In 1492. Christopher Columbus. discovered America. More than 500 old ages subsequently Columbus Day is a national vacation. Statues are up. even in Pueblo. and thanks are given for what he has done for us. We learn about him in class school and we are told of his brave escapades. However twenty old ages subsequently in my first history category another image is being painted of Columbus ; non from my History book. but from my instructor. I thought it was interesting to be larning these conflicting positions of him and researched the facts. Apparently a batch of people feel the same way…Christopher Columbus was a scoundrel. About 500 old ages ago Christopher Columbus carved a new way for Spaniards. which opened up a universe of panic and decease for the indigens of this land. America.

We now know that Christopher Columbus did non detect America this is incontestable. What is debatable is what he genuinely did when he came over to America. To acquire a better apprehension of what was traveling on with Columbus in late 1400s I will give some back narrative. During those times. commercial ventures were being offered and Columbus had old experience being on ships so he saw the chance to work his beliefs. Christopher believed that the universe was round and if he sailed east he could do it to the Indies. What he did non cognize was how long it would take him to acquire at that place. He was entirely with his first boy. Diego. and set out to acquire support for his ocean trips.

He went to Queen Isabella and King Fernando and asked if they would fund him. They said they would necessitate to look into it further. Priests and bookmans studied and researched his thought for six old ages while Columbus and his boy followed them to wherever they may go. Columbus was eventually told no his thought was foolish and the Earth was excessively large to sail that manner. He continued with his beliefs and tried to alter their head. He presented his thought two more times to no help. As Carol Gallagher describes in her Biography of Columbus “he became a gag at court” . ( Gallagher )

At last. after the 3rd effort and being rejected. Columbus rode away on his mule. Merely to be caught up with by a courier of Queen Isabella. he was told that they had changed their head and would accept the proposal. They granted him three ships with 90 work forces. Finally Christopher could compensate his name and turn out that he was non a gag. With old ages of being mocked. and laughed at Columbus had a batch to populate up to. Christopher was now experiencing righteous in his pursuit and asked that he be named ‘Admiral of the Ocean Sea’ and a ten percent of all wealths found to be his. The Queen and King agreed.

The ocean trip had taken 33 yearss to make land on America. Which Christopher believed it to be the Indies. Christopher writes in his diaries his first feeling of the indigens ; he writes that they are bare and immature with shapely organic structures. The Admiral said that they would be good retainers and could larn their linguistic communication rapidly. Columbus named every piece of land they came upon and set up large flags. He claimed it all for Spain ; ne’er mind the 1000s of people already populating at that place. it was now Spain’s. They took six of the native’s prisoner to convey place to the Queen. Christopher had seen some work forces have oning gold rings on their legs and weaponries and took them to demo him where the remainder of the gold was.

However the indigens could non demo them straight and Columbus believed they were lying. Columbus wrote to the King and Queen and told them “There are many spices and great mines of gold and of other metals. ” ( Gallagher ) . this was in fact a prevarication. Columbus did non happen mines of gold. he did have a gold belt and felt the Natives where lying to him about the remainder of the gold. He decided to return place and acquire more supplies and work forces. When he returned to Spain the King and Queen where pleased and wanted more of the wealths of the land.

I think that the remainder of Columbus enterprises to the New World are fueled by greed and an nescient impression that God gave him this right. When he returned to America. which he thought was the Indies. he returned with 1. 200 work forces and 17 ships. Gallagher writes in her Biography “He was given authorization to govern. The ships carried soldiers to suppress the Indians. priests to change over them to Christianity. husbandmans. guard Canis familiariss. and farm animals” ( Gallagher ) . he intending Columbus. So he now intends to travel back to America and take what he wants. However he could non happen gilded mines or wealths. He built a garrison in a mosquito infested country and 100s of his work forces got ill and died from Malaria. The Natives met them with great opposition and besides died by the 100s from little syphilis and cruel capturers. In 1502. which is ten old ages after Columbus’s foremost find of America. Spain adopted and made functionary a policy that Columbus had created. encomienda.

