Christopher Columbus: A Good Leader

Christopher Columbus is the all too famous explorer who is credited with accidentally finding the New World. Children have been taught throughout their lives that he is someone to look up to. Columbus’ heroism could easily be turned to villainy because he sold natives into slavery, murdered and brought disease to innocent people, and pushed them out and took their land.

Columbus 'accidently' discovered the New World, although, there were several who came before him. His discovery ultimately resulted in life as we know it today. However, in my opinion, he was not a hero, but a villain who removed the Natives from their home and infected them with diseases of which they had no immunity against. Although Columbus' voyage to the Americas eventually paved the way for the establishment of the New World, it came with a price. Unfortunately, the Natives were the victims of it all.

Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who received credit for the discovery of the Americas in 1492. His goal was to discover another route to India instead, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in Hispaniola which is present day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Although, historians argue he did not technically discover the Americas, he opened trade routes between the Old World and the New World. He influenced later explorers and impacted the development of the Columbian Exchange. The historians present their attitudes towards the consequences and outcomes of Christopher Columbus and his discovery. They also state their argument on his controversial legacy about whether Christopher Columbus should be perceived as a hero or a villain.

All throughout history, whether present or past, books are filled page to page with people we consider heroes, as well as villans. Some quick people that come to mind when thinking of the fall of their legacy lead me to people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Andrew Jackson and Napoleon Bonaparte. No matter what the subject; whether it be considered history of a sport, US history or even some celebrities lives, there will always be the one who was a hero in the spotlight and then the real truth comes out. Herofication dates back to the times of the beginning of America where Christopher Columbus, the man who we celebrate on Columbus Day to the public eye today is seen in a positive light. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus wasn't the nicest

So some of you might not know but Christopher Columbus was really greaty.All he wanted was gold and treasures nothing else he did what he could just for treasures.Also he want to be governor of a state or country now that is a really greedy person.Another thing about Columbus he wanted 10% of the wealth they found on the trip.That means Spain gets most of it columbus got 10% that means the crew members wouldn't get a lot to support their family.Lastly he poison crew members because the took a little gold!!That is mean because they do all this stuff for him and then he stabs them in the back like that.This kind of stuff is just some of the ways how Christopher is not a hero.

Columbus was a hero to some like the Europeans that benefits with more lands and valuable, but to another like Arawak he was the worst thing that ever happen to them. When history is told me must be able to put are self in someone else shoe, and understand them from that point of view. History always has many side but we must be able to see the whole thing as

Columbus Day has been celebrated since 1971 and historians continue to tell the pleasant side of the story. This national holiday honors Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, and his “discovery” of the New World. The Age of Discovery took place in the 15th and 16th century as a result of European nations sponsoring expeditions abroad in the search of great wealth and undiscovered lands. Many European countries, especially Spain, were yearning to learn about new lands and obtain goods from the Far East. Christopher Columbus presented the idea of traveling west of Europe across the Atlantic instead of sailing south of Europe and along the African coast to reach Asia. The Spanish monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, supported Columbus,

In his biography of Christopher Columbus, historian Felipe Fernandez- Armesto, wrote the true side to Columbus. Columbus had facers to himself both brilliant and evil., “Her had an implacable temperament which could never be satisfied and unremitting ambition which could never be assuaged.”(Fernandez Columbus) Columbus was a ruthless, rough conquistador who encountered the Indians and treated then with no respect whatsoever. Columbus did anything possible to conquer the world even if that meant behaving like a villain.

Columbus' journey didn't start out to be a bad idea, he even gave examples of how he tried to reason and befriend the indigenous people of the Americas. "I," he says, "in order that they would be friendly to us--because I recognized that they were people who would be better freed [from error] and converted to our Holy Faith by love than by force--to some of them I gave red caps, and glass beads which they put on their chests, and many other things of small value in which they took so much pleasure and became so much our friends that it was a marvel" (Columbus Quote from Christian History). Columbus did do the world a great service when he made his exploration and some people would argue that to their own graves. "The greatest event since the creation of the world, excluding the Incarnation and death of Him who created it;" Francisco Lopez de Gomara (1552). "After 500 years the Columbian legacy has created a civilization that we ought not, in all humble piety and cultural relativism, declare to be no better or worse than that of the Incas.

It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory

Throughout the world, Christopher Columbus has been known as a hero that discovered America. His disclosure helped execute a trade network between Europe (old world) and the America (new world). Which introduced new food and technology to both worlds. Although some may consider him as a legend, in many peoples’ eyes Christopher Columbus is a criminal that killed millions of natives, he took all the valuable goods from the natives without paying any price, and he is an enslaver. Therefore, columbus should not be considered as a hero.

He used information that was already found and went to America. He was not the first to even arrive at America. In the text, it says that, “The inhabitants were primarily hunters/gatherers”. This is to show how Columbus did not even come close to discovering America and other people were already there. Columbus ruthlessly took the credit of America’s discovery. Another reason Columbus is a villain, is that he decreased the Indian population by 99%. This is a huge decrease that put the Native American population into poverty. So far, Christopher Columbus has only been harming the Natives. Now for his own allies, he treated them at a low level as well. It says in a video, “he was brutal even to other colonist he ruled”. This seems very harsh and I would not want a leader like this? These show how devious and unruly Columbus was and how he was an outlaw.

Before we can truly label Columbus as a hero or evil, we must first define what is viewed as a hero. Many dictionary definitions exist having the meaning of a hero as one with courageous or noble qualities but seeing as these definitions are extremely objective, the definition of a hero I will be using for the purpose of defining Columbus will be, quoting Joseph Campbell, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Christopher Columbus clearly demonstrated giving and self sacrifice in his investments of time and risking his life for his voyages with “commercial expeditions resembling warlike cruises” and at some points in his travels being away from home for 29 months. The rewards that Columbus, along with the rest of Europe, reaped from his efforts include the new access to vast expanses of resourceful land, as well as the eventually successful, even flourishing, colonization of America, not to mention, that Columbus, “[the] founding figure of a new world” laid the framework to modern day globalization as well as played a key role in the creation of one of the most significant, powerful, and impactful nations existing today. The fact that Columbus grew up in poor conditions and being completely self taught in the art of navigation and seafaring only adds to the magnitude of his immense accomplishments.

Christopher Columbus was a leader, explorer, adventurer, thinker, and doer. Although he was rejected multiple times whilst trying to get the funds necessary to travel to India, he did not give up and continued to seek the approval of the Portuguese and Spanish monarchies. Eventually, when Queen Isabella was

School taught us about the infamous Christopher Columbus who was known as the hero who found the Americas in 1492, but is that the truth? Is Columbus really the hero that grade school portrayed him to be? Columbus was not. Columbus was a greedy man who destroyed an entire race of people with genocide just so only he could benefit and become a man of money and power.