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1. Running head: CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 1
The History of Cristopher Columbus
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2. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 2
Christopher Columbus was an Italian navigator and explorer, born in the catholic
monarchy of Genoa in the modern Italy In the year 1451 to a merchant father. At an early age, he
got a job in a merchant ship, and took an opportunity to develop his skills as a sailor. At some
point, the Spaniards attacked his ship but he survived and made it to Portugal where he remained
and decided to study astronomy, navigation and mathematics. When in Lisbon studying,
Columbus hatched a plan to change the world through his skills and ambition for fame and
fortune. The first opportunity for his ambition was presented to him when the Portuguese needed
an option as how to reach Asia without encountering the long, tiresome and dangerous route of
land and he presented a plan to navigate through the Atlantic sea1. He later became one of the
successful sailors by discovering several lands and establishing links between Europe and other
continents like America and Asia, conquering many lands and staging wars that killed, tortured
and enslaved many natives. Apart from that, there are many other achievements that made him
be a hero in the eyes of those who lived then, and historians of today. However, there are many
questions that spackle around his life and whether he was a hero or should be considered as one
and be appreciated decades long after his death. The paper will focus on the sailor’s activities
and the relationship with the natives as compared to one other sailor and establish whether he
was a true hero or not.
1
Phillips, William D., and Carla Rahn Phillips. The Worlds of Christopher Columbus.
Cambridge University Press, 1993.

3. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 3
In many quotas, Christopher Columbus has been considered a hero, and one of the
prolific events that marked this is the commemoration of a day to mark his efforts and
contributions to humanity. However, many historically supported claims have emerged showing
a much more complicated picture of Columbus, putting across many things to consider before
terming Columbus a hero. Many claims made by Columbus himself and historians are that he
discovered America. This clam disputes the fact that before Columbus, there were millions of
people living in North America. Another glaring truth is that Columbus never actually set foot in
America, as it is rumored that he only reached the shores of the Atlantic Ocean of today Cuba,
Haiti and the Dominican Republic. From this fact, it is clear that Christopher Columbus never
really achieved much of what he claimed.
Columbus, in his journey across the world he encountered many indigenous people and
his relationship with this group of people is what that defined him well. The critics who have
decided to replace the day meant specifically to honor him and instead dedicate it to the native
people who were there even before Columbus set foot in America might be right. It is believed
that when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Caribbean islands as a sailor, there was
already an established native population2. He instead took advantage of their hospitality by
exploiting them and their resources, by forcing them into slavery. The Taino group of Hispaniola
was deprived off their property, rights and freedom by Columbus himself whose main purpose
and intention was to enrich himself by collecting as much fortune as possible. This was in his
selfish mission to fulfill his lucrative deals he struck with the Spanish government, of getting a
2
Hoenig, Leonard J. "Relationship Of Christopher Columbus To Spread Of Rheumatoid
Arthritis-Reply". Archives of Internal Medicine 152, no. 8 (1992): 1730.

4. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 4
good percentage of the merchandise acquired from the monarchs as part of his contract. This led
to the decimation of the Hispaniola natives due to the torture, brutality, mutilation and the
European infectious diseases. Columbus is believed to have raped many women and girls, killed
many without conviction and sold many other natives as slaves3. This portrayed the poor
relationship between Columbus and the natives and it showed the inhuman and selfish character
of Cristopher Columbus.
There is a great comparison of the character and experiences of Columbus and other
sailor of his time like Samuel de Champlain. De Champlain was a French navigator who instead
of creating enmity with the indigenous people, he fostered a good relationship, taking advantage
of both the economic and the knowledge of the natives to explore and create business ties for the
benefit of both. While Columbus’ focus was to enrich himself, Champlain was interested in
mutual benefits and mainly exploration4. In his voyage, he realized that a strong and healthy
relationship with the Indians was essential for trade. Champlain protected the Indian by offering
military assistance and creating alliances but on the contrary, Columbus exploited Indians and
even tortured and killed some of them while he took away their resources.
3
Paredes, J Anthony. "Columbus The Bold, Columbus The Cruel". Anthropology News 33, no. 8
(1992): 36-36.
4
Buisseret, David. "The Cartographic Technique Of Samuel De Champlain". Imago Mundi 61,
no. 2 (2009): 256-259.

5. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 5
Conclusion
He might be considered a hero in Europe because he helped expand their territories and
colonies, generally opening up the rest of the world to the Europeans. Nevertheless, Columbus is
no hero any more because of historians and critics’ efforts to unfold the real truth behind his
ambitions, operations, character, treatment to the indigenous people, and selfish and imperialistic
needs to navigate the world. His claims concerning his achievements that have been proved
wrong such as discovering America and china despite facts that he never set foot in any of the
two. The inhumanness and his brutal relationship with the Indians, especially how he treated the
natives by killing them through genocide, torture, forced labor, rape of innocent women
portrayed him more of a criminal and a barbaric dictator than to be considered a hero.

6. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 6
References
Phillips, William D., and Carla Rahn Phillips. The Worlds of Christopher Columbus. Cambridge
University Press, 1993.
Shaw, Russell. "Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain?." Columbia (February 1991) (1991): 4.
Higman, Barry W. "Remembering slavery: The rise, decline and revival of emancipation day in
the English‐speaking Caribbean." Slavery and Abolition 19, no. 1 (1998): 90-105.
Ortner, Donald J., Erin H. Kimmerle, and Melanie Diez. "Probable evidence of scurvy in
subadults from archeological sites in Peru." American Journal of Physical
Anthropology108, no. 3 (1999): 321-331.
Belanger, Brian C. "Recent Reference Works On Christopher Columbus The Log Of Christopher
Columbus Robert H. Fuson The Diario Of Christopher Columbus's First Voyage To
America, 1492-1493 Oliver Dunn James E. Kelley, Jr. The Libro De Las Profecías Of
Christopher Columbus Delno C. West August Kling Keys To The Encounter: A Library
Of Congress Resource Guide For The Study Of The Age Of Discovery Louis De Vorsey,
Jr. Historical Dictionary Of The Spanish Empire, 1402-1975 James S. Olson The
Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia Silvio A. Bedini". The Public Historian 14, no. 4
(1992): 115-121.

7. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 7
Buisseret, David. "The Cartographic Technique Of Samuel De Champlain". Imago Mundi 61,
no. 2 (2009): 256-259.
Hermann, Michael, and Margaret Pearce. "Travel Journals Of Samuel De
Champlain". Cartographic Perspectives, no. 62 (2009): 55-57.
Hoenig, Leonard J. "Relationship Of Christopher Columbus To Spread Of Rheumatoid Arthritis-
Reply". Archives of Internal Medicine 152, no. 8 (1992): 1730.
Mehta, Diane. "Christopher Columbus". The Antioch Review 57, no. 4 (1999): 493.
Paredes, J Anthony. "Columbus The Bold, Columbus The Cruel". Anthropology News 33, no. 8
(1992): 36-36.
Petrovich, Alisa, and Rebecca Catz. "Christopher Columbus And The Portuguese, 1476-
1498". Ethnohistory 42, no. 2 (1995): 368.
Scanlan, Timothy M. "The Portrayal Of Christopher Columbus And The Natives Of San
Salvador In Rousseau'sla Découverte Du Nouveau Monde". Orbis Litterarum 51, no. 5
(1996): 257-266.
Steck, Francis Borgia. "Christopher Columbus And The Franciscans". The Americas 3, no. 3
(1947): 319.
Thalheim, Andrew H. "“Mister Christopher Columbus”". Southern Medical Journal 86, no. 5
(1993): 595.
Trask, Roger R. "Columbus: Admiral Of The Ocean Sea Columbus: Man And Myth Columbus:
The First Voyage Columbus: The Search For La Navidad Columbus: The New World
Columbus: God And Gold Columbus: The Later Voyages Columbus: First Landfall
Debate Omnigraphics, Inc.". The Public Historian 14, no. 4 (1992): 135-138.