Blog #9: Columbus

Blog #9: Columbus


After receiving funds from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492. He was searching for India, and was trying to find a route to help bring back goods to Spain. However, 33 days after leaving, instead of finding a path to India, Columbus reached land in America- the New World. After making landfall, he influenced both the natives as well as his mother country. He was both a villain and a hero, but a villain to a greater extent than a hero.
                           
Christopher Columbus was much more of a villain than a hero. This mainly is because of his treatment of the natives, who he named Indians. His initial reaction after seeing them for the first time was to make them slaves. Columbus himself even wrote that “They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” He would force them to obtain the amount of wealth he had promised the Spanish government he had found, and if they couldn’t, they were brutally murdered. They were mutilated, burned, bled out, hung, or fed to dogs by the Spaniards. Columbus implemented the Encomienda system, and was so cruel to natives that he even forced them to carry the Spanish on their backs, making them feel incredibly low. Also, how Columbus treated the Arawaks (natives of where he landed) led to the abuse of many other native tribes by European conquerors in the future. This mistreatment and murdering of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans demonstrates how, to a greater extent, Columbus was a villain.

On the other hand, Christopher Columbus was also a hero. ­He landed in America in 1492, and established a connection between the New World and the Old World that has been incredibly influential every since. The Columbian Exchange was even named after Columbus, and allowed for the exchange of crops, goods, and animals for centuries to come. This connection has allowed for the development of many nations, including America. It is undeniable that without Christopher Columbus, America would not be where it is today. However, although Columbus was a hero in that he established a link across the Atlantic, it was to a much lesser an extent than he was a villain.



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Christopher Columbus




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Lewis and Clark (synthesis):
Lewis and Clark set out in 1804 to explore the Louisiana Purchase, recently acquired from France. This was similar to Columbus as they were exploring for the head of their country (Jefferson). However, Lewis and Clark had good relations with the natives they encountered, unlike Columbus, and most likely would not have survived without them.

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