An Italian by birth, Columbus was born in 1435 and was originally from Genoa. His father, Dominic Columbus, was a craftsman: he had a small workshop. This craft gave the Columbus family full security in their livelihoods, and Dominic Columbus was considered a wealthy man. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the factors that have drawn the Europeans to the exploration of the New World.
In the Middle Ages, the cities of Italy, thanks to the development of trade and industry, made up the wealthiest part of Europe. Wealth gave them the means to be independent of the feudal system representatives. In the interests of trade, and then of political view, the Venetians captured many islands and coastal points in the Mediterranean Sea. The Spaniards, the Portuguese and later the Dutch, paving the way for the world trade, became powerful rivals.
Thus, Columbus’s conviction that land should lie beyond the Atlantic Ocean turned out to be fair. Researchers note that on the morning of October 12, 1492, the team anchored off the coast. It was easy to see that it was a small island, but its nature was so new and productive for Europeans that this piece of land made the most significant impression on travelers. However, at first, the relations between the aborigines and travelers were friendly, but this was mainly due to the influence of Columbus. He strictly forbade the Spaniards any attempt on the property of the aborigines and outrage over them. The Spaniards, who wanted to get rich at the expense of the aborigines, were very dissatisfied with this order, and the fear of punishment only constrained them. Thus, the factors that influenced the conquest and settlement of the New World were greed, thirst for war, and the acquisition of new subservient territories.
Work Cited
King, Stephen D. Grave New World: The End of Globalization, the Return of History. Yale University Press, 2018.
This essay aims to closely read The Sea of Lentils and The Four Voyages of Columbus to critically analyze how the former engages and rejects extant principles of rhetorical strategies on conquest (Benítez Rojo; Columbus). The conquest principles of possession and the nobility of purpose are first introduced and discussed in the context of Columbus’s text. Benítez Rojo portrays indigenous population as resistant and questions common colonial justifications, thus successfully rejecting both principles of conquest. Specifically, rhetorical strategies such as appealing to emotions of despair, language, and image tropes are used by Benítez Rojo to invalidate these principles.
The Four Voyages of Columbus describe the colonial exploits reported back to the Portuguese and Spanish royalty. It presents Columbus’s colonial exploits as a nearly effortless and self-righteous process. The first principle of conquest invoked is the possession of land, resources, or people with ease. Columbus describes countless supplies of the land, which could be taken with “no opposition” from the locals (2). Columbus seems to mock the local population for taking “even the pieces of the broken hoops of the wine barrels” (8). He further portrays himself in a morally superior stand: when islanders “like savages, gave what they had… it seemed to me to be wrong, and I forbade it” (Columbus 8). Moreover, Columbus feels more entitled to these possessions than the locals since those are “things they have in abundance, and which are necessary to us” (8). The conquest principle of possession works as a tool for establishing the ‘rightful’ order of things, reinforcing the colonialists’ superiority. By portraying natives as naïve and unpossessive, the author justifies taking their belongings.
The second principle of conquest is the strategically demonstrated nobility of purpose. Aside from repossessing the ‘much-needed’ natural resources of the colonized lands, Columbus also discusses at length the greatness of converting so many “savages” “to our holy faith,” expressing that the locals should be grateful to be converted to Christianity (18). Moreover, Columbus highlights that possession was taken “for their highness” (2). This principle works by establishing a double standard for gaining and losing possession of personal belongings, lands, and even people. Ultimately, it justifies the exploitation and cruelty perpetrated by the colonizers.
The second discussed text is The Sea of Lentils by Benítez Rojo, which describes four intertwined stories of colonization and the slave trade. According to Columbus, the locals’ ease and willingness to submit to the colonizers are not present in the author’s description. While characters like Antón Babtista seemingly embrace the conquest mentality, the narrative portrays a gloomier reality. Most locals “could not be persuaded to join,” so, eventually, some were taken “by force” (Benítez Rojo 52). In contrast to painting locals as cheerful and naïve ‘savages,’ the author uses language tropes to highlight their “scarcely [to] be believed” cruelty and boldness that leads them to “neither surrender nor admit defeat” (Benítez Rojo 53; 57). The conquest principle of possession is manipulated through the unequivocal determination of the indigenous groups to defend themselves and their land. Therefore, Columbus’s claim of effortless possession is rejected by this narrative.
Consequentially, doubt, uncertainty, and fear increasingly penetrate the main characters’ minds. Benítez Rojo implements the tropes like images of Antón Babtista’s island struggles: “feet moldering with sores and chiggers” and “loins festooned with pustules” (Benítez Rojo 77). Further, the author uses specific language and appeals to emotions to twist the words ‘lord’ and ‘master’ that usually signify the superiority of the colonizers. After describing his suffering, Antón Babtista refers to himself as a “lord and master of unhappy Indians, lord of fear, lord of iron and bad dreams, master of death” (Benítez Rojo 77). Moreover, king Philip fearfully orders that “no one born there in those savage lands would ever hold a high position” (Benítez Rojo 157). Characters do not know whether their actions are dignified, “whether [they are] doing right or wrong, whether [they] should spare a life or cut it down” (Benítez Rojo 70). Therefore, the narrative rejects the conquest principle of the strategically demonstrated nobility of purpose. In contrast to Columbus’s letters, the author does not justify colonial exploitation and oppression by showing a lack of nobility and doubt.
Columbus’s notion of easy possession is effectively twisted to its direct opposite in The Sea of Lentils. The indigenous people’s determination to resist and defend their land defies the colonial rhetoric of taking something because colonizers ‘need it more.’ Moreover, Benítez Rojo successfully rejects the principle of the strategically demonstrated nobility of purpose by persistently showing cruelty, suffering, hesitation, and prejudice. Antón Babtista embodies an ultimate conquistador, obsessed with getting rich, accompanying Columbus on his Hispaniola voyage. However, as the journey unravels, his enthusiasm and self-righteousness dissipate under the pressure of circumstances. Overall, by showing colonizers’ undignified deeds, who are not even sure if the pursuit is worth it, the author successfully conveys that colonial possession should not be justified and prioritized over indigenous possession.
The rhetoric of conquest descriptions of The Sea of Lentils is manipulated differently compared to the first letter of Columbus. Specifically, Benítez Rojo’s narrative does not strive to disregard indigenous people and portray colonizers rightfully and effortlessly claiming their lands. Rather, it exposes the flaws of conquistadors’ character, a far-from-cheerful response from locals, and describes the conquest’s political, logistical, and mental struggles. By challenging the usual narrative of the easy and nobly justified invasions, Benítez Rojo fundamentally changes how the colonization process is portrayed in literature.
Works Cited
Benítez Rojo, Antonio. Sea of Lentils. Translated by James Maraniss, University of Massachusetts Press, 1990.
Columbus, Christopher. The Four Voyages of Columbus: A History in Eight Documents, Including Five by Christopher Columbus, in the Original Spanish, With English Translations. Edited & translated by Jane Cecil, Dover Publications, Inc., 1988, pp. 1-19.
