If one were to name any continent on the planet, an image would immediately be conjured up in our minds that paints the picture of our perception of that entire region. While there may be millions of diverse people, cultures, and landscapes that make up said region, one image will epitomize our characterization of it. Stereotypes often form the basis of our perspectives of foreign lands and the people they inhabit. At the time of Christopher Columbus’ voyages, Europeans stereotyped themselves as superior beings as a result of the Renaissance endorsing humanist ideals, as reflected in his 1493 report to the Spanish court on his initial voyage to the new world. Whether it be any social or geographical entity, stereotypes are ingrained in our …show more content…
The idea that their way of life should be the model for other societies to follow is strongly prevalent in Columbus’ 1493 report. Columbus writes, “I forcibly seized some Indians from the first island, so that they might learn from us,” (Norton 81). His forced seizure reveals not only a willingness to exploit the natives for whatever need he has, but also a sense of entitlement enabling him to do whatever he wants because he is more civilized. The names he gives the islands he discovers have catholic connotation and he gave them “pretty and acceptable objects” so he can “win them over to me, and that they might become Christians, and be inclined to love our King and Queen and Prince and all the peoples of Spain,” (Norton 80). The report reflects how believed they would have a positive influence on native people by forcing European ideals into native lifestyle, a product of …show more content…
Before he left, he ventured to the East maintaining the stereotype that it was littered with gold, spices, and the economic opportunities that would make the Spanish investment worthwhile. If the success of the endeavor were judged by the report, it would seem the trip was wildly successful. He states, “All these islands are most beautiful and distinguished by various forms; one can travel through them, and they are full of trees of the greatest variety.” He describes “high mountains, broad stretches of country, forests, and extremely fruitful fields excellently adapted for sowing, grazing, and building dwelling houses,” (Norton 79). Readers must remember his purpose was to discover such a land; his intentions were to please his investors, which is reasoning for his glittering descriptions. While audience certainly plays a factor in Columbus’ interpretation, he arrived in Hispaniola with expectations sky high thanks to his preconceived stereotype of the land he was finding. His judgement was clouded because he was so desperate to see only that which would impress. We can assume he overlooked, or chose not to report, many details that would have reflected negatively on the land he found. Today, travelers expect New Yorkers to be rude, French wine to be delicious, and Brazilians to be tan and slender. As a result, we likely won’t speak to New Yorkers, only drink wine in
This assignment examines the document entitled “Bartolomé de las Casas, from Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies.” Bartolomé de las Casas, who spent most of his time in the New World protecting the native people that lived there, authored the document in 1542. In this document Bartolome de Las Casas gives a detailed but horrific account of the atrocious behavior of the spaniards against the native people of the indies.He vividly describes the brutality brought on the natives by europeans all in the name of proclaiming and spreading Christianity.This document was originally intended for Charles I of Spain and one
The discovery and conquest of American Indians inspired efforts to develop an ideology that could justify why they needed to enslave the Indians. The Spanish monarch wanted an ideal empire. "A universal empire, of which all their subjects were but servants. Charles V remained for them the dominus mundi, the legitimate and God-ordained lord of the world." (Weckmann, The Transit of Civilization, 23) Gold and religious conversion was the two most important inspirations for conquistadors in conquering America. Father Bartolome De Las Casas was a Dominican priest who came to the New World to convert the Indians to become Christians. He spent forty years on Hispanolia and nearby islands, and saw how the Spaniards brutally treated the Indians and sympathized with them. The Devastation of the Indies was an actual eyewitness account of the genocide by Las Casas, and his group of Dominican friars in which he demonizes the Spanish colonists and praises the Indians. Father Las Casas returned to Seville, where he published his book that caused an on going debate on whether the suppression of the Indians corrupted the Spaniards' values. What Las Casas was trying to achieve was the notion of human rights, that human beings are free and cogent by nature without the interference of others.
His legacy serves as a cautionary tale on the horrors that ethnocentrism and indifference towards the welfare of others can bring. Christopher Columbus’ reverence as a hero in the present day would allow for the acceptance of practices that are incompatible with Western values and
In the two sources, Columbus’s views majorly contrast to those of Las Casas’, regarding the native inhabitants of the island. For instance, Las Casas, indirectly, praised the natives by explaining that the natives were content without beds, not covetous for materialistic items unlike their slayers, had bright and impartial minds, and free of evil and hatred (Brief Account of Devastation of the Indies). However, Columbus, fueled by the motive to bring his nation riches, writes that he easily could, “conquer the whole of them [native population] with fifty men, and govern them as I pleased” (Christopher Columbus: Extracts from Journal).
