Premium Essay

Why Is Christopher Columbus Wrong

Submitted By
Words 818
Pages 4
Christopher Columbus was a cruel, atrocious, and egotistic, man who should not be glorified for the discovery of America. Inaccurately known as the first person to think the Earth was round, a mass murderer, and a fabricator for being known as the first to “discover America”.
Christopher Columbus is widely known as the first person to discover America, which is a false statement. He was not the first person to see the New World but took credit for the discovery, he promised a reward of gold to whoever first saw land, a sailor named Rodrigo de Tirana was the first person to see the New World but Columbus took credit for spotting it himself. Christopher Columbus did not believe the earth was flat, Ancient Greek mathematicians had already proven …show more content…
The Natives, which include the Lucayans, Tainos and Arawak’s discovered North America before Columbus was born. Christopher Columbus noted in his diary “They offered to share with anyone and when you ask for something, they never say no,” also the day the Santa Maria was shipwrecked the Arawak labored for hours to help save his crew and cargo . Even after the Natives helped Columbus and his men without being asked he still took their people as slaves, killed and raped them. He forced the natives to work gold mines until they died of exhaustion, if they didn’t deliver the proper amount of gold by his deadline, soldiers would cut the men’s hands off and tie them around their neck. In response many Natives committed suicide, if a slave attempted to escape they would be burned alive or had dogs hunt them down and tear them apart. Sex slaves were usually sold around the age of nine to the Spanish and were rewards for his men finding gold. He once said “A hundred castellanoes are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls: those from nine to ten are now in demand” As Columbus sent the natives back to Europe as slaves many did not

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Why Is Christopher Columbus Wrong

...Columbus Not A Man Worth Honoring? Is Christopher Columbus not worth honoring? Why would anyone ask that question, well it's because of a lot of reasons. First of all he did NOT discover the New World the Native American did. Second of all Columbus was actually a horrible man who is extremely egotistical. Everyone knows who Christopher Columbus is and why he is important to history. He's important because he was the first man to “ discover the New World ” so of course he's made a big contribution to history. He evan has his own holiday called Columbus day every year on October 10th. Most kids learning about Columbus think it's interesting that he discovered America, I did before I learned the truth about Columbus. It's turns out that Columbus didn’t discover The New World first and also he didn’t ssil to prove the world was round because most people in Europe know the world wasn’t flat. Columbus also happened to be very egotistical and abusive to his crew. Christopher Columbus should not be considered a hero for discovering America but he should be acclaimed for making a map to get from America and Europe....

Words: 296 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Christopher Columbus: A True Hero

...1. In Christopher Columbus’s extracts he is described as a hero for being the first to discover the “New Land” which to me, is very admirable. Christopher spent several years to get sponsored by the Queen of Spain to sponsor his first voyage with much hope and expectations for this journey. He set sail in 1492, finding the new land and meeting the “Indians” now known as, the Native Americans. Christopher brought a few men back from the New Land, receiving gifts such as, “balls of cotton thread…and many other things such as glass beads and hawk’s bells” (Columbus). Hopeful thinking for what else Christopher could discover with more time. Thus, becoming a true Hero. 2. Las Casas views about Christopher Columbus as a hero contradicted how Columbus...

Words: 597 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Why Shouldn T We Celebrate Columbus Day?

...Christopher Columbus sailed for Spain in 1492 and claimed all islands around San Salvador looking for gold. Spain eventually sent Columbus back to create an Empire. America should not celebrate Columbus day because of Columbus cruel punishments towards others, the way he influenced today's world, and the way he did not prove the new world. Christopher Columbus caused cruel punishment by cutting people hands off, making dogs attack the Native Americans, and him and his men would hunt people for sport. Columbus influence today's world through slavery, integration, and genocide. Finally, Columbus did not prove the new world because people already lived in the new world, he never set foot in North America, and he didn’t prove the earth was round. We shouldn’t celebrate Columbus day because of his cruel punishment towards...

Words: 714 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Similarities Between Christopher Columbus And Vastation Of The Indies

...In the two accounts of the Indies, both use very precise details on what they have discovered and found. However, both represent two different times in the Indies. Christopher Columbus’s account is during the time in which they were first discovering the Indies. The Account of the Devastation of the Indies is after the discovering and when the Spaniards have populated and colonized the Indies. Christopher Columbus’s attitude differs from the Bartoleme de Las Casas’s account in a way that Christopher Columbus is more amazed. He is writing on all of the new land and people that he has discovered. This makes his attitude more joyful and is overall very satisfied with his discovery. He assumes that these people are the nicest people in the world...

