1492 The Beginning Of The End Analysis

1492: The Beginning of the End All throughout our childhood we have been taught the phrase, ‘in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue,’ but what we were not taught were the gruesome details that followed him reaching America. We are taught to idolize Christopher Columbus, after all, he is the man who founded our country- we even have an entire day commemorating him and his prestigious findings. But, the naive walls of a fourth grade classroom block out the true story of what happened once Christopher Columbus stepped foot onto the Americas. As former President Bill Clinton said in his 2000 Columbus Day speech, “...in many ways he (Christopher Columbus) foreshadowed the character of the American people who honor him today.” It is true, the lessons …show more content…
When they brought it, they were given copper tokens to hang around their necks. Indians found without a copper token had their hands cut off and bled to death” (Zinn, 4). This was described as an impossible task. Not only was Columbus and his men killing the Indians this way but they were also taking prisoners and either hanging or burning them to death. He was killing innocent people who he described in his journal as hospitable and remarkable creatures. During this voyage, countless lives were lost- the only person who benefited from this massacre was Christopher Columbus. He gained the wealth, fame, and got away with murder. What started off as a journey to better Spain, turned into a war of power and dominance between the Columbus and the unarmed Indians. “Their bodies swelled with greed, and their hunger was ravenous. They hungered like pigs for that gold,” these are the words of an Indian recalling Columbus’ visits (The Conquerors, 37). The lessons that come out of this side of the voyage is greed, wanting to dominate, and that killing innocent people is justifiable in order to achieve your ultimate goal. The actions displayed by Christopher Columbus are less than admirable. He displayed being power hungry, manipulative, and murder- in America these are some of the very reasons why we have so many laws. President Clinton, or any former or future President, would not want these characteristics to describe the character of the American people. President Clinton was mistaken when he claimed, “...the lessons of his voyage are still with us…” and, “...in many ways he foreshadowed the character of the American people who honor him today.” The determination of Columbus is admirable, but what he was striving to accomplish is an idea that no American, or person in the right mind, should set out to