Though the foray into the South and North American territories that Christopher Columbus’ journey initiated was undeniably controversial from the perspective of its implications, the significance of Columbus’ efforts is undeniable. Therefore, examining the literary value of Columbus’ “Letter of Discovery” detailing the key facts about his actions represents an important step in revisiting his contribution to American history. Since the identification and listing of the essential facts was Columbus’ core goal, the selected approach to writing the letter, while being rife with emotional expressivity, appears to be quite suitable.
In addition to extensive details about the journey itself, the letter also contains a number of suppositions and assumptions regarding America. Specifically, Columbus evidently expected that he would encounter people of other races, which he perceived as inferior, defining them as “monsters” (Columbus). While describing other populations as “affectionate and kind,” he also dehumanized them, suggesting that the specified characteristics made them less complex than European voyagers (Columbus). Therefore, Columbus’ choice of words reflects his biases toward Native residents of America, particularly, his expectations of them to be uncivilized and lacking the basic elements of humanity.
The extensive description of the journey along with the highly detailed depiction of people inhabiting America, the environment, and the related issues, can be seen as the primary advantage and strength of the letter. Columbus provides nuanced portrayals of the Native American environment, offering rather accurate representations of people living on the American continent and their setting. For instance, Columbus mentions the manner in which Native residents of America approached building their boats: “In each island are many boats made of solid wood” (Columbus). The specified details allow crating a mental image of a thriving community and help build an image of robust culture with multiple components. As a result, the Native residents of America become relatable and quite complex, which could be seen as a rather unpredictable outcome that the author of the manuscript did not intend to pursue.
However, the letter also has several major flaws, the greatest one being the extent of prejudice demonstrated by the author. Even though the detailed descriptions that Columbus provides compensate for the presence of multiple biases that he has for Native residents, the presence of a prejudiced attitude is still undeniable: “nor are they black like the Ethiopians; but they have long, straight hair” (Columbus). As a result, Columbus introduces a significant range of subjective points of view in his letter, which skew the perception of Native residents and their culture. Therefore, the overall weakness of the work is quite strong.
Finally, the delivery that Columbus uses in his letter contributes to the mixed impression. On the one hand, the bland and dry description of key facts serves a direct purpose in the letter as the means of delivering essential information to the Spanish king. On the other hand, the specified approach toward portraying an entirely new and fascinating world limits the overall impression, leaving the reader underwhelmed. Thus, the “Letter of Discovery” by Christopher Columbus leaves a rather mixed impression, much like his character.
Though the approach to writing his letter allowed Columbus to address the emotional aspects of his experience of the overall journey, the letter features a rather dry and detail-heavy writing style, which matches his goals of providing a summary statement and, therefore, represents an example of perfect writing. The letter contains essential information that allows its target audience to examine the impact that Columbus’ journey produced, which makes it a remarkable part of history.
The period from the beginning of the 15th century until the end of the 17th century was marked as the Age of Discovery. During this period many Europeans, especially the Portuguese and the Spanish conducted a series of oceanic explorations in search of new trade routes, lands, and goods.
Though these voyages ended up with the discoveries of several realms unknown to the European community, they also opened a new book of knowledge. Thus, these expeditions laid the foundation for a global system of trade solely to benefit the Europeans, inviting confrontations between Europeans and non-European peoples later on (Arnold 2002, 3-4).
An account of Columbus’ voyage
Though Columbus was successful in establishing a western route to the East through the Atlantic, he intended to sail south to reach the tropical region of legendary India. This transatlantic adventure was not confined to a rendezvous between the East and the West; rather it was something between the South and North. Columbus sailed south to reach the Indies culminating it into a process of European expansion which is well known as the Age of Explorations (Gomez 2008, xiii).
The voyage of Columbus answered certain contemporary consumptions relating to the concepts connected with latitude and nature of places. Columbus held the view that there was a distinction between lands and places as one would go from the higher latitudes to lower latitudes of the globe.
This geographical distinction paved a way to make him believe that the places he came across would be wealthier and that the people could be kept under their colonial rule either as subjects or as slaves. It was his firm belief that he would discover habitable lands in the Atlantic, irrespective whether it was Asia or not (Gomez 2008, xiv).
The theories leading to Columbus’s voyage
Columbus propounded that water was concentric to the earth. He argued that Africa, Asia, and Europe were evolved about the imperfections in the earth’s sphere creating a sort of geographical equilibrium and that this assumption applied to other parts of the globe too. The severe heat and cold of the arctic and equatorial zones have impacted upon the land mass forcing them to be pushed to extreme North and the South.
This phenomenon brought in an impression that the inhabitable world was extended to South and North beyond the East and the West. Columbus argued that the terra-aqueous globe, on the other hand, would be more fertile and hospitable than what people believed so far.
He thought that India and Ethiopia were exotic and Mediterranean Europe was a vast inhabited world extending from the South toward tropical regions. It was his strong conviction that sub-Saharan Africa and the basin of the Indian Ocean were fabulous treasures of natural resources and human habitation. This is why Columbus thought of sailing by West towards South to reach the lands he was told to be the parts of Asia, especially that of India (Gomez 2008, xiv-xvi).
As per Peter Martyr’s written account, Columbus had done his first three voyages by following the steeper routes to the South. Initially, he started westward from the Canary Islands marking the Sun as the guiding source, but all the while sailing towards the left. During the
second voyage he sought a route more and more left than the first one, whereas, on the third, he stuck to the equatorial line and journeyed willingly to the South (Gomez 2008, p.1).
The account of Columbus’s discovery and colonization of the Indies was effectively delivered by his contemporary and crew named Bartolome de las Casas. According to him the expedition of Columbus revealed the confrontation between the scientific and technical awareness and interpretation of geographical literature along with the new knowledge acquired during the entire journeys.
The theological and philosophical assessments of Columbus about the old and new geological theories were known to the world from the works of Las Casas (Gomez 2008, p.xiv).
On the first voyage, he steered to south across the Atlantic and reached Guanahani. He renamed the island as San Salvador, presently known as Watling Islands. He mistook this land mass as India, following the footsteps of Marco Polo, to whom India was an unending stretch of land originated around the Indian Ocean.
To Marco Polo, India had a broader realm extending beyond the Bay of Bengal to include Indochina, Malaysia, the South China Sea, and Indonesia. Columbus had assumed that San Salvador was in the middle of the vast Indian archipelago Marco Polo had described as the land beyond the province of Mangi (Gomez 2008, 14).
Columbus was keen to impress upon the royal patrons that he had not journeyed beyond the Canarian latitudes, and in order to establish his claim, he convinced them that the Indians he had met bore the same skin color like that of the people of Canaries. Columbus had mistaken that the island of San Salvador was in the same line of Canarian islands of El Hierro, above the 26th parallel. But now it is known that San Salvador is situated at a latitude of 24º N and El
Hierro at 27º 44’ N. It is evident from this fact that Columbus had misrepresented the details because he wanted to suppress the real knowledge that he had intentionally deviated slightly to the South across Atlantic. He also knew that the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola were not south of the Canaries much against what his contemporaries presumed.