What this system meant was an Indian small town. all people of 14 old ages or older could be safe for a period of 3 months with a item. At the terminal of the 3 months they had to pay with adequate gold to fulfill the testimonial. If they did non pay them. the indigens would acquire their custodies cut off or worse be murdered. The Wikipedia describes this as follows ; “Encomienda was a legal system that was employed chiefly by the Spanish Crown during the Spanish colonisation of the Americas to modulate Native American labour and autonomy” . ( Wikipedia ) The encomienda system was atrocious. It was created by Columbus. in order to acquire gold. However the system was kept by other conquistadors all over America in the early 1500’s. This is a quotation mark from Van Serima “They are non. as most of us would wish to believe. ocean trips of find. But they are of great significance since they changed the character of the whole universe. both the old universe and the new. ” ( Serima 75 ) What Serima is stating is that Columbus did non detect a New World but a new manner of acquiring what you want when you have more power.

There is a large issue of race and differences being ignored by the conquistadors and Spain. So much life and tradition tossed off for selfish intent. and was done in the name of God. The Encomienda system was non the worst of it ; they sold misss every bit immature as 9 to 10 for sex slaves. Here is a piece he wrote in his diary on the topic “A hundred castellanoes are as easy obtained for a adult female as for a farm. and it is really general and there are plentifulness of traders who go about looking for misss ; those from nine to 10s are now in demand” . ( Kasum ) Columbus had set out to detect the Indies. which was fueled by his love for Marco Polo and his narratives of escapades. Alternatively he discovered an old universe and made it his ain while killing off everything in his aftermath. Whether or non Columbus was keeping a smoke gun. he decidedly had un-locked the gate for others to follow in his ego carry throughing prognostication.

Armitage. D states that “Columbus himself was non ever asked to transport the can for the ill-effects of the brush between the Old World and the New. but at that place have ever been those who have used contemplations upon 1492 for their ain terminals. ” ( Armitage ) this is true everyday in America. and even more so now. Even in our school system. if you are one 16th Native American you get some particular grant. This is sort of Bizarre to me. Native Americans have non been enslaved for at least a century and have every right we do in America. if non more. This proves that when Columbus and the Conquistadors came things where so bad for the Natives they still need particular intervention. Whether or non Columbus is to fault for the manner things are for Natives today I do non cognize. nevertheless I do cognize that the manner things where in the early 1500’s Columbus could be blamed for. It was a new universe for Columbus and he treated his ‘discovery’ with such contempt. that other followings took his lead. Great leaders are people like Edwin Hubble or Martin Luther King.

Peoples who have thoughts that make us a greater state. non people who find a new land and kill everyone in it in order to affect the Queen and King. An article I read that was written by two non-ethusastic followings of Columbus believe that Columbus twenty-four hours should non be a twenty-four hours we celebrate at all “That ill-famed twenty-four hours should surely non be celebrated by anyone. particularly by local. province. and national authoritiess. Let us non fall into the trap of allowing the treatments around this farce of a vacation go around around the specific figure of people killed. ” ( Tinker ) When I reflect back on everything I have learned in history and even Christopher Columbus. it points to war or some major subjugation for every turning point. In my sentiment Christopher Columbus was a adult male of his times who frequently got things incorrect ; his ethical motives went rancid in the face of the King and the Queen but he led the manner for his people into a new universe. In his ain head he died a failure. and is subsequently deceasing a failure in the Black Marias of America.

Plants Cited
Armitage. D. “Christopher Columbus And The Uses Of History. ” History Today 42. 5 ( 1992 ) : 50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Gallagher. Carole. “Christopher Columbus And The Discovery Of The New World. ” Christopher Columbus & A ; The Discovery Of The New World ( 2000 ) : 6-13. History Reference Center. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Kasum Eric hypertext transfer protocol: //www. huffingtonpost. com/eric-kasum/columbus-day-a-bad-idea_b_742708. htm
fifty October 10. 2010 Tinker. Tink. and Mark Freeland. “Thief. Slave Trader. Murderer: Christopher Columbus And Caribbean Population Decline. ” Wicazo Sa Review 1 ( 2008 ) : 25. JSTOR Arts & A ; Sciences VII. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Van Sertima. Ivan1. “Amendments To Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Act: Hearing Before The Subcommittee On Census And Population Of The Committee On Post Office And Civil Service. House Of Representatives. One Hundredth Congress. First Session On H. R. 2309. . . ” Journal Of Pan African Studies 5. 8 ( 2012 ) : 74-84. OmniFile Full Text Select ( H. W. Wilson ) . Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Wikipedia hypertext transfer protocol: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Encomienda. 19 September 2013 at 21:23.