Is Christopher Columbus a hero or villain?
For many years, people have debated about whether or not Christopher Columbus should be considered a hero or villain. Both sides of the argument share valid points. While he can be thought of as a great explorer that colonized the Americas, he also committed horrendous crimes against the Natives. Without his discoveries, our life may not be the same even today. Even though he did a few positive things that have great effects now, he could also be considered a villain for some incredibly serious things he did, that also affect our world today. For example, he and his troops killed off millions of Arawaks, either by spreading deadly diseases or enslaving and brutally beating them, thereby diminishing their population. We believe that Columbus was a selfish slave trader who carelessly slaughtered and took many people away from their families, simply to lessen the failure he felt in finding a new trade route.
Queen Isabella of Spain sent Columbus on a mission to discover a new trade route to the Indies. He set sail in the Santa Maria, along with a crew in two other ships. He happened to land upon an island in the Bahamas, called San Salvador, which was inhabited by the Arawaks. They immediately greeted Columbus on the island, offering him gifts. However, instead of being thankful he immediately saw their graciousness and kindhearted nature as a way to enslave them. He wrote 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 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.” He and his men eventually enslaved the Arawak population. They were treated as less than humans and were savagely beaten and murdered. In addition, as was aforementioned, the Spanish also spread smallpox to the Arawaks, which wiped out millions of them.
After he was done oppressing the Arawaks, he traveled to Hispaniola, where he was a tyrant that kept all profits for himself. Here, he planned to colonize Hispaniola. He was appointed as the governor, but unfortunately was terrible at his job. He promised the Natives wealth and gold, but did not uphold his end of the deal. He found barely any gold, but still kept it all for himself. Eventually, it was decided that his trip was a failure and he was out of supplies, so he was forced to return to Spain. However, on his voyage back he brought many slaves with him, some of whom were wild cannibals. The slaves tried to resist all of the European’s attempts to conquer them. Though, Queen Isabella disagreed with Columbus and had the slaves freed.
Overall, Columbus did very few positive acts for our world. He made many accidental discoveries, proving that he didn’t have any extraordinary talent or skill. In addition, he unfairly oppressed and killed millions of Natives, and by doing so, destroyed their culture. He was essentially an ignorant barbarian that annihilated the land he happened upon, along with the people that inhabited it. The negative things he did far outweigh the positives, making him a clear villain.
Queen Isabella of Spain sent Columbus on a mission to discover a new trade route to the Indies. He set sail in the Santa Maria, along with a crew in two other ships. He happened to land upon an island in the Bahamas, called San Salvador, which was inhabited by the Arawaks. They immediately greeted Columbus on the island, offering him gifts. However, instead of being thankful he immediately saw their graciousness and kindhearted nature as a way to enslave them. He wrote 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 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.” He and his men eventually enslaved the Arawak population. They were treated as less than humans and were savagely beaten and murdered. In addition, as was aforementioned, the Spanish also spread smallpox to the Arawaks, which wiped out millions of them.
After he was done oppressing the Arawaks, he traveled to Hispaniola, where he was a tyrant that kept all profits for himself. Here, he planned to colonize Hispaniola. He was appointed as the governor, but unfortunately was terrible at his job. He promised the Natives wealth and gold, but did not uphold his end of the deal. He found barely any gold, but still kept it all for himself. Eventually, it was decided that his trip was a failure and he was out of supplies, so he was forced to return to Spain. However, on his voyage back he brought many slaves with him, some of whom were wild cannibals. The slaves tried to resist all of the European’s attempts to conquer them. Though, Queen Isabella disagreed with Columbus and had the slaves freed.
Overall, Columbus did very few positive acts for our world. He made many accidental discoveries, proving that he didn’t have any extraordinary talent or skill. In addition, he unfairly oppressed and killed millions of Natives, and by doing so, destroyed their culture. He was essentially an ignorant barbarian that annihilated the land he happened upon, along with the people that inhabited it. The negative things he did far outweigh the positives, making him a clear villain.