These deliberations must be viewed in the context that the material data available at that time did prove that Columbus had no expertise to determine the latitudes across the ocean precisely. Thus he had overestimated about 4º of the latitude of the islands he found on Oct 12, 1492 (Gomez 2008, 15).
The southward course of voyage led Columbus to explore Cuba and Hispaniola being present in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He journeyed to San Salvador, and from there he reached the Bahamian Long Island crossing Tropic of Cancer. He steered further sticking to the south way up to Bay of Samana which was at a latitude of 19º N. This deviation proved that during his very first voyage he had deviated about 17 degrees from the Atlantic Port of Palos de Moguer (Gomez 2008, 16).
Columbus had wrongly identified that Cuba, while sailing through, like Marco Polo’s Indian island of Cipango (Japan), the present mainland of Mangi known to be the province of South China. With this, he had almost reached the Indian port city of Zaiton (Gomez 2008, 17).
A clear picture of the expeditions of Columbus was derived out of the writings of the three scholars, namely, Bartolomé de las Casa, Albertus Magnus, and Pierre d’Ailly. Las Casa joined the crew of Columbus during his third expeditions in the year 1492.
In later years, he came into prominence as a humanitarian who stood for the cause of Amerindians. Most of the details of Columbus’s travel were revealed to the World through his interpretation, views and transliteration and his deciphering Columbus’s travel logs. It was he, who prepared the copy of the diary of Columbus (Kevin 2009).
Albertus Magnus was well known for the study of nature and the celestial influence on the habitations on the earth. He reintroduced the philosophies of Aristotle into the Christian faith. Columbus was inspired by his works on nature while carrying out his expeditions (Kevin 2009).
Pierre d’Ailly was a French scholar who lived during the 14th century. The philosophical and scholarly visions of Pierre d’Ailly had worked upon the intellect of Columbus in undertaking his prestigious voyages. (Kevin 2009)
Columbus had collected almost all the factual resources like ‘Relation’ of Marco Polo, ‘Imago Mundi’ of Cardinal d’Ailly, the ‘Historia Rerum’ of Pope Pius II, Geography of Ptolemy in order to develop the foundation of his Project (Byne 2004). From these documents, Columbus came to know about the concept of Place propounded by Aristotle that the place was meant to be the inner limit of one’s surroundings that marked the beginning of the outside world.
From the literature of Albertus Magnus, Columbus imbibed the idea that there existed a fixed body outside the mobile body and that the first mobile body was in its place as it was around its original place. This physical place really constituted the immobile body at its center (Pierre 1985).
During the course of his first expedition, Columbus had understood that he had come in touch with the tropical region. His southward voyages to the Caribbean basin during the period from 1493 to 1504 had been very successful. This was evident from the fact that on his return to Europe after his first voyage itself Fernando and Isabel persuaded Pope Alexander VI to issue
papal bulls granting Castile the exclusive rights of access to the newly found lands by demarcating 100 leagues west of Portuguese Azores and Cape Verde Islands allotting half of the Atlantic to Portuguese, and the remaining half to Castile. This line of demarcation tentatively led to the Treaty of Tordesillas in the year 1494 (Gomez 2008, 18).
When this bull was issued, America discovered by Columbus was considered as Indies and not as a continent. The Portuguese who reached India by way of Cape of Good Hope were at that time threatening to take possession of the Atlantic much against the Spanish claims.
The papal bull was issued by Alexander VI in these circumstances as a tool to reconcile the rivalries. By this bull, the Spanish sovereigns held all the lands they discovered or those would be discovered in the future in the western ocean, with full jurisdiction and privileges (Lynn 2002).
The papal bull was a blow to John II of Portugal. He was forced to abandon his longing to find out the sea route to India. So, he who had a mighty reserve of navy approached Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. They could not deny his request and be afraid of John’s mighty navy agreed to enter a treaty forthwith. Thus in 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed. This treaty resulted in moving the previous line of demarcation to the meridian 370 leagues west of the Azores and gave Portugal command and access to the Brazilian region (John 1992).
It is not yet known why Columbus had put his discoveries of lands directly across the Canaries. It was doubtful whether it could be attributed to the cartographic imprecision or his political leniency. However, his official stance had its effect on the earlier cartography on the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
According to the world map drawn by Columbus and his cartographer Juan de la Cosa, Cuba and Hispaniola were in the north of Tropic of Cancer and up to the latitude of the Strait of Gibraltar. But the modern Cartography includes the above regions inside the tropics (Gomez 2008, 19).
It is apt to note here that Columbus, in spite of all his or his patrons’ claims that the journeys were initiated to find a viable sea route to India, had been serving as a missionary to spread his Christian faith throughout his expeditions. The Catalan astronomer and mapmaker named Jaume Ferrer de Blanes had written, on August 1495, a letter to Columbus which vouched for his intention.
Jaume wrote: “I am sure I am not mistaken when I say that the position you hold, Sir, confers on you the character of God’s apostle and ambassador, ordered by His divine will make you know His holy name in place truly unknown” (Joan and Jon, n.d.)
Columbus had conducted each voyage with the pre-discovery argument, though it was ambiguous, that the Ocean was very narrow between the westernmost and easternmost regions of the inhabited New World. To emphasize his claim he had resorted to scientific and technical knowledge. But while doing so, he had arrived at an underestimation of the exact measurement of the equatorial circumference of the globe, thereby overestimating or over measuring of the horizontal length of the known inhabited world (Gomez 2008, 1).
The navigational abilities of Columbus relied upon the nature and strength of his fleet, the drawing up of the actual sea route and the pragmatic perception or vision on the lands he might encounter during his voyage to the south by ‘the way of the southwest’. To understand the historical circumstances of the navigational attempts of Columbus, much attention has to be given to his accounts or travel logs (Voyage to Paradise, n.d).
During the first voyage, he sailed to the south by the southwest from the Atlantic coast of Spain and reached the Canary Islands beyond Saharan Africa’s coastlines. He and his crew anchored there only to collect water and other resources. But he noticed that the islands were situated at a lower altitude, resulting in warmer latitude than Europe.
The local conditions had saved the Isles from excessive heat than the nearby African mainland. And following the footsteps of Portuguese Prince Henry the Navigator, who discovered the fertile lands beyond the desert into the Torrid Zone, the southernmost island of El Hierro on the Canarian archipelago acted as the reference point to Columbus to continue his voyage to South through the Bahamas to the Caribbean basins (Gomez 2008, 14).
The antithetical view of Aristotle’s natural philosophy proved wrong in the case of Columbus in achieving his goals. Aristotle’s theory was that there did exist an uninhabitable torrid zone, in the area between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. According to him and his followers, this area was unfit for human habitation, and neither water nor pastures can be found there due to the extreme climatic conditions that harm the survival of human life.
