Christopher Columbus Is A Hero Essay
History is a Weapon
The textbook “History of a Free Nation” depicts Christopher Columbus as being a heroic voyager who leads his crew to destiny. The textbook offers an analysis of Columbus’ preparation for the voyage, which details his motives for wanting to sail to Asia. Columbus attempted to determine how far he would need to sail after reading a copy of Marco Polo’s “travels”. While Columbus was a geography enthusiast, his calculations of the Earth’s size were incredibly inaccurate, presuming that Japan was just 2,400 miles from the farthest point of Portuguese exploration, the Canary Islands. Believing that such a journey was possible, Columbus badgered the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella for 6 years before finally receiving three ships to make his voyage. While describing the …show more content…
The textbook also fails to mention that the “copper-skinned people Columbus brought back” were likely either treated as slaves or ultimately killed by their European oppressors. In conclusion, the textbook attempts to portray Columbus in a heroic manner by describing him as a man with unmatched determination, while choosing to leave out certain details that may tarnish his reputation.
Howard Zinn’s article “Columbus, The Indians and Human Progress” presents Columbus as a genocidal tyrant, who committed atrocities in a perverse manner unbefitting a man described as an “American hero”. The article provides a much more detailed description of Columbus’ interactions with the native Arawak people, beginning with their first meeting on San Salvador. Columbus immediately sought to abuse the generosity shown by the Arawak towards him and his crew, noting that “They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever want.”. Upon his arrival on the island, Columbus had a desire for wealth stemming from a deal he had made with Spanish royalty before the voyage, which would see him receive a 10% cut of the
The textbook “History of a Free Nation” depicts Christopher Columbus as being a heroic voyager who leads his crew to destiny. The textbook offers an analysis of Columbus’ preparation for the voyage, which details his motives for wanting to sail to Asia. Columbus attempted to determine how far he would need to sail after reading a copy of Marco Polo’s “travels”. While Columbus was a geography enthusiast, his calculations of the Earth’s size were incredibly inaccurate, presuming that Japan was just 2,400 miles from the farthest point of Portuguese exploration, the Canary Islands. Believing that such a journey was possible, Columbus badgered the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella for 6 years before finally receiving three ships to make his voyage. While describing the …show more content…
The textbook also fails to mention that the “copper-skinned people Columbus brought back” were likely either treated as slaves or ultimately killed by their European oppressors. In conclusion, the textbook attempts to portray Columbus in a heroic manner by describing him as a man with unmatched determination, while choosing to leave out certain details that may tarnish his reputation.
Howard Zinn’s article “Columbus, The Indians and Human Progress” presents Columbus as a genocidal tyrant, who committed atrocities in a perverse manner unbefitting a man described as an “American hero”. The article provides a much more detailed description of Columbus’ interactions with the native Arawak people, beginning with their first meeting on San Salvador. Columbus immediately sought to abuse the generosity shown by the Arawak towards him and his crew, noting that “They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever want.”. Upon his arrival on the island, Columbus had a desire for wealth stemming from a deal he had made with Spanish royalty before the voyage, which would see him receive a 10% cut of the