Columbus Found America.. Or did he?
As the old saying goes, “Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and found America.” However, this statement might not be as true as we once thought when we learned about Columbus in elementary school. Columbus’ voyages to the new world had many negative impacts because of his harsh leadership and enslavement of the indigenous people which led to many controversies surrounding Columbus into present day.
In the 15th century, there was not an efficient way to reach Asia from Europe. The Portuguese had a solution, sailing to Asia to avoid dangerous groups along the journey by land. Rather than sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, Columbus had a different plan, sailing west across the …show more content…
They, along with Columbus, desired the fame and the fortune that would come from such a discovery. The King and Queen also wanted to take advantage of this as an opportunity to spread Catholicism to other lands. In Christopher Columbus’s journal he said,
“ And your highnesses, as a Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof – and enemies of the sect of Mohammet and of all idolatries and heresies, resolved to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the said.”
In their contract, the monarchs promised Columbus ten percent of his findings, a noble title, and leadership over lands he finds …show more content…
He found the settlement destroyed so left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego behind to rebuild with the help of hundreds of enslaved natives.He then headed west, with his own native slaves to continue his search for gold and other goods (Christopher). In place of the material riches he had promised the Spanish monarchs, he sent around 500 slaves to Queen Isabella. However, the queen believed that any people Columbus found were Spanish subjects and they could not be enslaved (Christopher). During his travels, slaves became a constant prize Columbus seemed to just want more of. “Throughout his years in the New World, Columbus enacted policies of forced labor in which natives were put to work for the sake of profits” ( Columbus). Thousands of slaves were sent back to Spain to be sold, but many died on the rough voyage. Of the slaves that were kept
As the old saying goes, “Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and found America.” However, this statement might not be as true as we once thought when we learned about Columbus in elementary school. Columbus’ voyages to the new world had many negative impacts because of his harsh leadership and enslavement of the indigenous people which led to many controversies surrounding Columbus into present day.
In the 15th century, there was not an efficient way to reach Asia from Europe. The Portuguese had a solution, sailing to Asia to avoid dangerous groups along the journey by land. Rather than sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, Columbus had a different plan, sailing west across the …show more content…
They, along with Columbus, desired the fame and the fortune that would come from such a discovery. The King and Queen also wanted to take advantage of this as an opportunity to spread Catholicism to other lands. In Christopher Columbus’s journal he said,
“ And your highnesses, as a Catholic Christians and Princes, devoted to the holy Christian faith and the propagation thereof – and enemies of the sect of Mohammet and of all idolatries and heresies, resolved to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the said.”
In their contract, the monarchs promised Columbus ten percent of his findings, a noble title, and leadership over lands he finds …show more content…
He found the settlement destroyed so left his brothers Bartolomeo and Diego behind to rebuild with the help of hundreds of enslaved natives.He then headed west, with his own native slaves to continue his search for gold and other goods (Christopher). In place of the material riches he had promised the Spanish monarchs, he sent around 500 slaves to Queen Isabella. However, the queen believed that any people Columbus found were Spanish subjects and they could not be enslaved (Christopher). During his travels, slaves became a constant prize Columbus seemed to just want more of. “Throughout his years in the New World, Columbus enacted policies of forced labor in which natives were put to work for the sake of profits” ( Columbus). Thousands of slaves were sent back to Spain to be sold, but many died on the rough voyage. Of the slaves that were kept