Travels through this region by Columbus undoubtedly testified that there existed no Torrid Zones. Therefore, he rejected the theories relating to the size of the earth and the nature of the continents (Craig 2006, p-1).
The project of Columbus was manipulated between the two explanations as to how earth and water came together in the middle of the cosmos, and as to how life had come into existence in the region of the four elements in the cosmos. Reviewing his project, the royal council appointed for this purpose had argued that the sphere of water was eccentric about the sphere of earth, contributing it to the effect that the continental mass was an island unrepeatable and surrounded by the watery globe.
Columbus countered this argument by establishing that water was concentric when related to earth and that the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe were nothing but imperfections in the sphere of earth. Moreover, this phenomenon of geometrical and physical occurrence could happen anywhere on the globe, which meant the possibility of the existence of habitation beyond the geographically land mass conceived so far (Gomez 2008, xv).
Columbus argued further that the inhabited earth not only extended farther east and west but also to the North and South. He adhered to the theory of five zones which assumed that the earthly sphere was split into regions of specific climates viz., the two frigid Polar Regions, the extreme Torrid Zone around the equator, and two comfortable temperate zones situated between them. These zones determined all human actions and the ethnic behaviors of the people.
It was held that only moderate climate could support human habitation. That was why the inhabited world lay in the temperate zone. Therefore, Africa and India in the Torrid Zone were conceived as hot, barren, and uninhabitable parts of the world (Neil 2009).
Columbus had drafted his voyage schedule according to the contemporary assumptions regarding the relationship between the latitudes and nature of places. It was believed that the nature of a place is the foundation for understanding and explaining the structure and behavior of all creatures available in the machine of cosmos. It seems that Columbus had adhered to these assumptions of the nature of people and the land in his expeditions and applied the same in the establishment of colonies.
While doing so, he had manipulated the geographical fundamentals of ancient and medieval authors for his benefit. This deliberation on the part of Columbus had created an impression that Columbus had felt no compulsion to abandon the geopolitical model conceived by the scholars. In his pursuit of colonization, he had also contradicted his findings that habitation would flourish in the lower latitudes and the nonexistence of Torrid Zones (Gomez 2008, xiii).
Columbus sailed south as a part of his intellectual and material approach to establish that sub-Saharan Africa and the extended basin of Indian Ocean were large land masses that were sublime and alive with human habitation and rich in resources. These land masses were conceived as parts of India during his period (Gomez 2008, p.xvi).
The second voyage took Columbus to Dominica. From there he steered his vessel toward the northwest and then to the southern coast of Puerto Rico. He continued his exploration further to eastern Cuba, which he thought to be the eastern end of continental Asia, and he went south to land in Jamaica. His exploration of southwest coastlines of Cuba forced him to make his crew admit that Cuba was not at all an island.
It can be assumed that if he had continued his expedition towards South he would have reached Spain by way of the East touching Ganges of India, then the Arabic Gulf. The third voyage took him along the southwest line until he found the North Star at five degrees.
And caught in doldrums he did not pursue further to the South toward the equator but resorted to the 5th parallel to go by the north by northwest anticipating an encounter with the man-eating Caribes in the Lesser Antilles. Instead, he reached the island of Trinidad (Gomez 2008, p.28).
Columbus continued his voyage from Trinidad and reached Gulf of Paria and there from he went to Hispaniola via Venezuelan coastline. Seeing the freshwater flow from the Orinoco
River, he declared that he had found the ‘infinite land that is to the south’. And within no time he sent message to Queen Isabel that he had carried out and fulfilled his mission ‘to the new heaven and earth that had been hidden so far’ (Gomez 2008, p.291).
Even after launching his fourth voyage through the Atlantic Ocean to southeastern Cuba, he was not successful or rather not inclined in finding out a sea route to India. So he moved towards the southwest to reach Ciamba of Indochina. From here he journeyed through the coastline of Central America, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama to reach the western tip of Colombia’s Gulf of Uraba (Gomez 2008, p.33).
During Columbus’s times, the concept of place was something cosmological that denoted a tradition encountering the views of the Europeans and the natives of the Americas. On the basis of the structure and functioning of the cosmos, the place was considered to be connected to cosmic law.
The elements and compounds were manifested in geocentric cosmos in relation to their attributes. Heavenly bodies were God’s agents meant for origination and destruction of all physical forms irrespective of humans, plants, or minerals. Therefore, the place was the key to understand the celestial causes that perform on the bodies and was the means to conceive their behaviors (Gomez 2008, p.48).
Marco Polo’s India was considered as a maritime land at that time. It was highlighted with water routes and coastal regions. Columbus too accounted for India as a maritime zone. That was why he chose the lower latitudes of the Canaries which would have taken him across the Atlantic above the 27th parallel to reach the parts of India.
To Columbus, India was much different from Cathay, the geopolitical center of the Mongol Empire as mentioned by Marco Polo. The places viz., the island of Cipango, Zaiton and Quinsay were believed to be at lower latitudes than Cathay, and Columbus was familiar to these Indian names as a matter of reference to India (Gomez 2008).
Columbus relied upon Behaim’s 1492 globe in planning his expeditions. He learned to read this globe horizontally as it provided clues to find out the longitudinal distance between the eastern and the western ends. However, his venture on the sea was more or less based on the verticality of Behaim’s globe in understanding the orientation and goals he intended.
Behaim’s globe projected the distinction between Cathay and tropical Indies. It featured the cartographic works of Ptolemy and Marco Polo, and the pseudo-cordiform world map of Henricus Martellus which was drafted in the event of Bartholomeu’s rounding the Cape of Good Hope in the year 1489 (Gomez 2008).
Wey Gómez comments in the first chapter of his book, about the ancient and medieval cosmological traditions. This he conceives by examining central figures that influenced Columbus. Among those Albertus Magnus (1200–1280) and Pierre d’Ailly (1350–1420) stand prominent. According to Gómez, the European cosmological view of tripartite geography of nations by which the cultural traits of people go in proportion with their distance from Torrid Zone contributed in Columbus an interpretation of Aristotle’s vision on the influence of a place.
The idea propounded was that the people of the south were wiser than those of the north. But Columbus manipulated this concept to his advantage in order to establish a political formula for his colonization program. For example, Columbus described the Tainos he met in Salvador as intelligent, but he attributed the character of Caribes to them (Neil 2009).
The colonization of America by Spain after the exploration of the land by Columbus led to many controversies. John Mair, who was a member of the College de Montaigu in Paris argued that the native Indians could be considered only as a special race created by God to be enslaved by the Christian Europeans. His view was that the people of the explored lands of the New World should live like animals, as barbarians and slaves were one and the same (David 1992).
However, Bartolomé de las Casa was unable to tolerate the torture done to the Indians by the Spaniards and stood for their cause. He started confronting the authorities against the ill-treatment of the natives. He became their champion and his book ‘Apologética Historia de las Indias’ urged for equality of all.
