...Christopher Columbus was a Spanish explorer who sailed from Europe to North America and is considerably responsible for contributing to the creation of what would later become the United States of America, to the point of having a holiday dedicated to his work as an explorer. Columbus Day is an American holiday which celebrates both establishing of American colonization AND the destruction of a majority of Native Americans. Two reasons why the holiday should be abolished are that Columbus was practically a tyrant to the Natives and that he did not discover the Americas at all. He promoted greed, rape, slavery and was not the true founder of the Americas as they have already been inhabited by living human beings. Christopher Columbus was basically a tyrannical Spaniard who enslaved countless Native Americans and punished them harshly whenever they didn’t do work. He ordered his followers to kidnap and rape many Native American females as young as 9-10 years old. He got his men to set out dogs to feed on the flesh of Native Americans as a way of taking advantage of their constant nudity. One last cruel thing he did was put wooden slats over the tongues of depressed Natives who cried out in...
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...Christopher Columbus was a villain because he was motivated by greed, spread disease, and was a slaver. Christopher Columbus was motivated by greed. Columbus wanted to be rich beyond belief. Columbus wanted to have someone besides himself put up the money for his trips across the Atlantic. Columbus made the people of the village (his slaves of the new world) mine his gold to take back to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Columbus stole the gold from the natives to bring back to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Christopher Columbus spread diseases across the new land that the Indians had never seen before. Columbus spread Malaria, Mumps, he also spread the deadly Whooping Cough. The natives had no idea on how to fight these deadly and painful diseases so these diseases wiped out every 1 in 3 natives. Christopher Columbus was a slaver. He forced the natives to mine gold for him . He made his sea crew work when they wanted to go back. He made the women of the village do “ACTS” for him. He stole the gold from the natives....
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...driving force for all cultures can be summed up by one simple word, and that word is greed. Many of the countries that had power at the time were greedy savages and all they wanted was more land and power. Countries that were powerful at the time were Spain, Portugal, Japan, and others. Also in the countries the governing body of them had their way or the highway they did not care what had to be done or who had to be killed. If the ruler of a certain country did not like something they did not care what had to be done to stop it. Powerful countries at the time such as Spain and Portugal only cared about power and one word that sums them up is greed. During the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth century Spain was one of the most powerful countries. When Columbus set sail in 1492, he founded the Americas and all that came with the, such as gold spices, and other expenses, this is how Spain became extremely rich and powerful. This land that Columbus founded was known as the New World. It is described by Michel de Montaigne in Of Cannibals " New World so lately discovered: for that almost touched upon Spain, and it were an incredible effect of an inundation, to have tumbled back so prodigious a mass, above twelve hundred leagues." Columbus was known for founding the Americas, the truth was he set sail for the Indies. When he landed in the America's he thought it was the Indies. As Columbus wrote in his letter to the King and Queen he said " As I know you will be rejoiced...
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...Christopher Columbus: “Hero or Villain?” While many schoolbooks present Christopher Columbus as the famous Italian explorer who discovered America, history has painted a much more complicated picture. For a long time people are arguing was Christopher Columbus actually a hero or a villain? Was the man from Genoa a brave explorer or greedy invader? A gifted navigator or reckless adventurer? The man who laid the foundation for that most glittering daughter of the Western heritage: America is definitely a hero. Christopher Columbus was one of the greatest sailors and explorers of all time; in present time and in the past he represents a hero for the people. “He had made great proficiency in geography, astronomy and drawing, as they were necessary...
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...Oliver Professor Scott ENG-ENF 3/III April 23, 2016 We Should Abolish Columbus Day Only two federal holidays in the United States bear the name of two specific men, ironically one of them fought racism -- Martin Luther King Jr., and the other was a genocidal racist – Chistopher Columbus. Opposition to Columbus Day (observed on the second Monday of October) has intensified in recent decades, while the former passes each year with relatively little controversy. The issue of if we should still celebrate Columbus Day is widely discussed. The topic remains important because it concerns fundamental moral and economic questions related to the origin of how Christopher Columbus got his recognition. In my essay I will touch on the ongoing debate of if we should erase Columbus Day as one of our federal holidays. As our young minds are still developing and processing information of our history, which hopefully holds an importance to the American citizens of this great nation, there is a poem taught to children about our history. How does the saying go? Ah, yes! In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… We are taught that Columbus is viewed a valiant adventurer that opened up the worlds eyes by discovering the Americas; on the contrary, he is perceived a symbol of slavery and genocide. His trip to America is often claimed as a voyage of bravery in his attempts to discover new lands and did however lead to the permanent colonization, settlement, political and economic...
