Christopher Columbus | Teen Ink

Christopher Columbus

January 16, 2017
By Anonymous

When it comes to Christopher Columbus, many individuals say that he was a very heroic and adventurous man who made people filled with bewilderment of the land that he settled on and discover North America first; As others may say that he did discover North America and discovered what the circumference and diameter of the world. Some people depart with that idiotic statement and say that he killed off all the Taino Indians and that he was not the first to discover North America. As others may say that he did discover North America and discovered what the circumference and diameter of the world. The side at will be arguing about is the side that says that he is a fraud for discovering North America and cruel to the Natives of the island that they lived.


The cause strongly believe that Christopher was definitely not to say this because in an article called, “Examining the reputation of Christopher Columbus”, by: Jack Weatherford explained this: He wrote that the Scandinavian Vikings already had settlements here in the 11th century, and the British fisherman probably fished the shores of Canada for decades before. He also had more than a decade of study and three voyages to America, Columbus still believed that Cuba was a part of the continent of Asia, South America was only an island and the Coast of Central America was close to the Ganges River. This is why many say that Christopher Columbus did not discover North America in the beginning.    

 
There is another creed is that when he did go to North America, he enslaved the Taino Indians. For evidence to support this, In the article, “Examing the reputation of Christopher Columbus” by: Jack Weatherford; said that people already knew that the world was round way before his time and people knew what the circumference and diameter of the world was. The Egyptian-Greek scientist Eratosthenes, working for Alexandria and Aswan, already had measured the Circumference and Diameter of the world in the third century B.C. Arab scientists had developed a whole discipline of geography and measurement. In the the tenth century A.D., Al Maqdisi described the earth with 360 degrees of longitude and 180 degrees of latitude. Nevertheless, Americans have embroidered many such as he as become the reason that a secular mythology for schoolkids. This is why majority of people think that Christopher Columbus did not discover anything new about the world.


Another but bitter claim is that Columbus was cruel to the Taino Indians. After he failed to contact the emperor of China, the traders of India or the merchants of Japan, Columbus decided to pay for his voyage in the one important commodity he had found in ample supply-human lives; he seized 1,200 Taino Indians from the island they lived on, crammed as many onto his ships as would fit and sent them to Spain, where they were paraded naked through the streets of Seville and sold as slaves in 1495. Columbus tore children from parents, husbands from wives. Then put them to work in mines and plantations. His marauding band hunted Indians for sport and profit beating, raping, torturing, killing and then using the Indians dead bodies as food for his hunting dogs. Within another 50 years, the taino people became extinct. As the facts and reasoning that where presented, this shows that Christopher Columbus has a cruel, dark and evil side to him.          


The opposing side might say that Columbus did discover North America and had a controversial livelihood. In an article that explains this is called, “How America was discovered” By: an unknown author said that the man who discovered America was born in 1451 in Italy. He became a sailor at an early age. Knowing that the earth was round, he decided to reach India sailing to the west. He decided to align an expedition but did not have a wage, and nobody wanted to help him. At last, the King of Spain gave him money for the expedition. He set sail in 1492. The voyage was very touch-and-go and burdensome. On the twelfth of October his ship reached land. In another article called, “Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?” By: CBS News. They interviewed one school said that many recall decades ago where there was a scant mention of indigenous groups in discussions about Columbus. A nameless person remembers a picture in one of his fifth-grade textbooks that showed Columbus wading to shore with a huge flag and cross on it. “The indigenous population was kind of waiting expectantly, almost with smiles on their faces.”


Another part of the article where they went to Seffner, Florida, Colson Elementary assistant principal Jack Keller visited students in a colonial outfit and gray wig, pretending to be Columbus and discussing his voyages. “Our thing was to show exploration.” he said. This shows that there are many articles that say that Christopher Columbus was the one to discover North America and that he was this amazing character in History.
The group that say that Christopher was a respectful and knowing leader that change the world and the first that explored North America. But research shows that he was very cold hearted to the Taino Indians and killed off their tribe. Also that people before him already had discovered America. Furthermore, this shows that Christopher Columbus is a dull explorer.


In the end, some people will disagree with this perspective people differ that he; Christopher Columbus was not the first to discover america and that he was the one who killed off all the Taino Indians and then repeatedly tortured, beat, raped, and killed them. Then with their dead bodies he would cut them up into pieces and feed to the hunting dogs. But the people who disagree with this article would say that he created the sea trade that changed how we trade today, which many believe that he did. The same people say that he is the example of the man who discovered that the world was round. But by scientific evidence, it was discovered that before his time the 3rd century B.C. that the world was round. But I strongly believe that Christopher Columbus is not the man that you know about, and that you should do your own research.



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