He stated that the Indians met all the requirements laid down by Aristotle for civilized human life and that there should be equality of all races which was the means of harmony of mankind. He warned that the injustices of Spanish colonial rule would bring in the wrath of God against Spain. He insisted that the Indians were liable to be punished or enslaved only if they were proved to be barbarians in the strict and proper sense specified by Aristotle (Commentary on the Reading, n.d.).
The situation became explosive in America and the arguments led to a dispute at Burgos in Spain. The Indian problems were subjected to debates and thereupon two Spanish treaties and one code were drawn up for the treatment of Indians by Spaniards. One of these treaties formulated by the friar Matías de Paz related to the Rule of the Kings of Spain over the Indians.
The rule upheld that the American Indians were not slaves in the Aristotelian concept and that the laws of the Indies were meant for good intentions of the Spanish monarchs towards the well being of the Indians. The Laws of Burgos of 1512 devised regulations on Indian labor prohibiting forceful Christianization. It enforced the supply of food and shelter to the Indians and stipulated that none should use whip against them or call an Indian, a dog (Lewis 1959).
Conclusion
The study of the expeditions of Columbus by Wey Gómez is based on a logical fundamentality backed by technical and philosophical theories prevalent during the 15th and 16th century colonization period. To this purpose, the author has put up several arguments with a critical eye on the geographical and cosmological influence on Columbus while he was in the process of executing his enterprises.
It is evident from the convictions and his travel southward by the way of the west that the intention of Columbus in undertaking the expedition was discreet and that he never wanted or meant to reach Asia. If he had such intention to reach the real India he would not have turned back from sailing further south. This was because he already knew that if he dared to sail further he would have definitely reached the fertile terrain at lower latitude.
It seemed that Columbus was afraid to meet the Mongol Emperor due to his mighty army, and his preconception that though there was habitation in the lower latitudes of South; he was gripped with the fear that there would be some sort of Caribes in the coastline of India. His sole intention was not to go to Asia or India but to reach the Indies on the western coastline.
He really wanted only to reach any of the unknown lands in the better prospect of colonization of the inhabited islands wherefrom he could amass the treasures unlimited, and that it never struck his mind to reach a known land like India, where colonization would be impractical because of the civilization that existed in India as reported by Marco Polo.
The arguments before the Court of Isabel and Ferdinand seeking admission and finance for his expeditions, and the demand he put forward as a reward to his expedition such as the grant of full admiralty over his discoverable lands with a fifty percent cut of the booty, etc. support the above conclusion.
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Martin, Craig. 2006. Abstract. Experience of the New World and Aristotelian Revisions of Earth’s climates during renaissance. History of Meteorology (3) P.1. Oakland University, Michigan.
Safier, Neil. 2009. South by Southwest, Book Review, American Scientist. Web.
Stannard, David, E. 1992. American Holocaust: The conquest of the New World, P-210. Oxford University Press, Inc., New York.
UC Press E-Books Collection, 1982-2004, University of California Press. Web.
Waterman, Lynn. 2002. The Discovery of the Mainland by the Cabots as described by Columbus himself. The Bull of Pope Alexanded VI: Partitioning America 1493. Web.
Columbus’s encounter with the native people of the Caribbean and the perceptions of the people were highly shaped by his background and religious beliefs. His background was centered on the milieu of western imperialism and economic competition among kingdoms seeking prosperity by establishing colonies and trade routes.
Determined to sail westward, Columbus sought financial support from King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain after King John II of Portugal declined his proposal. He was a catholic scholar with a view of the universe as everlasting and a world that was split into three sections: Europe, Africa and Asia.
He believed in the biblical prophecies concerning the conversion of all people to Christianity, the eventual recovery of the lost paradise and the return of Jesus Christ. Striving to fulfill the prophecy was a major stimulant for his travel and discovery. His belief was that his understanding of the world occurred via inspiration and the discoveries that followed were God’s inspiration.
The history of the discovery by Caribbean people of Christopher Columbus in the service of the king and queen of Spain who assumed he was on the coast of China has explained the impact of the explorer on the land. He eventually made some sense of the land, at least to his satisfaction: the most significant attainment was to split the native population into two separate peoples. This division shaped perceptions of the people for many years.
In that respect, Columbus encounter with the native people was characterized by genocide and atrocious acts. One of the conditions that the king of Spain agreed to support these voyages was that Columbus would share gold and precious goods that he captured. Indeed, in his later voyages, Spain was insatiable and demanded more and more gold from him. Portugal was ahead of Spain in terms of trade routes and foreign tithes and King Ferdinand II considered Columbus exploration as an opportunity to level with other kingdoms.
When Columbus landed in the Caribbean, he thought that he had landed Cathy (China) because of the colored appearance of Native Indians. To the advantage of the Spaniards, the natives such as Arawaks and Hatuai lived in peace and could easily be controlled by threatening their peace.
He forced the natives to mine gold due to the pressure from King Ferdinand II to bring treasures back to Spain. Indeed, those who failed to satisfy the Spaniards were punished severely as examples to other natives. For example, when Columbus left Haiti, many of the Arawaks had been murdered or mutilated. Likewise, the Hatuai people who did not follow the demands of the Spaniards were crucified and burned alive.
As noted earlier, Columbus expedition was greatly driven by the need to convert all people to Christianity. A major focus in his exploration was to convert the people of Cathy to Christianity as a way of establishing a trade route to China. When he first saw wounds on the bodies of the natives, he interpreted that the Islands were the slave grounds used by the Great Khan.
The interpretation indicates the ever-imaginative willingness of Columbus to prove that China was close. He heard of the cannibals who inhabited the large island to the east and presumed that they were the people of Cathy. His success with the first natives revived the spirit of the explorer to succeed in converting the Great Khan. Expecting the people of Cathy to be intelligent, Columbus encounter with the later natives was therefore characterized by enslavement, torture, murder and extermination.
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. This is a quote from a poem that is taught to grade school children to help them remember Christopher Columbus and his maiden voyage to discover America.
Every October, Americans celebrate Columbus Day to honor this brave hero. Was he really a hero? Did he even discover America? He landed in Central America in 1492, but the Chinese had sailed to the Caribbean in 1421. What about all the crimes he is said to have committed? He is majorly associated with slave trade. In my opinion, the holiday should also honor all those who arrived in America first and rarely spoken of.
Discovery of America
John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), Sir Henry St. Clair or Antonio Zeno are all names that are much less popular with the general public, unlike Christopher Columbus. This is generally because the discovery of America is greatly attributed to Columbus who in 1942 is said to have visited the Central America (Lathe 1). When Columbus set out in his first voyage, it was for the sole purpose of reaching Asia by sailing to the west and not to discover any new habitation (Minster 1).
Lathe in his article explores some details that put to doubt the honor crowned to Columbus as the discoverer of America (Lathe 1). For instance in 1398, it is said that Sir Henry St. Clair had arrived at the coast of America. Antonio Zeno his “chief navigator” is said to have given the details of their voyage (Lathe 1). Even earlier in about 995 AD, it is said that Leif Eiriksson had even settled in “Vinland” which is found in North America (Lathe 1).
