Christopher Columbus

Skyler Nelson

Judge Brown

History to 1877

15 January 2016

Christopher Columbus

        “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and he proved to all of Europe that the earth was round. Columbus felt he would eventually reach the Indies in the East. Many Europeans still believed the world was flat. Columbus, they thought, would fall off the earth.” America Past and Present (Scott Foresman, 1983), 98. Quoted in Russell, Inventing the Flat Earth, 3. The schools who teach this are half right. Columbus did set sail for what would end up being the Americas in 1492, but no educated person in 1492 believed the earth was flat. In fact, almost no educated person believed the earth to be flat past the 3rd Century BC, when Eratosthenes (an Egyptian) calculated the diameter of the earth with only 2% error (Eratosthenes’ Calculation of Earth's Circumference). He had strengths and weaknesses as every person does, yet the controversy between “hero or villain" still remains. He had a great impact on the cultures and people he encountered while on his adventures but was more focused in enhancing himself rather than the Spanish Crown, which leaves me to label him as a villain more so than a hero.

        Christopher Columbus was persistent, resilient, flexible, and able to adapt. He was the first, not to conceive the plan, but to persevere until he found backing for it. He was however, stubborn, deceitful, egotistical and greedy. Perseverance in Columbus sometimes went too far and it turned into stubbornness. This hurt him at times and was almost fatal at others. For example, Columbus was convinced that Asia was closer than it was. Even when more educated geographers disagreed, he stubbornly refused to change his view; this could have been fatal. If there had been no land between Europe and Asia, Columbus and his crew would have died. It was his error that inspired him to proceed with his plan. This also demonstrates his lack of judgement. Another example of this would be when Columbus was faced with the rebellion led by Roldan. In settling with Roldan, Columbus granted the labor services of chiefs to his men. This far exceeded his authority to grant land grants according to merit. This connects his lack of judgement with slavery as well. He consistently displeased the crown by taking slaves or proposing to take them and sell them. He was deceitful. He used evidence to suit his purposes, and if there was no evidence, he made it up. It was this deceit combined with his ambition that caused him to set up unfulfillable expectations that eventually caused him a great deal of trouble.

        Whether Columbus is being praised for the advances of the modern world or blamed for the horrors of the modern world, the impact he had on the cultures he encountered were monumental. Upon arriving, Arawak men and women ran to greet them; brought them food, water, gifts. Columbus responded: (by writing in his journal) They ... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned... . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane... . They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want (Columbus, The Indians, and Human Progress). He took some of the natives by force to benefit himself and his people. He was doing so in his best self-interest. Disapproval from the crown did not stop him and he continued to take Arawaks as prisoners and demand that they take him to find gold. He murdered the Indians who gave him any trouble. Throughout his years in the New World, Columbus enacted policies of forced labor in which natives were put to work for the sake of profits. Later, Columbus sent thousands of peaceful Taino “Indians” from the island of Hispaniola to Spain to be sold. Many of whom died en route. Those left behind were forced to search for gold in mines and on plantations. Columbus brought chaos unto the Indians, slavery, murder, rape, thievery. He and his crew did nothing but destroy everything the natives worked so hard to build. Disease killed most, if it had not been murder first.