How Is Christopher Columbus A Hero

Christopher Columbus is a man that Americans have learned to view as a hero over the years. History has taught us Columbus was a great adventurer who with his charming personality persuaded rich individuals to fund great expeditions and as a result of his voyages, the Americas were discovered. However, Columbus is not a figure to admire; instead, we should question his actions and his morals. As a child I believed Christopher Columbus was responsible for discovering the country I live in and love. In elementary school we learned rhymes such as, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.” On Columbus Day, my teachers read to my class while we colored ships depicting his famous voyages. Now, I am finding the images that were put into my mind are false. …show more content…
He “discovered” the “new” world and stole land from the indigenous people. He then enslaved them and was responsible for the genocide of the Arwak tribe. In fact, after Columbus invaded the Arwak tribe and natives throughout the Carribean Basin the tribe became extinct. A person who is responsible for the extinction of a group of people should not be viewed as a “hero.” Additionally, Columbus was extremely egotistical. Dr. Engel states that in his personal journal, Columbus compared himself to Jesus. Lastly, we learned about the treatment of the native slaves. If the slaves did not mine the required amount of gold for the day an arm, leg, ear, or any other body part would be chopped off. I personally feel like our society has been lying to themselves with the “wonderful” Columbus myth; especially because we celebrate this man with a national