There is even archaeological evidence put forward by Patricia Sutherland that indicates artifacts of European descent (Lathe 3). Thus a strong opposition can be launched against the argument that Columbus discovered America. It will be an honorable move to give credit to those who were also there before Columbus came, or not to downplay anyone’s discovery, make the Columbus Day one to honor all who took part in the discovery.
The Crimes of Columbus
If per chance Columbus had no major negative aspects linked to him, then may be there would not have been a lot of fuss about the holiday named after him. But in contrast, there are major atrocities he is said to have committed. It is on this basis that a strong opposition is necessary on having a holiday named after one who was involved in “slavery, warfare and inhumane acts” (DeWitt 1).
When he settled in a place, he completely disregarded the natives and went to the extent of giving them new names with the purpose to “glorify Spain…while creating fame for himself” (DeWitt 1). He had an inclination of making profits in order to win the favor of Queen Isabella of Spain who had supported his expeditions (DeWitt 1). He resorted to slave trade when the gold and other forms of trade failed him (Minster 1).
The Indians are known to have suffered most of his wrath: he “terrorized, tortured and killed them” (DeWitt 1). The Indians were exported in masses and it is said that only two thirds arrived alive, the rest died and their bodies were left floating on the water (DeWitt 1). Rape is considered to have been a minimal crime in comparison to worse crimes committed against the Indians (DeWitt 1).
Columbus should be viewed as a criminal who lowered the standard of human dignity. There should not be a holiday for Columbus taking into consideration the kind of hostile activities that he committed. Various critics have voiced their concern against this holiday for example: “Columbus makes Hitler look like a juvenile delinquent” says one Russell; the National Council of Churches calls for a time of “reflection and repentance” during the Columbus anniversary, and “not a time for celebration” (D’Souza 1).
Opposing Views
There are those with a differing opinion concerning Christopher Columbus. One such is Carroll, who states that all heroes are flawed and that Columbus should be given the due credit for discovering America (Carroll 1). Christianity in America can also be much attributed to him in many ways than one. The Queen Isabella of Spain agreed to sponsor him mainly because she had faith in him and the course he was pursuing (Carroll 1). For this reason, Carroll consented to the fact that Columbus was flawed, but should still be honored (Carroll 1).
Columbus was not only flawed, he was majorly flawed, how could one commit all those crimes with no mercy whatsoever? That is not the type of heroism children should be taught. Most of all, he did not achieve the purpose for which he had set out for. He was to discover a route to the west connecting Asia and he did not accomplish this. America was a “mistake” per se since it wasn’t his goal. Minster rightfully summarizes him as “am man and not a legend” (Minster 1).
Conclusion
That he was a great voyager is in no doubt, but that he committed all those atrocities and can still be called a hero is almost insane. Credit should be given to the other discoverers as well and they should be allowed to share the fame during a public holiday not named after Columbus, but one honoring all of them.
Analyzing history must be one of the hardest tasks ever – with the modern discoveries, especially the ability to read even the manuscripts that have half disintegrated into dust, and the rethinking of the historical events, what used to be the obvious truth can become another popular myth in a couple of hours.
Because of the recently discovered details about Columbus and his great adventure, the whole pattern of teaching children about the famous traveler falls apart.
However, thinking through the lesson, one can find the right way to tell the elementary school kids about the numerous controversies of Columbus and his adventure.
Speaking of the most appropriate way to introduce the new facts about Columbus to the elementary school students, a teacher can possibly start with asking the kids what they know about Columbus and his adventure.
After they tell the major details, the teacher can supply a color commentary or to fill in the gaps in the students’ answers about the traditional story (e.g., add the information about the dates, the key names, etc.), creating the foil for the on-coming unmasking routine.
After all the pieces fall in their places and the traditional story of Columbus’ adventure is told, the teacher can create the atmosphere of a mystery, telling the class that there is more to Columbus’ story than they think, and ask them what they think Columbus’ nationality was.
After the expected “Spaniard,” the teacher will say that Columbus must have been a Jew, according to the newest findings. After the predictable question about why it has been discovered only recently, the teacher can tell about the mass prosecutions which Jews suffered in the Catholic Spain of XV century.
Further on, the teacher will explain how the goals that Columbus pursued, trying to make the search for India possible.
Thus, the romantic aspect of looking for the Promised Land can be brought up, which will help soften the rough edges of the real story about Columbus’ adventure.
Emphasizing that Columbus was a kind of an outcast in his own state and did not belong where he lived can be made less outrageous.
As for the controversial issue of enslaving the native tribe, the teacher can ask the students who they think was the first person whom Columbus met when he started exploring the continent. Thus, the issues concerning Columbus’ plans and not quite diplomatic actions can be explained.
In addition, the correspondence between the king of Spain and Columbus will be mentioned and can be explained in details.
Finally, after the shocking new knowledge about Columbus, his real motives and the details about his discovery of the new continent without actually knowing that he opened a new page in the world history can be offered to the students in the least shocking way.
Thus, there is a way to tell children even about the most ambiguous historical events and help them understand that the given ambiguity is an integral part of dealing with the world history.
Thus, such ambiguous information will become not a grim new knowledge, but merely a fact that needs to be remembered and accepted. Hence, the children will be able not only to remember the new information, but also learn to analyze the past events objectively.
The four journeys of Christopher Columbus are some of the most important in European history. To be a part of them would present the students with innumerable discoveries of nature and cultures that have ceased to exist in modern times. This paper will provide a variety of information that the students would need to know when taking the trips.
Benefits of Traveling with Columbus
Traveling with Columbus would provide a unique opportunity to discover a part of the world previously unseen by European society. All of his trips involved seeing lands with new types of plants, animals, and cultures. He and his crew met several cultures living on the islands of the region. In his letter from 1493, he writes: “I found very many islands filled with people innumerable, and of them all, I have taken possession for their highnesses, by proclamation made and with the royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me” (Baym et al. 35).
This quote suggests that the meetings during the voyage were friendly in nature which would be an exciting experience. The trips would involve such activities as hiking, search for minerals, interaction with the local populations and other adventurous activities during which the students would be able to take pictures and collect souvenirs.
Suggestions for a Smooth Trip
The trips that Columbus took were very dangerous and often led to issues caused by insufficient resources, especially during the voyages themselves. It would be critical to bring large amounts of food and freshwater, including those that would prevent scurvy and other seafaring diseases. The food would need to last for a long time so no products that expire quickly should be taken. Warm and waterproof clothing would be required due to storms and cold nights. Navigational equipment such as compasses and telescopes could also help during the travels.
The students should also bring writing and painting materials and instruments such as paint, ink, paper, and other supplies. If cameras and phones are not allowed during the trip, they would have to rely on drawings and paintings to capture the beauty of the newly discovered lands and the unique culture of the island people.
