...Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus is best known as the one who discovered America. Christopher wasn’t just an Italian explorer, he was also a navigator, and colonizer. His “discovery” was made when he wanted to try and find an alternative way to reach India and traveled west. When he had reached what Columbus thought was India, he found himself face-to-face with Native Americans who he then named “Indians.” Many would say without Columbus we wouldn’t have America, but maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. If Columbus had not “discovered” America, the Native American race might not have been so low. Technology probably would not be as advanced, such as in industrialization, therefore the Earth’s population could have been lower causing...
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...i Consequences of Christopher Columbus' Discovery Christopher Columbus' arrival to the "New World" has incited one of the biggest controversies in the world. There are many conflicting opinions regarding people who praise Christopher Columbus' heroic achievements and those who consider him a genocidal adventurer. Does he truly deserve the federal holiday known as Columbus Day? Or should it be celebrated as Indigenous Peoples' Day instead? Given the facts that he caused the transatlantic slave exchange, committed various crimes, and introduced many diseases, it indicates that Christopher Columbus should not be considered or remembered as an American hero. 3. Christopher Columbus' accomplishments often overlook the other side of his story, the...
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...Christopher Columbus and Modern World History For centuries, October 12th is the day of the year that all around the country citizens celebrate what the infamous Christopher Columbus had provided for future settlement when he landed in the Americas in 1492. On Columbus Day in 1898, the United States President, George W. Bush, had a simple opinion about Christopher Columbus that stated, “He set an example for us all by showing what monumental feats can be accomplished through perseverance and faith” (Robinson). Columbus is most well known for his discovery of the Americas but with this came so much more. From 1492 many accomplishments, discoveries, and plagues had left a mark in history. Following the discovery, the entire world had been influenced from the Columbian Exchange where a new trade route started between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. From the exchange, the chance to explore new cultures, foods and crops became a major opportunity. Though many people believe Columbus was a hero, there were some negative aspects about his voyages. Native American’s lifestyles changed drastically once the Spanish stepped foot on their territory. African and Native Americans were slaves that were forced to change their religion and culture. Also, the spread of diseases, no one thought existed, disrupted the population all over the world. Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure that impacted Modern World History. Many people debate if he is a hero or a villain. Whether people...
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...Christopher Columbus once said, “By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination” (Christopher Columbus Quote). Columbus was an Italian man living in Spain to pursue his dream of navigation. He wished to travel the world. Columbus explored the globe and exchanged many different things. Christopher Columbus significantly influenced naval exploration, world trade, and cultural exchange. Christopher Columbus was able to explore because he was financially supported. The reason he had to pay was because of travel fees, crew employment, navigation tools, and supplies. Since Columbus was an adventurer, he had the natural curiosity to understand the world around him. Most scholars believe...
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...A lot of great nations have rich history of their own, whether it is bad or it is good. The United States of America has great history and tradition, from the Revolutionary War to the occupation of Afghanistan. When people who write about history discuss that of the United States, they often consider how eminent this country is and the great deeds other people of that country have done. Historians who write about the history of America often write about how it has had a share of great heroes from Christopher Columbus, Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, etc.. Nevertheless, historians often seem to not remember to mention the real heroes of America like, for example, John Brown and the Native Americans. Much of the history that historians write about don't always show precision. Since many historians only write about one side of history, it only makes it worse by not revealing the factuality of history and creates an erroneous image of what really took place. Many of our nation's great leaders have been distinguished as individuals who have the best interest of the country and every action they take on behalf of the country befittingly. For instance, in the book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James Loewen, he writes, "Under [president] Wilson, the United States intervened in Latin America more often than at any other time in our history." (Loewen, 16). What reason did the United States have to start an intervention in countries that...