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...3, 1492, Columbus set sail for the Indies and by mid-October had found land. Once met with the indigenous people, Columbus determined them to be more apt to religious conversion if introduced gently rather than by force. He wrote that he believed these people to be good people, full of good will for each other. Columbus went on to describe the people in great detail, from how their hair looked to their stance, speaking of them as if he were viewing show horses. It later becomes clear why, as he writes that they would make excellent servants and that he plans to take six of them with him on his voyage home. Columbus was taking detailed notes of these people not from awe of their beauty, but for their potential price tag as a slave. It becomes difficult to continue believing that Columbus’s good intentions were not lost to greed, but as his journal continues so does his...
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...Dark times of the Native American Indians The foundation of the United States is based on the belief of peace, freedom and equality, which is enjoyed and practiced by most of the people in this “Country of Liberty.” However, the idea of equality and freedom does not apply to every person living in the U.S. Luis Valdez, an American writer, once said: “No Statue of Liberty ever greeted our arrival in this country. We did not, in fact, come to the United States at all. The United States came to us.” Growing up, children in the U.S. learn little of what has truly happened to the vast population of the Indigenous people on the continent? What has led to such a drastic decease of their culture and tradition? The answer lies in a dark part of the...
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...should “unconditionally and of their own free will [become] Christians.” The letter was very threatening, and stated that failure to convert into Christianity would lead to oppression against themselves as well as everything and everyone they loved. Ferdinand and Columbus were on the same side concerning the value of Native American lives. Bartolome de Las Casas claimed that the Spaniards Christians were the most violent. Columbus and all of his men were most likely the reason in which Bartolome de Las Casas wrote this. The Spaniards believed that the Taíno were the problem, but thought their inhumane acts were in some way justifiable. The Spaniards would often torture Indians for their unChristian religious beliefs, mostly because of Ferdinand’s letter. They believed that their torture methods were simply manual labor. By that time, the Taíno were seemingly slaves....
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...Final Research Paper: Tainos, The indigenous people Before the discovery of the new world, it has been known of the various indigenous people that once inhabited our lands. The more popular natives such as the Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs have been widely sought out in today’s age, unlike other lesser-known tribes such as the Tainos. Today many tribes have vastly decreased in number and size, but there are those who still practice and familiarize themselves with their heritage. I myself can relate to this small percentage of people, due to the fact I am descendent of the Tainos from Cuba. Hence, I decided to make my research paper based on the history of my heritage: The Tainos. The word Taino derived from the meaning “men of the good.” Based on historical facts, the Tainos were indeed good people. These indigenous people established a culture where the human temperament was kind. Among the Taino at the time of contact, generosity and kindness were governing values in society as well as directed towards an ecological interaction with the natural surroundings. It suggested a lifestyle that tried to feed its entire people, and a spirituality that was valued, through ceremonies. The Taino lived humbly in an abundant place and so their environment was abundant. The Tainos & Ciboneys were related to the cultural Arawak group, who was one of the main indigenous people of South America and the Caribbean. They spoke Taino, which was considered Arawak language...
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...major accomplishment; it resulted in only a few blunders and it was impressive that Columbus was able to even make it back to Spain, let alone with two ships still somewhat intact. This speaks largely to the character of Columbus, it no doubt took someone with charisma, strong leadership, confidence, and steely determination to carry out the task he set himself on. The second greatest accomplishment that Columbus is responsible for is the foundation of Santo Domingo, a new city suitable for waterfront commerce and less harsh than other settlements Columbus had tried to start. Previously to the foundation of Santo Domingo, Columbus had brought 1,500 settlers to the original colony from his first voyage consisting...
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...Bartolome’ de las Casas was a priest maintainer of records for Christopher Columbus. De la Casas was also called a traitor. He describes his accounts of how the Spaniards treated the Indians even with a high chance of repercussions to himself. He was the first to push for the Indians to receive rights. He does this through the use of his document, “The Devastation of the Indies”, to lay out the mistreatment of the Indians in the New World. His focus was on the differences on both Indians and Spaniards character, and the way the Spaniards treated the Indians. De las Casas’ view of the Indians was that they were a meek, and quiet culture, without being wicked to others, and faithful to even the Spaniards. He saw that they were slow to anger and did not take things personally. Indians had no interest in the same worldly goods as the Spaniards. Without immunities to the ailments from the Spaniards it greatly affected the health of the Indians. Unfortunately, this typically led to death in most situations. This peaceful group did not have or want tangible items,...
