Pros And Cons Of Christopher Columbus

Alexa Canelli
February 1, 2013
Am Hist I (12pm) Mazurek
Homework #1

A) “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492...” This popular poem has become engraved in the minds of many children for years. From a young age, certain facts about the discovery of America are taught. What is not being realized is that many specifics are being omitted from lessons. This being said, it is important to note that it is no longer as simple to just explain that Christopher Columbus discovered America. Even in many history textbooks throughout modern America, some of the truths are absent. Columbus has recently become so controversial, especially at the time of his quincentennial, because of this oblivious ignorance of the facts of history. Many believe
that from the start, Christopher Columbus doomed the indigenous people of the Americas. Furthermore, these individuals agree that Columbus should not be so widely celebrated. Similarly, as previously mentioned, the history of the discovery of America has been unfairly portrayed for generations. From the very beginning, Columbus and his followers had their eyes set on conquering the New World that they would claim as their own. While it is not untrue to say that Christopher Columbus can be credited with the discovery of the New World, it must be noted that he did so in a rather unruly and unnecessary manner.
From the aspect of the native Americans that Columbus “discovered,” his arrival started the destruction of the native peoples (Gray 1). This natural world he discovered would soon be corrupted by the European invasion of the New World. What Columbus mistook for ignorance from the indigenous was actually just a different, unpretentious way of living in which the natives were quite comfortable. “’They were well fed and well housed, without poverty or serious disease. They enjoyed considerable leisure… and expressed themselves artistically…They lived in general harmony and peace without greed or covetousness or theft’” (4). From the evidence we can collect, it seems as if the natives were not without fault as the prelapsarian myth suggests, but they were content before Columbus and probably would have lived in prosperity completely satisfied without Columbus (4). It needs to be well understood that Columbus is a historical figure, not a historical
hero. It is not only what Columbus did to the native American’s that made him so controversial, but the fact that he is being so positively celebrated for it. All of the misconceptions about Columbus and his discovery of the New World can be stemmed back to the fact that the first Americans were trying to free themselves from their motherland, England. The colonials needed an “American” hero, an ancestor that was not British; therefore, they hyped up Columbus “in an early attempt to provide the nation with the icons of multicultural diversity” (3). Columbus, from the perspective of many, is a historical fraud to say the least. He contributed to a mass genocide of the indigenous people and is still being considered a hero. He promoted slavery, murder, and theft of ownership, the very basics that the constitution was written years later to prevent, when he took the Americas for his own. It is obvious why so many groups of people are speaking out to ask a simple question: Why is the Hitler of 1492 being celebrated-especially 500 years later? (2). To numerous people it is not only something incredibly shameful to rejoice in, but it is simply morally wrong. As a modern day native American stated, “’We’re talking about celebrating the great benefit to some people brought by the murder of other people’” (2). From the point of view of the native Americans, it is wrong to celebrate Columbus for his “achievements” when it brought their ancestors great suffering. It is not only wrong to embrace him, but some crucial facts are being left behind. History as we know it has more or less been misinterpreted. Only recently is it being recognized that the native people Columbus encountered in the New World had just as great of an impact on the Europeans as they had on the indigenous (3). For example, the native Americans had a huge influence on the start of the Renaissance. In fact, they may have inspired it with their unique artwork. It is said that the aboriginal people of the New World gave Columbus and his men “intellectual excitement.” They introduced forms of art, literature, and expression so new to the Europeans (3). Furthermore, the natives presented various types of cultivated food. While the indigenous had been growing this food for years, Columbus and his men were new to the crops: peppers, potatoes, paprika, corn, tomatoes (4). The impact that the natives had on the Europeans was vast. They showed them such companionship in teaching them the simple ways in which they lived happily. Then, Columbus repaid them with slavery, genocide, and took away their land to call it his own discovery. The quincentennial of Columbus discovering the New World has lately been celebrated immensely. The controversy that surrounds these celebrations is great because of the misunderstanding between various groups of peoples; however, to replace one fallacy with another would be hypocrisy at its finest (4). Yes, it is untrue to say that Columbus was not a hero; it would also be untrue to say that his impact was unimportant to the world we know today. To find a balance between the two sides of the fence will be a nearly impossible, yet essential task in understanding the history of the New World without a bias opinion, but simply just the core facts.

B) When studying history, truths and evidences are normally the most important thing you can discover. It is significant to know the details exactly how they happened; however, sometimes perspective can be an interesting thing to look into. Columbus and del Castillo, two explorers of the New World, had various opinions and observations to record about the native peoples they discovered. The primary documents in which these observations can be found describe how these two European men viewed the indigenous Americans from both a racial and cultural views. Conversely, the Florentine Index provides a detailed description of how the natives viewed the Spanish that oppressed them. It is not only interesting, but also extremely imperative to explore both the observations of the conquerors and the conquered. When Columbus first arrived in the Americas he was very skeptical of the natives he encountered and rightly so. They were a strange people to him and appeared out of the ordinary. Racially, Columbus viewed the indigenous people as appearing relatively savage-like in his first impression. He had many reasons to think this, one being that it was normal for the natives to be “as naked as their mothers bore them” (Johnson 20). This, of course, for the Europeans was fairly strange. Another racial feature the natives possessed that was strange to Columbus was that they painted themselves. Looking past his initial views that the native Americans were rather peculiar, Columbus was surprisingly generally fond of their appearance and even thought they were quite handsome. He described them as being “well formed, with handsome bodies and good faces… and their eyes (were) very handsome and not small” (20-21). Though he admired their appearance as a race, is clear that Columbus recognized how strange and different they were from the “normal” Europeans. When describing their hair he mentioned that it was straight and course, and not curly like many Europeans. He also mentioned that they were not black or white, but yellow like a Canary islander. Columbus was gold-obsessed so there was no-doubt he noticed some of the natives golden nose jewelry. Racially, Columbus was not too critical about the natives and generally viewed them as a handsome, though savage-like, people. Culturally, however, he was a little quicker to judge. In a word, Columbus would probably describe the culture of the indigenous people in the New World as uncivilized. Their ignorance about the Europeans everyday lifestyle was shocking to Columbus. He was almost appalled by the fact that they had never seen weapons like the ones Columbus and his men carried. When first introduced to a sword, a native “through ignorance cut (himself)” (20). A conclusion can be drawn that Columbus simply did not understand the unpretentious culture of the natives, and therefore found them naïve. For this reason, he found them to be “a people poor in everything” (20). Another important point to be made is that he viewed them as quite daft for believing that the Europeans had come from the heavens. This ignorance the natives had about the new people they encountered was most likely mistaken as foolishness by Columbus. On a more positive note, Columbus regarded the native Americans as being adaptable and somewhat intelligent. He noted that “they are of very good understanding” (22). One of the first things he observed about their principles was that the people could be easily adapted to Christianity because they learned very quickly and he was almost certain that they had no religion of their own. He thought they would be easier “converted… by love than by force” (20). This exemplifies another positive attribute Columbus noted about the indigenous peoples was that they were generally gentle and kind. They were willing and happy to please Columbus and his men. He noticed quickly that in their culture “they gave everything for anything that was given to them” (21). Therefore, Columbus took advantage of this innocence when he realized that they would give cotton for broken pieces of glass. They were not only generous materially, but they correspondingly willingly and happily led Columbus and his men to fresh water and helped them transport it back to their ships. Columbus and his men viewed the native Americans as a gentle, yet uncivilized, adaptable, yet ignorant, peoples. Bernal Diaz del Castillo viewed the indigenous people he encountered rather differently from the way Columbus did.
The first individual he discussed in his writings was the leader of the indigenous people of Mexico: Montezuma. Racially, Castillo believed him to be quite in-shape with adequate mussels and build. He was of “usual Indian complexion” and his hair was not long like most Indians, but short above his ears (24). Culturally, Castillo saw Montezuma as being mostly grandiose. He had many mistresses and two wives. He was very spoiled with numerous amounts of servants that adhered to his every need. Even Castillo seemed amazed that at every meal prepared for the leader of the Mexicans, thirty different dishes were prepared and that he sometimes even fed on the flesh of young boys. Being that the weapons they had were more adapt then his own, “[swords] that cut much better than our swords,” Castillo was vastly impressed with the arms Montezuma possessed (24). Not only were the weapons better, but they were significantly decorated as well. While Montezuma was viewed as very elegant and over-the-top by Castillo, the peoples of Mexico were regarded slightly
differently. When Castillo was exploring the habits of the native people he stumbled upon, some things excited him and some things greatly revolted him. He viewed some of the ceremonies that they performed to be completely brutal and savage. One of these rituals was the human sacrifices that the people’s culture involved. “It was so appalling that one seemed to be in hell” (25). They would brutally murder their own for sacrifice and feed the bodies to various animals. While he viewed the natives as savages for this, Castillo was also impressed and amazed by many things that the indigenous did. For one, the skills possessed by the workmen in Mexico vastly impressed him to the point where even the finest Spanish workmen were mesmerized. The natives astonished Castillo and his men vastly when they arrived at their marketplace. “We were astounded at the great number of people and the qualities of merchandise, and at the orderliness and good arrangements that prevailed, for we had never seen such a thing before” (26). It may be safe to say that Castillo was almost threatened by the civilization he encountered in Mexico. Many of the native’s cultural habits and possessions were ahead of that of the Spanish, which probably intimidated them to say the least. The native Mexican’s first impression of the Spanish who conquered them was surprisingly positive. At first, they had no reason to suspect cruelty and therefore, they were hospitable to the Spanish. When they first arrived, it is safe to say that the Aztecs believed they had come from the heavens and that they were Mexican gods who had come back to take over ruling the empire. Obviously, for this reason, they treated them peacefully and with much respect; greeting them with gifts, welcoming them into the palace, and offering them a seat of authority. Soon after the arrival of the Spanish, however, the Mexican view of the invaders quickly changed. After the Spanish seized the Aztecs leader, Montezuma, things started to spiral downward. The Mexicans were most likely confused because the people they previously believed to be their gods had turned on them and made things very frantic. People viewed them as a race to fear. “Everyone was terrified, taken aback, thunderstruck, stunned” (30). The soon completely conquered Aztecs grew angry at their leader and turned against him confused about who the real enemy was, though they knew the Spanish were evil. Nevertheless, they obeyed them in fear of fatal consequences (30). They gravely awaited the arrival of the time when the Spanish would begin to kill them off and when the time came, they could not have regarded their subjugators more negatively. “…they stabbed everyone with iron lances and struck them with iron swords…they split open the heads of some…and if someone still tried to run it was useless…” (31). Needless to say, the brutal murder of the Aztecs was soon objectified and fighting began. There is no doubt that the Mexicans felt extremely betrayed and helpless to the wrath of the Spanish warriors. They had never experienced such great suffering and forceful, cruel power. They stole from the Mexicans, looking anywhere they wanted- including up women’s skirts (32). They even went as far as to kidnap the most beautiful Aztec women and the strongest men proceeding to brand them on the cheeks and mouth (32).The perspective the Mexicans had about the Spanish may have been positive but because of the cruelty shown by the conquistadors, this quickly changed to hatred. Whether negative or positive, the perspectives of all parties involved in historical events are important to investigate. It gives a new and insightful view to the once one-sided reports of history. Through primary documents, we can discover just how the subjugators and subjugated felt during certain events; more specifically, how Columbus and del Castillo viewed the natives and how the natives, in turned, regarded them. Without these perceptions from authentic individuals and historical figures, there would be no exciting opinions, but only one-sided arguments, able to be expressed about the events that are the puzzle pieces to the world as we now know it.