Christopher Columbus As A Hero

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
dedicated to trying to spread Christianity into the New World because he believed that with a strong faith in the Lord anything was achievable. Columbus also believed that God intended him to navigate the Atlantic Ocean in order to spread Christianity, in this sense he can almost be portrayed as a God in his own respect because he was instrumental in the spread of the Christian faith to the New World.
Question 2: Las Casas’s account opposes the image of Columbus as a hero in the New World in a plethora of different ways.
Las Casas directly displays the evil wrongdoing and savagery of the Spaniards and Christopher Columbus when he displays the empirical data of the Island of Hispaniola. The island was once so densely populated, estimated to have roughly 3 million inhabitants, now a population of just two hundred people. (Casas) This contradicts the notion of Columbus as a hero because it depicts him as a rabid exterminator. A hero saves people and the manner in which Las Casas describes Columbus’s actions are anything but heroic. In Columbus’s own journal he describes the events that transpired on his voyage in a way that make him appear as if though he were not the hero many people gave him credit for. One specific example from Columbus’s Journal that display this lack of heroism is the following line, “I understand the natives but imperfectly, and perceive them to be so poor that a trifling quantity of gold appears to them a great amount.”. (Columbus) I believe this quote to portray Columbus in a way that almost certainty conveys greed and prejudice, because after he says this he begins to slaughter anyone that stands between him and this gold that is ever so valuable to these natives. Heroism is not stealing from the poor in order to gain for yourself, a hero displays qualities of charity and not thievery. Christopher Columbus has been celebrated throughout history as a hero, but in a growing popularity of opinion, he is beginning to be questioned. These questions deserve to be raised and examined, so that we can better understand our
history.
Question 3: In my opinion Kirkpatrick Sale made several rather intricate points in which I believe him to be correct. I believe Sale to be absolutely correct when he said, ‘’The only political vision that offers any hope of salvation is one based on an understanding of, a rootedness in, a deep commitment to, and a resocialization of, place.’’ (Sale). It is my opinion that in order to thrive as a civilization we must respect the land in which we inhabit and have a deep commitment as a whole to the preservation and salvation of our home. It is also my opinion that Kirkpatrick Sale was extremely critical of Christopher Columbus in this article, with excellent reason, Columbus accomplished many things but the manner in which he accomplished these things still remains to be interpreted to criticism.
Question 4: In my opinion Kirkpatrick Sale exaggerated several of his points, the main point being where Sale says, “Instead, it began the process by which the culture of Europe, aptly represented by this captain, implanted its diseased and dangerous seeds in the soils of the continents that represented the last best hope for humankind--and destroyed them.” (Sale) I find this point to be exaggerated because he claims that by having Europeans come across to the New World that humankind was essentially doomed. I feel that this is extremely exaggerated due to the undeniable fact that the New World was in essence the foundation for the advancement of mankind. Had Christopher Columbus not lead this heroic voyage across the Atlantic to discover these new lands we would not have the absurdly advanced world in which we live in today.
Question 5: In my opinion Christopher Columbus should continue to be celebrated, not only for his incredible accomplishments in voyaging to the New World but for the exploration he inspired. The spread of Christianity to the western world would have never happened had Columbus not been heavily influenced by the Christian faith and had he been dedicated to helping to spread the message of Christianity. Columbus inspired the beginning of cultural exchange between America and Europe. Subsequently, millions of European immigrants brought their music, art, medicine, science, philosophy and many different forms of religious principles to the New World, where they could practice their beliefs and freely express their ideals. These contributions have helped shape the United States and numerous other forms of Democracy in the New World. In my opinion when analyzing the effect that Christopher Columbus had on the foundation and exploration of the New World, the sacrifice of many can be seen as a horribly necessary cost for the future of the Western World and the society in which we live in today.