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...Columbus and America Where did Christopher Columbus first land in America? On his feet. In truth, no one actually knows for sure where Columbus actually landed in America. There are several theories about where he first discovered, but no one can quite be one hundred percent sure. Learning about Columbus can be quite a captivating event because of his significant accomplishments, impact on natives, and intriguing facts. Columbus is fun to learn about because of his significant accomplishments. First, he attempted to prove that the earth was round. “While no one literate at the time still thought the Earth was flat, no one, until Columbus, was prepared to actually test the theory that it was round to, in effect, stake his life on it” (The first immigrant). Second,...
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...celebration of Christopher Columbus and his “discovery” of America, has been drilled into elementary students’ heads. As recently as this year, my 1st grader and kindergartner were told that Columbus was the first person to find the United States, and his story was somehow tied into a lesson about Thanksgiving. The reason I bring this up is to show that the myth of Christopher Columbus is still alive and well. Unfortunately, this also proves that many people in the United States don’t understand the true history of this country, or don’t care enough to learn about it. My opinion of Columbus Day is this; just because we’ve made a mistake in the past due to ignorance, doesn’t mean that we should continue to make the same mistake once we’ve learned of our transgressions....
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...other sources, Christopher Columbus is portrayed as a hero and a great explorer of North America. However, this is one of the great fallacies of history because he was not the first one to step foot in the Americas, and didn’t positively contribute to the advancement of the people in his era. His enslavement and torment of natives resulted in the decimation of many Indigenous people. Although, Christopher’s discovery of the New World opened up an age of exploration, Columbus Day should not be celebrated due to his several agonizing acts against Indigenous people. Christopher was a ruthless and cruel gold digger who is responsible for destructions, such as, the enslavement and torturing of native people. While enslavement was not unusual at the time, his level of disregard for their welfare exceeded even the loose standards of the time. He worked people to death, gave horrific punishments for the least of crimes, and had dead natives butchered and sold as dog food. This definitely should not be celebrated upon as it is an insult to the Indigenous people in the Americas that suffered from his actions. To begin with, Columbus was harsh with his own crew who supported him, and to the native people of America. In the book, ‘Columbus: The Four Voyages,’ Laurence Bergreen points out that Columbus didn’t even treat his own...
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...Jozy Martinez Mr. R Art History October 21,2014 Christopher Columbus Throughout history both men and women have brought changes all over this world, whether it was through revolution, discoveries, or simple changes in the way of life. One of these important people is Christopher Columbus. About five hundred years ago, the world was known to be flat, this was until Columbus came along. His main goal was to find a new way to get to Asia, instead he had discovered something even bigger than a new trade route, he discovered a whole new world. Although this might seem as though he was viewed as someone who helped benefit the world (a hero), Christopher Columbus can also be classified as a terrorist due to the way he treated the natives he found on his journey and how he took control of their natural resources. Christopher Columbus, the son of a poor wool merchant, was born in 1451 in Genoa (Italy). Columbus had worked for his father in his early years until he was a teenager. He had gotten a job on a merchant ship that traded their goods at various ports in the Mediterranean Sea. Between his voyages he studied both cartography (mapmaking) and geography. In the 1470’s, Columbus had travelled and live in Portugal. This was the greatest European seafaring center of the age, which meant that it was the center for explorers. During his stay in Portugal he studied mathematics, astronomy and navigation. Together with all his mastered skills he began to...
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...Christopher Columbus Hero to Zero America. Land of the free and home of the brave. We as Americans are very proud of our accomplishments. One of the first things we learn as kids is the Pledge of Allegiance. Every morning we recite this poem celebrating America. We are so proud that we dedicate whole days to honor and celebrate our accomplishments. For example, Veterans Day honors veterans and victims of all wars. It also celebrates the end of WWI. Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors and celebrates one of the most powerful and influential civil rights leaders of all time. However, Columbus Day celebrates a murderer, rapist, self centered, slave owner. Why would we want to celebrate him? Columbus Day should not be celebrated because he created negative consequences that still exist to this day....
