Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World where he encountered the native Indians. Columbus’s attitude seemed dehumanizing towards the natives as he looked down on them thinking they were less than him. His journal states, “It seemed to me that they were a people very deficient in everything” (Columbus 2). Columbus implies the natives are not as intelligent as he is and feels superior to them. Columbus also says that the natives would make good slaves. He writes, “They come here from the mainland to take them for slaves” (Columbus 5). Columbus explains that people from other islands want to use the native Indians as slaves. His attitude towards the natives is extremely disheartening and insulting. Columbus’s final way of expressing his attitude to the natives is seen when he feels like he should convert them to Christianity. He describes, “I believe that they would easily be made Christians for it appeared they had no creed” (Columbus 6). Columbus feels that since the native Indians are not religious, he will …show more content…
His desires and goals are constantly shown throughout the journal. The first point of his mission was religion and one of his goals was to convert the natives to Christianity. Columbus narrates, “I knew that they were a people to be delivered and converted to our holy faith by love rather than by force” (Columbus 1). Columbus says that he wants to convert the natives to Christianity and he wants to do it peacefully. Columbus also wants the natives as slaves. While he is meeting with the native Indians, he notices their body structure and intelligence. In his journal it states, “They should be good servants and of quick intelligence” (Columbus 6). Since the native Indians appear to have physical strength and accommodating personalities, Columbus feels that they will make good slaves. Columbus came to the New World with high aspirations in mind and when he arrived he found all that he
Christopher Columbus There has been recent confliction amongst American citizens on whether Christopher Columbus should be honoured and respected for the credit he’s been given for discovering the Americas. Christopher Columbus committed great crimes in his lifetime, but he’s still human. Along with his crimes came amazing achievements. With his discovery of the Americas, he changed the world completely. On the other hand, he abused some of his discoveries.
“Singularly focused on him mission to find riches and conquer new land, Columbus and his teams treated the indigenous groups they came across as obstacles to their greater mission.” “. . . Columbus and his men enslaved many native inhabitants of the West Indies and subjected them to extreme violence and brutality.” “ In addition to controversy over enslavement and violent rule, the ‘ Age of exploration Columbus led had the additional consequences
This began a sad discrimination toward Native Americans that lasted for centuries, and there are traces left of this today. Though negatively, this caused Christopher Columbus’ name to be well known for starting this horrible treatment of native peoples in the Americas. The Europeans came and wiped out millions of people with diseases and also killed the natives if they did not completely obey what they were ordered to do by the explorers. Columbus exploited these people, and many other explorers that followed did the same thing. While talking about the Native Americans in a letter, Columbus says, “All these people lack….every kind of iron.
He demonstrated a lack of consideration and protection for them in his words and actions. Columbus did not show appreciation or security for the rights of the indigenous people, but merely expressed admiration for the land. When speaking of the people, he used derogatory phrases such as "they have no iron" and "they are not good people" (28). His attitude towards those less fortunate than himself is inexcusable. As an authority on the subject, it is vital to stress the importance of recognizing and honoring the rights of indigenous peoples.
Sharon Powley 11 September 2015 APUSH I Overarching Question: Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress As a generous and hospitable people, the Arawaks welcomed the Europeans with open arms, willingly traded everything they possessed and never said no if Columbus and his men asked for something of theirs. It is this kindness and naivety that Columbus used as a weapon to take advantage of the native people, force them into labor, and murdered them by the thousands in order to enforce white-supremacy and obtain gold. Due to immensely different cultural values and attitudes, the near-opposite Europeans and Arawaks could not peacefully coexist for long without strained relationships and conflicts emerging. Coming from two distinct worlds and clashing lifestyles, the Europeans and Arawaks had varying values and attitudes.
Hailey Hunter Instructor: Ann Febus History 1200 September 12, 2016 Christopher Columbus: Journals 1. The information given indicating Columbus to be heroic is mostly by his own words. He feels and expresses he is there to spread his faith of Christianity to what he considers savage and barbaric people.
One early motive for Columbus to oppress the indigenous people was that he was promised 10 percent of everything he found in the new land by the rulers of Spain who sent him and he was searching for gold so when he saw that they had some, he forcefully took prisoners so that he could be lead to more. But later, when he realized that there was not as much gold as he originally thought, he had to make up for all the promises he made to the leaders back in Europe who had invested in him so he thought that he would send slaves in the place of gold while still trying desperately to find more by using and abusing the indigenous population thus oppressing the native peoples more and more. They were easy prey for him because it was their culture to share and they originally were curious about him and the other new Europeans. He took advantage of that and the fact that they didn’t understand what he was really doing to them and that they didn’t have as advanced weaponry as the Europeans did.
His obvious racism towards the Indians shows how disastrous the new colonization was for the Native-born Indians. Despite the opinions of many travelers, not everyone who traveled to the New World showed distrust and hatred towards the
Christopher Columbus Is Columbus really the man we think he is? Columbus is a well known figure for he discovered America and led other explorers and conquistadors there too. He has impacted history greatly and is argued to be either a positive or negative person. He may be skilled and courageous, but he’s actually a bad guy inside. Columbus is a villain due to how he planned to use the natives, and how conceited and harsh the Spanish were.
I feel that Columbus Day shouldn’t be a national holiday. It should not be a holiday because Columbus was an awful person. He murdered hundreds of natives causing genocide, killing off half of the population either by overworking them or making them starve. He also brought harmful germs and diseases to the indigenous people such as smallpox, influenza, typhus, and typhoid. Lastly, he enslaved the Natives so that he could have gold.
When they arrived and Indian tribe called the Arawak greeted them with open arms. What they did not know was that later on Columbus and his men would capture them as slaves. In Columbus’s writing about the Indians he states, “They would make fine servants.... With fifty men we
Christopher Columbus did not treat the natives like Spaniards. Christopher columbus is believed to be an american hero on behalf of him discovering America and brought gold to Spain. Even today people are grateful for his founding of America so present day he has been given his own day. I don’t believe he is a hero to America, here is why we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want is what he said he would think nothing of knifing Indians by tens and twenties and of cutting slices off them to test the sharpness of their blades. Many people have died in the hands of Columbus over 3 million native people died from 1494 to 1508.
Columbus’ main interests were the three G’s: God, glory, and gold, and this was extremely apparent throughout the writings of his journal. On October 14th, he said that the Indians had no knowledge of fighting, and had previously
Some say Christopher Columbus was a hero because he was the explorer that discovered America. In reality, Christopher Columbus had an incredibly negative impact on the world because he enslaved the Native Americans, didn’t help the kind Natives when they got infected by diseases that the Spaniards had brought to America, and killed off most of the Native American population. The tactics he chose to use were violent and destructive by the standards back then and now. First, Columbus treated the Native Americans like uncivilized people by enslaving them and forcing them to work for him although they greeted him and his crew peacefully. ” They could make fine servants,”(document 2) he wrote in his journal,”I took them by force.
“Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress”, chapter one of “A People’s History of the United States”, written by professor and historian Howard Zinn, concentrates on a different perspective of major events in American history. It begins with the native Bahamian tribe of Arawaks welcoming the Spanish to their shores with gifts and kindness, only then for the reader to be disturbed by a log from Columbus himself – “They willingly traded everything they owned… They would make fine servants… With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” (Zinn pg.1) In the work, Zinn continues explaining the unnecessary evils Columbus and his men committed unto the unsuspecting natives.