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And, when he reached his destination he killed, raped and enslaved innocent natives. Was Columbus a villain? The answer to that question, in my opinion, would be yes. Christopher Columbus was a cruel, self-centered, delusional man who does not deserve to be praised for the discovery of America.
In the letter by Christopher Columbus, colonization was a disaster for domestic inhabitants because ancient religious practices and cultural traditions were destroyed by colonists determined to impose European culture and spread Catholicism. In addition to being exposed to diseases to which they had no immunity, the native populations were frequently subjected to enslavement or slaughter. Columbus said “The people all go naked” (Columbus, 70). He felt they were all very timid, until they loose this fear and then they are “so guileless and generous with all that they
All heroes have flaws, but if those flaws include murder, rape, and kidnapping, that person is really a villain disguised as a hero. Most people look fondly on Christopher Columbus since he traveled to the unknown and started the colonization of America that lead to the countries that we know today. Columbus is not a hero, however, since he did not discover the Americas, he treated the Native Americans inhumanly, and even in his own time, Columbus was a criminal.
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.
Published in 1493, Luis Santangel received the embellished journal of Christopher Columbus as validation for the much-promised riches in the Indies. Centered around an era of power and conquest, Columbus tapered his writings and findings to pacify his Royal sponsors for the voyage. Santangel was also one such wealthy sponsor. Although the tone of the letter was vastly hyperbolic, Christopher Columbus still managed to document the labeling of the numerous islands and its topography. Yet even the size and measurement is a bit exaggerated as well referring to one island being twice as large as that of Great Britain and Scotland. Columbus did his best to acknowledge various “thousands upon thousands” in this letter with that of spiceries and gold mines with mountains in a “thousand shapes...full of trees of a thousand kinds” as well as deeming the exotic islands incomparable to any other islands that “there could be no believing without seeing” firsthand. Colu...
In reality, was Espanola really that marvelous? Everyone has their own beliefs, but conspiracists such as myself believe that Columbus is a master in exaggeration, and his tales of Espanola and the other grand islands could have all been Spanish propaganda created to instill nationalism and to dream of a perfect idea/image of a future for Spain that simply was not
Interestingly, Columbus firmly believed that he had reached Asia and called the Native Americans ‘Indians’ and appears to have a low opinion of them. To begin with, Columbus appears to demonstrate that the native islanders had little understanding of property value when he says that they gladly accepted just about anything for barter exchange from the voyagers including “bits of broken bowls, pieces of glass, and old straps,” while giving much-valued goods like gold. However, he quickly defends the situation by claiming that he forbade his team of sailors from giving worthless things to the natives. Additionally, Columbus describes the local islanders as weird in their habits.
propaganda to persuade people to migrate to the New World. In Columbus’s Letter Describing the His First Voyage by Columbus, he states, “there are many harbors on the coast of the sea, beyond comparison with others which I know in Christendom, and many rivers, good and large, which is marvelous” (16). By inserting the appealing descriptions, like beyond comparison, marvelous, good and large, Columbus captivates and pleases the reader. During this time period that was particularly important because the readers were the men funding his excursion across the sea. He could not write anything less than spectacular descriptions of the New World or he could risk losing his funding. This type of
Christopher Columbus was on track to create history and did so in revealing the “New World.” As he went through his voyage he approached an island occupied by an uncivilized group of people. Columbus writes to Spain describing the people ultimately as savages. They do not dress, they do not know how to utilize weapons, and they would leave their children. (5) As he went about his voyage he claimed all these islands occupied by people as Spain’s land, Columbus added, “I found very many islands filled with people without number, and of them all have I taken possession for their Highn...
Some of the problems when studying history are the texts and documents that have been discovered are only from perspective. Furthermore, on occasion that one perspective is all there may be for historians to study. A good example of this textual imbalance can be found from the texts about the discovery of the New World; more specifically, the letters of Christopher Columbus and Pêro Vaz de Caminha during their voyages to the New World. Plenty of the text from this time is written from the perspective of the Europeans, as the Indigenous population did not have any written text. What this means is that it provided only one perspective, which can drastically hinder how history is interpreted. Columbus’s letter of his first voyage to the Caribbean
Boorstin eloquently writes of the depreciating mentality of Columbus and his hopes. As each voyage is unsuccessful in producing Oriental splendors or in establishing relations with the Great Kahn, it becomes harder for Columbus to persuade others to support his missions. His explanations become increasingly farfetched and they are lese and less received. The Spanish monarchs revoked his monopoly on the newly discovered region. He never waiver in his belief that he had found an alternate route to Asia. Columbus had found a paradise just not the one of his hopes and aspirations.