Christopher Columbus: A True Hero

Throughout the lives of many Americans, we grew up with the story of our great “discoverer,” a man named Christopher Columbus. Columbus, an Italian explorer employed by the King and Queen of Spain, laid claim to the land that we call the Americas today, when in reality he was searching for a faster route to India. With his letters and stories passed on, our educational system has molded him into a hero of sorts. However, his writings and the teachings we listen to do not tell the whole story. Las Casas, a Spanish historian, exposed the truth of the cruelties in Spain that Columbus excused from his writings. Because of this, we are able to see two sides: the victor’s story, and the harsh reality. When it came to Christopher Columbus, his writings and stories only seem to come from the perspective of a hero or a “saint.” For instance, he wrote …show more content…
Rather, students are told history through the eyes of the victor, which happens quite often in news and other sources of information. During this time, Columbus was the victor, and the inequality and harsh reality was excluded as he became known as a “hero” for the Americas. This became the norm, as it had been before this time period. Columbus was the victor, and Las Casas uttered the truth, though no one echoed it as loudly as the words from the supposed victor. After reading both Columbus and Las Casas’ writings, one can definitely tell that there are two sides to every story told in history. There is the one that is passed down and told in classrooms, and the reality of those supposed heroes. Because of this, one should never assume the stories we learn growing up are entirely true, as not everything is put into detail when history is written. That being said, it leads to question the other stories growing up that we as students took in, wondering whether or not these stories were in fact deluded as