Words: 359 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Columbus vs Casa

...Paper 1      Christopher Columbus and​artolomé De Las Casas were both two men who   ​ B have left legacies that are admired, criticized, idolized, rationalized and despised by  adventuring  out to find the three motivators that have lead to the foundings of what we  call America. Christopher Columbus and Bartolomé De Las Casas both set out with the  three motives: God, Glory and Gold. God, Glory and Gold also known as the three G’s  are labeled as the roots of the age of discovery during the mid­fifteenth century and  ending in the mid­seventeenth century. Of the three motives each had a higher priority  for each one and their priority of each motive led to different ways of exploration and  conquering. While both Christopher Columbus and Bartolomé De Las Casas had  similarities that we can compare, Christopher Columbus set out in his voyage with a  craving appetite for Gold. On the other hand Bartolomé De Las Casas had other  ambitions. Bartolomé De Las Casas set out with the ambition of converting the Indians  to Christianity which supports that De Las Casas prioritized God over Glory and Gold.  Even though both Columbus and De Las Casas were both on similar missions their    desires differed when looking at the three G’s and their place in the discoveries with  Columbus and the settling in the new colonies with De Las Casas.     Christopher Columbus born in 1451­1506 was a sailor who was heavily  influenced by the 13th Century voyages of Marco Polo...

Words: 1277 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

American Inequality and Its Origins

...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...

Words: 2024 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Columbus

...Columbus: Hero or Villain As children we learned that Christopher Columbus was a hero, the discoverer of America. Was he? Perhaps he found a land that had not yet been discovered by Europeans, and bought about trades we know of today, but is that enough to be deemed a hero? He has been acknowledged as the man who discovered the world was round, yet “the Greeks knew, five hundred years before Christ, that the world is a sphere”. (Koning 29) So why was he continually credited for discoveries others made before him? To learn about the real Columbus we must look at all accounts regarding his travels, his contributions and most importantly his downfalls. Many people believed Christopher Columbus to have had good intentions, yet in fact, he was deceitful, murderous, and an enslaver of the people inhabiting the so called New World. Christopher Columbus was born Cristoforo Colombo to a merchant and his wife in Genoa. He was a seaman and a chart maker, but he enjoyed being at sea the most. He married and had a son. When his first wife died, he had another son with a mistress. He was looking for funding to set sail on the Atlantic. The year was 1492 when Columbus was finally ready to sail in search of new lands. He had tried several times to get funding for his voyages and it wasn’t until early in 1492 that he received all that he wanted and needed to prepare for his voyage. Despite the uncertainty they felt regarding Columbus achieving his goal of traveling west and finding new...

Words: 1456 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Native American Colonization Essay

...to the Natives. Christopher Columbus appropriated the Natives for what they were capable of and what they had available on their land. He forcibly converted the Natives into Christians. According to Columbus, the Natives were very timid and scared. This would make them easier to control, but would make it wrong for just as many reasons. They were treated unfairly and were forced to do things that should not be forced among others. Colonization of the Europeans in...

Words: 679 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Misrepresentation Of Mesoamerica In Popular Culture

...Probably the only thing that they had forgotten to develop was the gun, for this is what marked the difference between the Spanish and the natives when the time of conquest came. The story of how Christopher Columbus laid claim of this vast territory for the monarch in Spain is legendary, the debates that presided the invasion has been the subject of countless debates. However, none of these form the core of this paper. The focus in this part of the series will be on how Mesoamerica has been represented in history since its first contact with the western world and how these people have represented themselves throughout this time. This paper takes the position that by and large, western historians, anthropologists and archeologists have often misrepresented the vast pool of interrelated cultures that existed within the time frame in question. The paper will justify this claim by examining the various arguments and counterarguments that have been...

Words: 1298 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Bartolome De Las Casas Research Paper

...In the 16th century, Bartolomé de Las Casas was a Spanish historian who became famous for defending the rights of the Native Americans. Spaniards brutality and devastation to the Natives allow Bartolomé to stand against all odds on the conquest and colonization of the New World. He was ultimately named the sole protector of the Natives. Additionally, with his family being connected with Christopher Columbus during the second voyage, Bartolomé de Las Casas became editor for Columbus journals further on in history. On the voyage to creating the New World by the Spaniards, Bartolomé was part of the audience who witnessed the devastation the Christians brought upon the Indians. Abundance of food was taken, women and children were put to death,...