Things to Watch Out For
Columbus wrote about a variety of pleasurable things that he encountered during his voyages. For example, he writes about a great variety of avian life present on the island he named “Espanola”: “and the nightingale was singing and other birds of a thousand kinds in the month of November where I went” (Baym et al. 37). This suggests that a great variety of new creatures could be seen during the trip. Students should attempt to catalog them and examine their behavior. They should also watch out for new types of fruit and plants because they might be either perfectly edible or poisonous.
During his fourth trip, the students should be especially careful as it was the most traumatic for the captain and his crew. They were attacked by the native population of Panama and had to flee. His paper from the voyage tells a story of a man who is unsure of his position. He and his crew are infirm, and he believes there are enemies that want him dead. His crew shipwrecked on the island of Veragua and many are in a critical condition (Baym et al. 37). It would be unwise to go to such a trip unprepared and perhaps it should be avoided altogether.
How to Approach the Author According to the Gospel Message
Columbus was a religious man, but his actions were not always in line with Christian beliefs. It would be important to approach him carefully and try to connect through religious beliefs. Perhaps the beauty of the new lands could be seen as the glory of God’s creation, and the amazing privilege of seeing it in its natural state should be emphasized. Columbus was amazed by the bounty of the lands, and sharing this experience could create a certain bond between him and the students. Perhaps he could learn to appreciate this land as not only a place to plunder but as a beautiful creation of God.
Utilizing the Modern Cultural Background
One of the most tragic aspects of Columbus’ journeys lies in the treatment of natives that he and his crew were involved in. The natives were often seen as savages and lesser people by the crew. Their beliefs were far from humanitarian, and they cared little for the culture of these people. However, students with a modern outlook on native populations would be able to not only make contact with them but also learn firsthand about their way of life. While there are records from cultural researchers from the time, some cultures went extinct before they could be examined.
Role of Christian Values in Interactions
By focusing on Christian values, the students could prevent a variety of negative events that occurred during the voyages. For example, when meeting a new nation, it would be important to show that the crew has come in peace and does not wish any harm to the native people. They should be treated in the same way that other people are treated. Perhaps with time, they would see the Christian faith as their own if the crew and the students would show respect and kindness that God’s teaching preaches. This way the natives would be more willing to collaborate in the discovery of new lands and resources (Taylor 12).
Influences on Columbus’ Writing
The influences on Columbus’ writing can be seen in the way he describes the trips. The first trip was primarily a political one in nature. He was tasked with finding a westward route to Asia for the Crown of Castile (Bradford 14). The state required a new trade route, so the mission was seen as one of great importance. Columbus was primarily motivated by fame and fortune and in his letters he often makes sure to glorify his actions (Taylor 18).
In a letter from an early journey, he shows himself to be a humble servant of the royal family in order to gain further favor from them. However, a letter from the last journey shows a more bitter side of the man (Desai 180). By then, the discovery of the New World inspired thousands to voyage across the seas, and Columbus felt that he deserved better than his current disposition.
How Students Would Experience the Journey Differently
It is possible that knowing the fate of many of these cultures the students would feel like they should prevent it. Despite common beliefs, the world of the 1500s was not without a humanist outlook. Even during these voyages, people have noted that the way Columbus describes the people of the islands is not just, and the actions he describes in his writing can be considered sinful and reprehensible. However, students would be able to prevent them if they connect with Columbus on an emotional level.
Conclusion
To be a part of Columbus’ journeys would be incredibly exhilarating. They involved the discovery of lands and cultures that lived there without outside contact with the world. Perhaps with the modern outlook, a better connection with the people of these lands could be made.
Works Cited
Baym, Nina, et al., editors. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1. 8 edition, W. W. Norton & Company, 2012.
Bradford, Ernle. Christopher Columbus. Open Road Media, 2014.
Desai, Christina M. “The Columbus Myth: Power and Ideology in Picturebooks About Christopher Columbus.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 45, no. 3, 2014, pp. 179-196.
Taylor, E. G. R. Select Documents illustrating the Four Voyages of Columbus: Including those contained in RH Major’s Select Letters of Christopher Columbus. Vol. 2. Routledge, 2017.
Inhabitants of ancient and medieval Europe had no idea that there was a landmass between Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. Even progressive minds like those of Christopher Columbus did not have any inkling that if explorers travels from Europe to Asia using a westward route, they would eventually stumble upon the New World. Thus, the New World was discovered in the most serendipitous manner.
In the latter part of the 15th century Christopher Columbus was compelled to use a westward route that would connect Europe and Asia. In the process of exploration, Columbus discovered Native Americans. He concluded that they were barbarians, in the same way that sophisticated Romans and Greeks judged the European tribes in their own process of exploration and conquest.
Background
Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in the year 1451. The soon-to-be great sailor was the son of a weaver and a merchant. Columbus’ personal background as well as the place where he grew up gave him the opportunity to travel in different places on merchant ships. His early experience gave him the opportunity to study the ways of sailors as they navigate their ships through treacherous seas.
At the same time, Columbus had the chance to learn the necessary skills that he would need later on to cross the Atlantic Ocean (McGovern 25). Aside from his love of the sailor’s life and his penchant for adventure, another powerful force that compelled him to travel was the spirit of entrepreneurship.
Columbus’ entrepreneurial family initiated him into the world of seafaring, however it was the expansion of the Turkish Empire that fired up his imagination with regards to testing the claim that the earth is round because there is another way to travel from Europe to Asia.
As the Turkish Empire consolidated its strength, European leaders were fearful that they would have no more access to Asia. Business would suffer and the pilgrimage of Christians to the Holy Land would be in peril. There has to be an alternative way towards the other side of the world.
The Perspective of Columbus
There are two primary sources of information that could be utilized to understand Christopher Columbus’ worldview. First, there were eyewitness accounts of Columbus’ leadership and exploits preserved through the writings of his chroniclers. The second source is the journals that Columbus left behind. The great explorer wanted to preserve in writing his thoughts, feelings, and testimony with regards to his encounter with the local inhabitants of the new world.
It is important to figure out Columbus’ perspective because the way he perceived the New World and its native inhabitants shaped the way Europeans view the same. The demeanor of future explorers and conquerors towards native inhabitants were also significantly affected by how Columbus described his contact with the native inhabitants of the American continent.
As a consequence of Columbus’ actions, as well as the European conquistadors who came after him, there were various interpretations as to the native inhabitant’s way of life. There were historians who provided a more accurate description of the norms, traditions, culture of the native inhabitants. However, there were also historians who interpreted the natives’ way of life through the words through the narrow context of their own culture, shaped by the words of early explorers like Columbus.
There were some occasions when Columbus was impressed by the behavior of the natives. On many instances Columbus praised the behavior of the native inhabitants especially with regards to their hospitality and guilelessness (Ochoa & Smith 22). In his journals, Columbus described a people that were gentle, kind, and generous (Sale 25).
The great explorer wrote, “They are an inoffensive, unwarlike people, naked, except that the women wear a very slight covering at the loins; their manners are very decent, and their complexion not very dark, but lighter than that of the inhabitants of the Canary Islands” (Columbus 114). Therefore, Columbus believed that there is a child-like innocence among the natives.
