled from South America and landed on their new home more than 2,000 years earlier. Occupying the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico and pushing into the Greater Antilles-Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Cuba by 700 C.E., their population was increasing. (Ojibwa). In 1492, 100 million people are estimated to be living the Americas (Ojibwa). Of that 100 million people, the Taino population that stretch across the Caribbean Islands, was between 20,000 and 50,000 people …show more content…

This decrease was mainly cause by death. Due to the food shortages because of the Spanish, starvation led to death. European diseases new to the native people, had a large influence on the population. Also battles and violence with the Spanish caused the number of Taino people to decrease (Ojibwa). However, slavery had a huge impact on the population and even led to the effects of population listed above. The second effect of Columbus was positive. Across the Atlantic Ocean, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, along with the rest of Spain, were thriving. The expedition brought an enormous amount of wealth to the country. Not only were they the wealthiest nation, they became the most powerful as well. Along with Spain, this expedition led other nations to explore across the ocean to build colonies in the New World. It gave people hope and confidence to look for new things all around them. Why is Christopher Columbus such a controversial topic? This is because he was a conqueror. With this title, it brings the word death and control to mind. However, he is also an explorer. He is the first European explorer to settle in the Americas, who brought wealth and power to Europe, and more settlements in the Americas. Whether an individual thinks he was great or evil, there is something no one can deny. This is that Christopher Columbus had a lasting effect on World

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