Words: 525 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Stuff

...Kortney Mayorga Solar System Astronomy 03/19/2016 Not Worth It? Traveling to uncharted lands and expanding territory is what humans have been doing for centuries. Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark—all traveling the globe to explore. It only makes sense that once the world has been identified that we continue our exploration further into a world beyond our own… Right? Wrong. Traveling to destinations where you know people could possibly or already do exist is much different than traveling to a place where you know that a human would not survive. Both dangerous and risky, not only are you putting a person’s life at risk willingly, but you’re paying billions of dollars—money that could be used on society or other sciences that are much less dangerous—to do it. That’s right; despite the fact that supposedly space exploration prices are at an “all-time low” right now, financially, what does that really look like? Picture the Hoover Dam between Nevada and Arizona, a structure of pure concrete 726 feet tall. Now picture eight-hundred of them. That’s the cost of a space exploration trip to Mars at the moment. To afford this kind of exploration would require the cutting of health-care benefits, education spending, or tax raising. In the end, many of those that never asked for this trip to be done would be paying for it. It almost makes more sense to just put all the money you own in a rocket and send it up in space to see what would happen—that’s basically what we would...

Words: 433 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Show Me Your Papers

...implied the increase of certain diseases due to the majority of immigrants coming from areas where disease control and prevention isn’t as well controlled as some may believe it should be. The advocates on the other side of the spectrum base their beliefs in areas such as an open global market, with new opportunities in careers and education provides better opportunities and opens more doors for people of different countries to succeed. Cultural exchange is also a springboard for immigration. The belief that interchanging of ideas, knowledge and expertise can be a prosperous and provides economic growth for all parties concerned especially in today’s competitive global market place. Although both sides of this debate have varying reasons why they are for or against immigration, one thing to me is very clear; those who have or have access to any and everything that one could need or want, desires badly to protect and hoard what they have, in fear of losing what they have. Those who don’t have or don’t even have access to basic needs not to...

Words: 402 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Philosophy Paper

...From the time we are born we have expectations in society to abide by. Girls are put in “girl” colors; boys are put in “boy” colors. If you ask someone why those are “girl” colors or “boy” colors the response is generally “because they are”. Who decided that those colors have a gender preference? Who even decided those are those colors? This class led me to question society itself and realize we give things an identity based on what we are told. The most important thing I learned was the inverted spectrum. I am going to define what the inverted spectrum is, explain what it is, and provide examples how it applies to everyday lives. Then I will explain that the inverted spectrum is important to me because in reality no one can understand my mental state no matter how I explain it, I learned to think for myself, and perception is our reality even though it may be completely false. I will then explain some counter arguments against my reasons such as knowing someone’s mental state because of a similar event or emotion and that we believe what we believe based on facts that are then passed down from person to person. Then I will explain how the counter arguments are incorrect. Finally, I will conclude my argument. The inverted spectrum suggests things are not just input, output because of our own experiences. We do not learn through input and output such as mathematics but our experiences. What this means is someone could pick up a pink crayon but see black but are always told...

Words: 3935 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Leadership Lessons from Antigone

...| Harvard University | | | Lessons from Antigone | | | | by | | | | Barry Humphries | | | | 31/01/2010 | | | | | | | | | We love our heroes. In sports, it’s Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods. Exploration? Christopher Columbus and Captain James Cook. Business? Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch are revered by millions. No matter how fast, far or rich, how ruthless, mercenary or arrogant – it seems we can’t get enough. The question is, are we creating heroes or monsters? In the play Antigone, Sophocles draws Creon as an autocratic dictator, interested only in political order and public obedience to the state. His stubbornness renders him unable to feel the injustice of his decree and ultimately rewards his blindness with personal tragedy. Could it be that Sophocles is asking us to question the qualities of unwavering focus, resolve and commitment – celebrated by many as being vital attributes of effective leadership (Avolio, 1999)? Qualities which in the case of Creon, may also be categorised as sociopathic or even psychopathic (Babiak & Hare, 2006). Sub-clinical socio/psychopathic traits such as narcissism, impulsivity, superiority, low-empathy and self-promotion are ironically also those that may assist individuals in rising to the top of the corporate or government ladder (Boddy, 2009). Paradoxically, these traits are often accompanied by the more positively held attributes of charisma, ambition and opportunism (Andrews & Furniss...

Words: 482 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Importance Of The Master Narrative

...One day I was driving with my eight-year-old brother to the store and he began to talk to me about Christopher Columbus and how they are learning that he discovered America in school. He looked at me straight in the eye with a confused face and said “that's not what he did Esme he was a murderer,” he knew this because when my sisters and I would talk about certain aspects of history he was there listening to everything. This was around the same time that we were discussing censorship through school curriculum so I felt that if my little brother understood it then other children could too. When he was talking about this it sounded a lot like the class was learning from a hegemonic device. School is where kids are being taught the “history” of how America came to be a diverse country. Through the course Culture Power and School Knowledge, one can see that the “history” being taught through the Master Narrative is one-sided. The Master Narrative focuses on “history” that comes from the people who hold power therefore excluding the actual experiences of the people of color meaning that it is a hegemonic device. Being a...

Words: 1753 - Pages: 8