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...Against Imperialism In 1590, Protestant, Theodor de Bry painted a picture showing Indigenous people working at a silver mine in South America. This picture represents a negative impact of imperialism because Indigenous people weren't originally working as slaves. Theodor de Bry was against imperialism because he saw these innocent people working for the European imperialists. He had nothing to do with it, except question. Missionary, Bartolome de Las Casas wrote down the cruel act committed to the Indigenous people in New Spain. It was an incident he witnessed on the island of Cuba. As said in the letter, it is understood that the Spanish people had turned on the Indigenous people and tried to hurt them. This is against imperialism because, Bartolome saw how nice the indigenous people were, but saw how bad the spanish people were. That is why he stated “ the Devil” for the spanish people. Wamán Puma drew a...
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...I have been informed that you are in a debate over Columbus Day and its status as an official Federal holiday. From what I’ve heard in the news, you are taking the side of honoring the famous explorer, I however, disagree with you. I agree that Christopher Columbus’s contributions in navigation and exploration shaped life today greatly, although did he cause more harm than good? My main argument against celebrating Columbus Day is when Columbus reached the Americas, it resulted in many negative impacts on life preexisting there. One of which being the effect on the native americans. Many experts now believe that the New World was home to 40 million to 50 million people before Columbus arrived and that most of them died within decades. In Mexico...
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...Christopher Columbus: The Original American Hero? Was Columbus a hero or a villain? Maybe it’s neither. Columbus was brave and daring, and did things that were important to world history. But he wasn’t heroic in the sense of displaying great moral qualities. Courage, while generally a good character trait, isn’t necessarily heroic or even highly honorable and praiseworthy unless it’s deployed in certain kinds of actions or causes. But he also wasn’t especially villainous in the sense of displaying particular evil qualities. His arrival in the Americas caused a great deal of death to American Indians, chiefly from disease. And it caused the subjugation and literal or virtual enslavement of the Indians. But this didn’t stem from Columbus’s being an unusually evil person. It stemmed from the brutality of the time, coupled with the contact between one culture that was much more powerful than another (and that carried many communicable diseases to which members of the other culture lacked resistance). I’m inclined to say that we shouldn’t celebrate Columbus Day, precisely because such national celebrations should be focused on honoring people who did things that were both especially important and especially honorable (such as veterans, President Washington, or Martin Luther King, Jr.) and not just on people who did things that were especially important. This might conceivably include not-necessarily-good people who did things that were unambiguously good. But European expansion...
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...Columbus betrayed the Native Americans more than once; therefore, he should be remembered as a villain rather than a hero. Throughout his voyages, Columbus continually made selfish decisions that only benefitted himself. He viewed the natives as “slaves” and knew that their loyalty would greatly benefit him (Doc 2). Christopher Columbus saw people differently and would try to find their weakness as soon as possible so that he could get information that could help him learn more about where he was (Doc 3). This would give him an advantage to knowing more about the location they were at and it would make it easier on himself and harder on the natives. If we look deeper, Columbus had no mercy and would do a lot of things, whether it be killing...
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...time, at last to speak the unforgiving truth about the settlers coming to America. What would you say is the significance of the Europeans coming to America? Well, there isn't much once seen the mast destruction and harm done. Our nation and economy being shaped by greed does not excuse Columbus, and account for the many lives lost. There are many immoral things to be addressed, but the few that must be, are the great gift of imported diseases brought all the way from lovely Europe to the Western Hemisphere, the horrific and sadistic torture and killing done to the Native Americans, and the impact of the settler’s destruction. First and foremost, the issue being addressed is the importing of diseases from Europe to the Western Hemisphere. Columbus and his settler’s managed to spread syphilis, gonorrhea and smallpox to the Western Hemisphere which in return killed many Native Americans. At the time these diseases were incurable, and so leaving the infected to perish painfully. These diseases, syphilis and gonorrhea originated primarily from food and water which was contaminated with fecal matter, and also caused by unsanitary habits-like the lack of bathing. Smallpox was different due to Columbus purposely infecting the Native American’s Pillow, and blankets. This was intentional and this was murder. In addition to, as if diseases weren’t enough, the Native Americans were killed, maimed, tortured, enslaved, imprisoned, sexually molested, taken away from their families, and...
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