Preview

Why Is Christopher Columbus Bad

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
761 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is Christopher Columbus Bad
he·ro/ˈhi(ə)rō/
Noun:
1. A person, typically a man, who is admired for courage or noble qualities.

vil·lain/ˈvilən/
Noun:
1. 1: A person guilty or capable of a crime or wickedness.
2. 2: The person or thing responsible for specified trouble, harm, or damage

Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?

Throughout history there have been a number of people that have been celebrated as heroes, but some of their fame is controversial. Today Columbus is seen as a great man who had such an impact on the history of the America’s. He is only seen heroic for his journey to the New World “his famous journey lasting months to get from England to Cuba.” Accordingly Columbus was expecting to find a new route to get to India for trade. To many Columbus is seen as a man who did nothing but good for the world. When you look deeper into his colonization of the New World you will find the horrific details of the take over of the Native Americans. So therefore Christopher Columbus was more rather a villain than anything else.
…show more content…
The natives once greeting the new comers to their island were very polite. Some of the natives thought of Columbus as a messenger from god, a savior. Soon enough Columbus would realize this and take advantage. He sought to take over all remaining money and recourses from the Native Americans. But not only did he have to take away all of there personal items he had to take their faith. Beyond all of the wealth, Columbus decided to convert all natives into Catholicism. In fact it had turned out to be Columbus’s plan from the beginning. On the day of arrival on October 12, 1492 he wrote, “They should all be good servants…I our lord being pleased, will take hence at the time of my departure” As clearly shown Columbus had a cruel and dictator like mind to turn all natives into his servants or

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Christopher Columbus also forced the natives to convert from catholic to Christians. He wanted to expand on Hispaniola. He convinced them by scientific reasoning than prospering. He told the natives… “ god made me the messenger of the new heaven and the new earth… and showed me where to find it.” After he intended this change Christopher Columbus established a trading past and continued his exploration in searching of China and…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Columbus was only doing what any other person under the ruling of a king and queen would have done back then, to serve and please them in any way possible. He wanted to show himself to his king in queen. Christopher of course is known for discovering America, but on the way there he did things that are frowned upon now. On his discovering he made the Natives into slaves, forced them to as he please or they would get punished. Columbus should not be bashed upon for his prejudices and brutality, back then it was all around the world and everybody was doing it, it wasn’t a wrong thing at this time.…

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most people know that Christopher Columbus discovered America, but are probably unaware of all the destruction that he caused in doing so. Columbus had an urge to sail west to the Indies where he ended up finding North America and did not even realize it. In fact, he made four voyages, mainly to the Caribbean and part of the north coast of South America and was sure it had to be the Indies. He was looking for gold and spices that he had read about, but was in the wrong place. His exploration brought so many bad things to people. Enough reason to consider Columbus a jerk.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On Thursday, October 11th, 1492, after Christopher Columbus interacted with the American people, he recommended that they should be converted to his holy faith by love rather than force, so that they could be freed from their error. Subsequently in aspiration converting the multitude to their holy faith would acquire large dominions and great riches and all of their peoples for Spain. Moreover, he believed that the American people could easily be converted to Christianity, due to the reason that it seemed that they had no religion and that assorted indisputable components made them seem susceptible to such. This encompassed repeating everything that they were told to them such as prayers and would also comply with forming the sign of the cross. Similarly, they were considered to be credulous and was aware that there is a god but thought Columbus and his men came from heaven.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Christopher Columbus could be seen as both a hero and a villain. While Columbus had many good contributions to the New World, he also brought bad ones as well. In my opinion, Columbus did many more things to be seen as a villain rather and a hero. Columbus’s contributions to America are often mis viewed and a few great things he did cover up many horrible occurrences he was responsible for.…

