Christopher Columbus: hero, villain, or something in between?

Question

Christopher Columbus has been regarded as an American hero for centuries in the United States. In recent years however, historians have reassessed the actions of Christopher Columbus.

Do you think Christopher Columbus is a hero, villain, or something in between and why?

Answer 1

"The Conquest of America" by Tzvetan Todorov (1984). The references to Columbus' diary below are taken from this book.

According to Todorov, the purpose of Columbus' journey is, "...to set off on a crusade to liberate Jerusalem. It happens that the notion is preposterous in his era; and since he is penniless as well, no one is willing to listen to him. How can a man without resources, who wishes to found a crusade realize his dream in the fifteenth century? All he need do is discover America in order to obtain his funds. Or rather, merely sail to China by the 'direct' Western route since Marco Polo and other medieval writers have confirmed the fact that gold is 'born' there in abundance."

Rather than bringing peace, freedom and knowledge to the natives, Columbus brought slavery, war and destruction. This is clear even in Columbus' own attitudes. In one passage he states: "They would make good and industrious servants" (Oct. 11, 1492) And in another: "They are fit to be ruled." (Dec. 16, 1492) Columbus wanted ships from Europe to bring over cattle, and on the way back they would be filled with slaves: "The conveyors could be paid in cannibal slaves, Fierce but well-made fellows of good understanding, which men wrested from their inhumanity, will be, we believe, the best slaves that ever were." (Jan. 30, 1494) Amazingly, Columbus is claiming to bring humanity to these people, and at the same time he makes them into slaves!

While Columbus claimed he was bringing Christianity to the natives, he also had a sinister purpose for dealing with them "From here one might send, in the name of the Holy Trinity, as many slaves as could be sold, as well as a quantity of Brazil [timber]. If the information I have is correct it appears that we could sell four thousand slaves, who might be worth twenty million and more." (1498) It is ironic that a "great discoverer" on a "civilizing mission" would be boasting about how many slaves he is able to send back to Spain!

Answer 2

A hero is someone who does something extraordinaryily beyond them. Columbus was an explorer, he explored. Nope not a hero.

Life in his time was cheap. We so often judge our ancestors by todays standards. Kingdoms were built and destroyed (Romans, Greeks, Persia, France, England, Spain, Portugal - where are they now?) . It is only the last 100 years or so that we have had relative peace. And even that... so no, not a villain.

He was a brave, intrepid explorer with a dream of expanding the kindom he served. To have made it here and back took aot of brains and balls!

Answer 3

villain.

he kkicked the native americans off of their land, where they were first, and claimed to discover land that was already use and lived on for years.

Answer 4

Well let's see; three ships show up at your island, strange looking and dress men come on the beach and declare that this island (Dominica) who your people own or possess, as now belonging to Spain and all the people who live there, who were enslaved..

Answer 5

i think hes in between.

hero: he proved that the Earth was round and he was able to be adventurous and succesful.

villain:He kidnapped Indians out of America and took them back to Europe attempting to force them into Christianity when it shouldve been a choice. Also they probly died of disease or something after they got to Europe.

so yeah-in between

Answer 6

he was just doing his job

Answer 7

In between.  He was a human being, one with greater ambition and greater skills than most of his contemporaries.  He made 4, count them 4, voyages to the "New World", and yet he refused to believe he had found lands unknown to Europeans.  Amerigo Vespucci was the first to use the phrase "Novus Mundi" (new world) which is why Mercator named these lands the Americas and not the Columbias.  Columbus went to his death insisting these were the outlying islands of Asia.  However, in the course of his four voyages, he performed many acts that by our standards would be considered very heroic, especially after the mutiny of voyage number 4.  He also committed what would be considered atrocities by our standards.  He certainly had what we would consider villainous amounts of greed, which lead him to treat the indigenous people he encountered with horrible disdain.   But as a Christian of that era, he certainly felt himself well justified.  As you read about each of his voyages, you can judge each of his main actions for yourself, both by our standards and, trying to put yourself in the mindset of 15th/16th century European, by the standards of his own time and place.  That's one of the joys of history.  You get to piece together all the available data, and make your own judgment.

Answer 8

Columbus was an explorer, looking for a trade-route to modern-day Indonesia, who got lucky there was a Western Hemisphere because otherwise he would have died at sea.

Columbus estimated the circumference at 29K km (18,300 miles), meaning a trans-Atlantic voyage by his numbers would have been shorter than going around Africa and India.  So that's the route he tried.

Erasthothenes' estimate of the Earth's circumference at 40K km (25K miles) was had been the accepted for 17 centuries at that point, and as it turns out is less than 1% off.

If Columbus had known what was going to happen in the century to the inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere, he would not have made the voyage, ergo he is NOT A VILLIAN.

Columbus himself had given the inhabitants the name "Indian", not for India but from Latin "in Deus", in God.  A people in God, Columbus did something later Conquistadors failed to notice, that the inhabitants were fellow humans; not creatures to be enslaved, raped, and murdered at whim.

Answer 9

A Native American friend of mine suggested I read the book "Lies My Teacher Told Me."

It is a real eye-opener, not only about ole' Chris, but about our past in general.

You can probably get a copy of it at your local library.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies_My_Tea...

Answer 10

He was simply a man, history has a way of turning normal people into one or the other. We all under the right set of circumstances have the chance to do either the incredible or the vile.

Answer 11

So many opinions.  A few have even studied (a little) on the subject matter.

I say he was an intrepid hero who by the way, was to die in prison - discredited and broke.  People tend to blame Columbus for the slavery and what have you.  If anything, he can be blamed for inadvertently introducing to the new found locals, a number of disease (including the common cold).  Prior to his arrival, they simply did not exist on this continent.