In 1485, Christopher Columbus moved to Spain to ask King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella to fund his expedition. After routes to India were cut off to the Europeans, Columbus became determined to find a sea-bound route to Asia. He calculated that Asia was some 4000km to the west, when in reality it was closer to 16000. His miscalculation and the lack of geographical knowledge in this time period led to one of the most significant discoveries in history. To a variety of people in the 1400s, Columbus was regarded as a brilliant explorer. His children and other Europeans admired him because of his determination in the face of danger and adversity; prior to the expedition, the Western world was believed to have great monsters, giants, and wild men. …show more content…
From the perspective of the Europeans, Columbus “opened the gates of the ocean, which had been closed for so many thousands of years before” (Briefing 1, 4), leading to the establishment of Espanola. Columbus was able to cement his heroic reputation in the eyes of the Europeans by initiating settlement in the New World. While Columbus was considered to be a hero to the European population, he was the embodiment of greed to the Tano. The account of Columbus’s son neglected to include the substantial decline in the Tano population as a result of brutality and slavery. While this account was honest in documenting the European diseases that killed the Native peoples, it mentions that their deaths were “not the fault of our father or Spain” (Briefing 1, 5). According to the documents of the Natives, Columbus was an unfit leader who demanded to be the viceroy of the discovered territory (Espanola), the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea, and ten percent of the wealth returned to Spain. In addition to the selfish Columbus narrative, the account mentions that Columbus stole the reward of sailor Juan Rodroguez Bermejo, who was the first to spot …show more content…
The account of the Tano blames Columbus for the population decrease; Native Americans saw Columbus as a slave trader who sent Tano peoples to Spain, and killed them if they could not fulfill his requests; despite having described the Tano people as “the best people in the world and above all the most gentle” (Briefing 2, 4), Columbus continued to demand a thimbleful of gold every 3 months, as well as shipping 550 people to Spain in 1495. Columbus reduced its population by 7.9 million in the span of 20 years (1492-1518). Spanish colonists made multiple formal complaints about him, resulting in a new governor being sent for his arrest, along with Queen Isabella (queen of Spain) demanding the return of surviving captives back to the West. Both accounts share opposing views about Christopher Columbus: European settlers saw him as an admirable leader, while the Tano population thought he was nothing less of a slave trader. The first account (Briefing 1) had a lot of opinionated adjectives to praise Columbus. “brilliant,” “life-changing,” and “brave” are a few words that are used in his
History II 8/28/17 Was Christopher Columbus a hero? In My opinion, No. Christopher Columbus was not a hero. He was a leader of genocide and he enslaved a lot of indigenous natives. Mainly, the Taino people. Columbus explored the coast's of Hispaniola (Present day Haiti, Cuba, The Dominican Republic and The Bahamas.) and The East coast of Central and South America. He never stepped foot on North America's soil and many people today think he did. When Columbus and his crew first met the
A hero is meant to be someone you look up to. Someone who exhibits noble qualities, and acts as mentor, guiding you through what is morally right and wrong. A hero is not meant to be someone who is vain, caring only for himself, while spreading fear in those he encounters. It is the qualities of a non-hero that are shown in the early world explorer Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus is a villain for his inhuman acts against the natives of the New World, his sheer greedy ways, and his selfish
A Villain Disguised as a Hero In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. This is the phrase that most elementary school children learn when they are taught about the discovery of the Americas. Most people look fondly on Christopher Columbus since he traveled to the unknown and started the colonization of America that lead to the North and South America that we know today. Christopher Columbus is not a hero, however, since he was not the one to discover the Americas and because of his cruel treatment
Christopher Columbus, Hero or Villain? Christopher Columbus does not deserve to be honored as a hero with his own holiday. Close to 500 years, people have praised Christopher Columbus and also celebrated him as though he was the one who truly founded America. Teachers teach students that he was a great man, also how he found treasures and land known as America. Students are also taught about the names of his three ships he used on his first voyage. However, they did not teach us the truth about
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
Now in days, Christopher Columbus is seen as a hero, an important person in the American history. Because of his famous voyage he is seen upon a hero, a man who tried nothing but good to his country. Although he discover America, he is also consider as a horrendous villain who was guilty of doing atrocities against the Indians. There are important questions that we have to analyze before stating the status of Christopher Columbus: (1) who was he? (2) what were his intentions in the new land? , and
Villain Disguised as a Hero 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. To determine
knows the saying Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. However, there is a lot more to Christopher Columbus than what everyone was taught in elementary school through high school. Columbus is thought to be a hero, but just being classified as a hero is a fallacy. Several works including Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies and The Lies my Teacher Told Me have been published about the real Christopher Columbus and his legacy. The story of Christopher Columbus begins in the city
A cold-blooded killer has developed into a national hero and celebrated on Oct 10th each year. Christopher Columbus is the name of the man, who has been developed into a national figure and hero because of his discovery of the new world. Most Americans are taught in the fifth grade that Christopher Columbus was the man who sailed the ocean blue in 1492. That, however, is not the whole picture. His accomplishments do not discard his past or everything else that made him the man he was. His discovery
Columbus Day has been a holiday since the 1930s, but many states and cities are no longer celebrating Columbus Day. Columbus Day is a holiday that honors Christopher Columbus, the explorer who journeyed to the Americas. Christopher Columbus and his crew killed and enslaved many Native Americans. Columbus never even reached what is now known as the United States. The United States should celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day. Some people think that Columbus Day should stay. The
In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, is the rhyme embedded in children’s heads in the first lesson of US history. However, beyond the discovery of the New World Christopher Columbus receives no other mentions. Even how he was the reason why Native Americans were kept as slaves and mistreated. Although Christopher Columbus’ actions are not all honorable he should still be celebrated during Columbus Day as a brave explorer who risked his life. His efforts bridged a gap between the New and Old World
A Villain Disguised as a Hero In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. This is the phrase that most elementary school children learn when they are taught how the United States came to be. They also learn that Columbus was the founded of the Americans. Most people look fondly on Columbus since he traveled into the unknown and started the building of American. Christopher Columbus is not a hero, however, since he was not the one to discover North America and because of his cruel treatment of the Native
Christopher Columbus And His Legacy There is a holiday that we celebrate and that holiday is called Christopher Columbus Day. That holiday is there and was made for us to celebrate and remember what Christopher Columbus did for us. He helped so many people to survive on his way there and so many people thanked him. He was considered a hero to all. Christopher Columbus went to explore the deep, blue sea for gold in India but instead found a new continent
When people hear the name Columbus they think of hero who discovered the new world but he was really a thief, a villain, rapist, torturer, and a murderer of millions. Christopher Columbus was not some innocent hero, he was a barbarian. Even though Columbus is celebrated all across the United States, he never came to the USA, he ended up landing in Haiti. Columbus was sent to find a shorter route from spain to India, he landed somewhere else already taken by millions of people and claimed he discovered
Christopher Columbus has been portrayed in different ways at various times throughout history. In his own time he was not famous for "discovering" a new land, but hundreds of years later he is. Slightly over one hundred years ago the United States proudly celebrated the quatercentury. Approximately 24 million people attended a great international exposition in Chicago marking the event (Thernstrom, 1992). In stark contrast is the controversy that was ignited over the 500 year anniversary