Columbus also pointed out the fact that there are other intriguing qualities that were manifested in his interactions with the natives. Columbus recorded in his journal that that the natives were ready to barter all that they have for a very low price. In one example, Columbus highlighted the fact that a large basket of cotton was exchanged for a mere leather thong (Columbus 114).
Columbus also testified that the natives were inoffensive and that they are not warlike (Columbus 114). In his journal he wrote, “Of anything they have, if you ask the for it, they never say no; rather they invite the person to share it, and show as much love as if they were giving their hearts” (Ochoa & Smith, p.22).
Columbus was compelled to make a bold claim and he said that he believed he could convert the natives not through the use of arms but through love (Ochoa & Smith, p.22). It could be argued that Columbus wanted the natives to experience the wonderful blessings of being under the Christian faith. However, his deep-rooted Eurocentric view made his look at the natives with a condescending attitude.
In other words, Columbus believed that Europeans were superior to the native inhabitants of the New World. Columbus’ Eurocentric view was similar to the prideful disdain of the Roman Empire for people groups who are located outside the realm of Rome. The Romans call these tribes as barbarians or unsophisticated in their manners and knowledge about the known world.
No matter how hard Columbus tried to paint the native inhabitants in a positive light, he cannot help but express his true feelings about them, because he saw them as an uncivilized people. Columbus’ low estimation of the natives led to genocide because Europeans conquerors were justified in the destruction of people groups and culture based on their belief that their hopes and aspirations were greater than those of the people in the New World.
If one will study the history of the European discovery of the New World, hindsight compels historians to find a much better explanation compared to the Eurocentric view of the Europeans. Columbus cannot think highly of the native inhabitants because he was not there simply to convert them to another form of religion.
His secondary purpose was to enrich the kingdom of Spain through the conquest of new lands and the discovery of gold reserves. The desire for wealth and fame significantly affected the way Europeans view the native population.
A Better View
The condescending attitude of Christopher Columbus led to the exploitation of the native population and genocide. There is a need to evaluate the way students and historians interpret the events that surround the discovery of present day America. One way to accomplish it is through the study of primary documents. One effect is the deeper appreciation of the native inhabitant’s culture and traditions.
Columbus’ personal biases affected the way he wrote his journal. As a result his writings could not hide the way he looked down on these inhabitants as a lesser people group compared to the Europeans. However, Columbus was blind to the rich culture of the native inhabitants.
He was blind to the beauty and riches of the native inhabitants’ cultural heritage. As a result Columbus interpreted their language as uncivilized when it was as rich and diversified as the different languages of Europe. As a result, Columbus experienced minimal success when it comes to the Christianization of the New World.
Conclusion
Columbus was highly influenced by the Eurocentric view that Europeans are more knowledgeable; more sophisticated; and have the desire to transform barbaric tribes and turn them into a civilized world. The condescending attitude of Christopher Columbus led to the destruction of people groups as well as the exploitation of the native inhabitants.
There is a need to reconsider the view adopted by Columbus, especially after the aftermath of the European invasion of the New World. One way to change the perspective of those who adopted a similar view is to study primary documents. The use of primary documents enables the student of history to see the events through the perspective of eyewitness’s accounts.
The eyewitness’s accounts show the native’s way of life before European historians interpreted the native inhabitants behavior based on their own narrow cultural context. A deeper understanding of the rich cultural heritage of the natives could have prevented the exploitation and bloodbath that followed.
Works Cited
Columbus, Christopher. Personal Narratives of the First Voyage of Columbus to America. MA: Harvard University Press, 2006. Print.
McGovern, James. The World of Columbus. GA: Mercer University Press, 1992.
Ochoa, George and Carter Smith. Atlas of Hispanic-American History. New York: Infobase, Inc., 2009. Print.
Sale, Kirkpatrick. Christopher Columbus and the Conquest of Paradise. New York: I.B. Tauris and Co., 2006. Print.
From the historical information it is very much clear that Christopher Columbus was not the person that discovered the American continent, and people. This is the case because great civilizations had been built long before he came across the land; he did not open the American land to European trade like it is often claimed; and fishermen had fished the Canadian shores long before he had come along. It is also evident that he did not discover America, because historical documentation about America had been done by 1947. The other discovery that Columbus claims credit for is the discovery that the earth is spherical; which long before the making of his arguments, the earth’s diameter and circumference had been documented by the Egyptian Greek scientists. The claim that Columbus was the first person to discover America can be disapproved by the fact that; the Muslim had encountered contact with the people of the American land long before Columbus came into the discovery picture. The claim that has not yet been verified that Homo-sapiens evolved in America; could also be used as a basis to claim that Columbus was not the first person to discover the American land (Rodriguez 143-152).
Further disapproval of Columbus’ discovery of America can be attributed to events like the migration of the people, who became the ancestors of the native Bahamas people from Asia to America; through the Bering land bridge during the Ice age. After he found the land and the people there; they used to exchange their merchandise for glass beads and hawks’ bells which they did voluntarily. This gives an indication that the native people were already used to trade; and that he was not the person that either discovered the land, or brought civilization to these people (Magnuson 114-119).
From the account it is very evident that Columbus took the native people by force due to their ignorance, so that they could show him the places where there were resources like gold in the region after teaching them how to speak and learn. Columbus however had the idea that there was gold in this region; this gives the idea that the voyages he made were not merely a coincidence leading to the discovery of America, but a search for the gold resources he believed were in this region. Columbus further used the ignorance and uncivilized nature of these people; to get them doing what he wanted, which was getting to the gold endowed regions. This therefore can be used as an account to that, Columbus was not even conscious of the search and discovery of America as it had long been discovered; but was in an adventure geared to looking for gold and slaves. This is evident from the writings that; he could use these people to do whatever he wanted of them (Rodriguez 143-152).
The Underground Railroad can greatly be viewed as an icon in the development of humane treatment of the then slaves; symbol of the self identity of the then considered less human slaves; and an indication that not one race was fully inhuman to enslave other people. The underground rail road was a foundation for the derailing of the social evil of slavery in America; that has even shown indication in the present day society. It also served as a landmark; for the use of cheap slave labor as an economic base for the then land owners. However it was not until the Fugitive slavery act was passed; that was meant to free the slaves to the north, through this railroad that was not just a railway but an organized mode for escape by the combined effort of both black and white people. The strength of this operation lied in the thorough knowledge of the given region, by the organizers who planned the right times for escape and even gave food among other things to keep the slaves going (Beigel, Hochschild & May 95-112).
The Underground Railroad phenomena; therefore serves as an important indication of the American people’s history; fighting for their rights and what they believe in; and an inspiration to the present day people, the future generations and the then slaves (Lassieur 54-59).
Work cited
Beigel, Mark., Hochschild, Lenny. & May, Ilana. “History of the Underground Railroad”. The Underground Railroad in Rochester. Beaufort Books. (1982): 95- 112