Opinion of Christopher Columbus

Opinions of Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus has always been revered as the man who discovered America, but as people look back over time, other ideas of Columbus have formed. Did he actually discover America? Or did he just encounter it? As other Native Americans had already been living in America, who were soon colonized/conquered, it is hard to say whether or not Columbus was a legendary man. Christopher Columbus, in all respect, did change the course of history greatly, the only question is whether or not he should honored or scorned for it. In 1492, Columbus happened upon the Americas. Columbus believed these people, the Native Americans, easily conquerable, and showed that. He did a number of injustices to the Native American people, women and children included. He also believed them to have no religion of their own, and tried to force christianity upon the Native Americans. Although Columbus was the first major sailor to reach the Americas, his actions did not represent an honorable man. Although, at this time, Columbus had made a great change affecting the course of history. The Americas had been largely cut off from the rest of the world, and Columbus' interactions with the Native Americans had opened the Americas to trade thereout. It is arguable that the Americas would have been exposed to the rest of the world at some time, but Columbus had been the first. He, essentially, was the man who had the idea to sail west and created that to be a reality. Yet his actions were not the best, he did have the first major encounter in the Americas. I believe Columbus should be respected as the man who did have the first effective encounter in the Americas, though not honored. He had committed great sins against the Native Americans, and should not be considered a hero. Heroes have ethic morals they follow before and after they had made their accomplishments. Columbus did not show this. Columbus was a navigator who had happened to, instead of Asia, come across a continent unknown to the world.