    • 231 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Regardless of whether or not Christopher Columbus was a moral man, or the fact he discovered America with the intentions of finding a trade route to Asia, or whether or not his intentions were good or bad he was a man of his era who started a new period of exploration and trade. This period ultimately led to the development of the greatest republic known to this date.…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As we all sit down and enjoy the day off from our duties, we often think of Christopher Columbus and thank him for his accomplishments and contributions, but do we ever look beyond it & think how cruel he was to the native people of America? Columbus had found the new world in an attempt to find Asia and had sent many expeditions to explore the area heroically. That is what the majority of people think about when they think of Christopher Columbus. Little do they know, Christopher Columbus had a dark side. He was deceitful and merciless, and would stop at nothing to obtain what he wanted , much like a villain. I would classify Columbus as a villain do to his horrible ethical treatment of others as well as his deceitful ways.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” We all have been hearing this saying ever since we were little. Is he really a hero? He found a new world and jump started an age of exploration like no other. After he found the Americas there…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I believe Christopher Columbus was a hero in his time, and in ours. But before I can go any further I want to say that what was right and common sense in 1492 was different then in 2011. It is unfair to say he was a villain based on standards and morals that came 500 years later. Also, another thing we forget is the world was different back then. Europe was starting its Renaissance and each country was trying to top the other in development to become the most powerful country. So, there was a lot of competition going on. Besides, the planet was not very well known. The people of the time only knew of Asia, Africa, and Europe. They did not even know the continents they were aware of very well. They were mistaken in many of their beliefs about the world that they did know. They had seriously underestimated the size of Asia, therefore thinking the world was 2/3s smaller than it really was. However, it was a time of great exploration. People were starting to map out the world, partly for trade routes. With those mistaken beliefs: the need to explore, and the Renaissance, you can see what drove Columbus across the ocean blue. I think he is hero for many reasons: he discovered two “new” contents and took the risk of crossing the Atlantic into unknown waters and defying what people said was impossible. Also he was being heroic to Spain by finding gold and killing non-Christians.…

    • 599 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Columbus treated the Native Americans intolerably when he arrived to the New World. Upon arrival, his plan was for him and his crew to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle, and destroy the Natives, as well as acquire gold from their king (Document 7). He and his crew committed harrowing crimes against the Indians that were irreversible and deadly. He forcefully made Natives strip mountains top to bottom, split rocks, move stones, and carry dirt to the rivers to be panned out for gold; this put great pain into the Natives lives. Also, Columbus ordered for the Natives to carry him and his…

    • 595 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I was taught when I was a little girl that christopher columbus was a hero cause he found the “New World”. To what I have read in Mrs. Forbes english 3 class. Christopher Columbus is a villain in my opinion. Why you ask? Let me explain.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Christopher Columbus, known as the man who founded America, was actually looking for an Atlantic route to Asia. He had four voyages between 1492 and 1504 were wondrous at first, but disappointing in the end. He won support of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Spanish monarchs, for the “enterprise of the Indies.” According to his letters, some people see him as a hero, and some don’t. In my opinion, I think he is a little bit of both.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “In the Year fourteen hundred ninety two, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” ask any child above grade level 5 and they’ll be able to recite these exact words. Growing up as a child in America one is ‘taught’ this over and over until those words are drilled into their head like nothing else. America has been founded on arguably one of the most bloodiest histories starting even before Christopher Columbus ‘found’ America. Christopher Columbus is known to be the one who founded America, as stated in the previous statement, but people (historians, ect) like to erase or omit other key details about his journey and who he was. We know Christopher Columbus as the great man who opened the door for European people to expand and grow. He was a kind person who was graced by Isabella and Ferdinand themselves. He’s essentially a hero and should be remembered as one. In reality,…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Question 1: In Christopher Columbus’s personal journal there are numerous examples that portray him to be a hero in some fashion or another. Christopher Columbus describes in immaculate detail his voyage across the sea. He portrays himself as a man of great power and leadership. Columbus describes his search for the city of gold in such a way that one would almost start to believe that he is doing the Natives a service by extracting their gold from their lands so that it can be placed in the rightful hands of the rulers of his own nation. Columbus says, “They have no religion, and I believe that they would very readily become Christians, as they have a good understanding.” (Columbus) In this regard he can be portrayed as a hero in that he was…

    • 943 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Christopher Columbus can in no way, shape, or form be considered a hero. A hero is someone who performs good deeds for the sake of others and not for their own benefit. Christopher Columbus did not do a single good deed in any of his four voyages in the late 1400 's. Christopher Columbus was not the founder of the Americas we live in today because he did not set a single foot on these grounds, even if he did there were already the natives who inhabited the land. When he first sited land it was further down south in the Caribbean Islands. Christopher Columbus can be considered the enforcer of slavery. Slavery was already going on when he left Spain. However, the natives could be used for trade with other goods, this was known as the slave trade. He and his crew basically enslaved a whole race of men, women, and children. When Christopher Columbus discovered what he thought to be the "New World", he had no idea that he would find a whole race of people. His intensions were to go out and find gold and spices to bring back to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in Spain.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays