Research Paper - Is Christopher Columbus a Hero or Villain
Christopher Columbus found a new world and jumpstarted an age of exploration like no other. After he found the Americas there was massive colonization, giant trade increases and more resources such as gold and silver were being surfaced. Europeans learned new agricultural techniques from the indigenous people, the Europeans also acquired a large number of new crops to farm such as potatoes, tomatoes, corn and cocoa. With all of the pros that the age of exploration brought to Europeans it is hard for one to imagine that Christopher Columbus could be a villain. Could there possibly be evil behind some of the wonderful discoveries of Christopher Columbus? The problem is exactly what you just read, people only know the good things Christopher Columbus brought to the world and they ignore the terrible things he did. Christopher Columbus was a villain because his discovery of the Americas eventually leads to the destruction of Native American culture, he was not the first European explorer to land in America, and he did now accomplish his mission to find India
The voyages of Christopher Columbus eventually destroyed and absolutely ruined Native American culture forever. Due to the discovery of the Americas, the Native American settlements were overcome by severe disease and military conquest. Many people claim that Christopher Columbus did not take part in any kind of conquest or enslavement of Native Americans but in an article written by William Phillips it says “He then began to enslave some of the islanders. According to Spanish law, if the local people peacefully accepted takeover by the Europeans, they were protected against enslavement as subjects of the Castilian crown, but if they made war, they could be seized as slaves. Some islanders were certainly at war against the Europeans, and Columbus used their resistance as a justification for outright conquest” (Columbus, Christopher: The Second Voyage) that clearly shows that he had no regard for the Native
The voyages of Christopher Columbus eventually destroyed and absolutely ruined Native American culture forever. Due to the discovery of the Americas, the Native American settlements were overcome by severe disease and military conquest. Many people claim that Christopher Columbus did not take part in any kind of conquest or enslavement of Native Americans but in an article written by William Phillips it says “He then began to enslave some of the islanders. According to Spanish law, if the local people peacefully accepted takeover by the Europeans, they were protected against enslavement as subjects of the Castilian crown, but if they made war, they could be seized as slaves. Some islanders were certainly at war against the Europeans, and Columbus used their resistance as a justification for outright conquest” (Columbus, Christopher: The Second Voyage) that clearly shows that he had no regard for the Native
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