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...probably heard of the Americans winning the west from the Mexicans and Native Americans, but probably not how the Indians suffered the loss. The Americans wanted land to keep expanding their country so they kept taking and taking from the Indians until they had nothing left. The Indians tried to offer peace and kindness, and in return, the whites did nothing to help them. If it wasn’t for the Indians that helped the Europeans when they first landed, they would have died, and the Indians could have lived peacefully. But that wasn’t the case, instead, whites were corrupted by greed and violence to stop and think about how they were harming the natives. As boatloads of Europeans were coming from the east, coasts became more crowded, so they needed more land....
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...nothing that will reverse it. The incipient world as we know it has been undergoing a drastic era for biological globalization since the landing of the Europeans between the fifteen and the eighteen century. This era is known as the Columbian exchange and commenced in the year 1492 when Christopher Columbus and his crew sailed the Atlantic, exploring more advantages. Beckles & Shepherd suggest in his book Liberties lost, “that the European’s instinct was to reach Asia by sailing deep into the Western Atlantic. His quest was to find Asia, craving for the riches of Asia. Lost in the Caribbean Sea, he found indigenous people of Bahamas whose posture of welcome ushered into a global era.” (2004, p.35) Columbus’ first voyage was one of revelation in which he took the prospect to explore much places as he can. As history tells us, he made a series of voyages scooping new discoveries and engagements with the people who he encountered with on his journey. He first landed in the Bahamas. Columbus took with him soldiers, conquistador, murders, farmers and people of all classes who were moved by greed, and thirst for a better future. In this essay we will take an explicit look into the Columbian exchange, how it affect the Indian society, its impact on the old and new world. “The Columbian exchange” can be described as the exchange of plants, increase in human populations,...
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...Clayton Partridge World History to 1750 Professor Schultz Colonization and the First Globalization In order for one to gain a better knowledge of how terrestrial and ocean colonization unfolded in the Americas, Siberia, Africa, and China, a person must first understand the definition of colonization. Simply put, colonization is an ongoing process of control by which a central system of power dominates the surrounding land and its components. This means that a foreign government moves into the land and seizes control; gaining power, natural resources, and a larger economy. In the year 1492, an Italian explorer by the name of Christopher Columbus set out on an expedition departing from Spain in search of a faster ocean route to reach Asia. Him and his crew set foot on an island in the Bahamas 36 days after deporting from Spain. While in the Bahamas, Columbus and his men visited a total of three islands and built a settlement on Hispaniola Island with salvaged wreckage from one of their ships. Convinced he had reached Asia, he then set sail back to Spain with the two remaining ships. Columbus failed to find what he set out for – a new route to Asia along with the riches it promised, and he passed away short of success in 1506. However, Columbus was still successful in other terms. He is credited with the discovery of the New World and opening the Americas for European colonization. Following Columbus’s discovery, European nations that were on the Atlantic Rim exploited...
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...The discovery of “New World” did not begin with Christopher Columbus and colonizing did not end because of Roanoke. Despite the methods of colonizing, the Spanish and English both raced to the Americas to expand their empires and open up the world. The colonies established by the Spanish and the English were prosperous; however, their tactics for establishing these new regions were both akin and different. To begin with, the manner that the Spanish colonized the “New World” was different from the approach that the English colonized. The Spanish were cruel and brutal to the indigenous peoples. According The Black Legend, the Spanish were vindictive and they massacred the Aztec people by the thousands. Or they killed the people indirectly by smallpox and/or other diseases. The article continues to support this claim by stating "The 1492 arrival of the Spanish in the New World "was an invasion" fueled by greed and leading to "an annihilation" (The Black Legend). The Indians weren't the only people aware of the Spanish cruelty either, William of Orange describes that Spain, "committed such horrible excesses that all barbarities, cruelties and tyrannies ever perpetrated” (The Black Legend). William of Orange could not help the Natives suffering under the colonizing efforts of the conquistadors, because the other European countries were inferior to the Spanish power. Bernal Diaz, a soldier in the army of Cortes, wrote, "We came here to serve God, and also get rich", verifying that...
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