Christopher Columbus: A Hero Or Villain?

Who was Christopher Columbus? Was he really the great man many children 's books say he was? Was the the explorer who discovered America? Or was he a successful criminal who pillaged and raped the so called ‘inferior’ native Americans? Lots of evidence provided by historians and writers points to both sides of the argument. Some say that Columbus was a villain who claimed land that was already owned and occupied by millions of native American tribes who he called Indians (due to the fact that he thought that he had landed in India). However many other people disagree. Many other people believe that Columbus was just a great explorer who happened to stumble on another continent and claim it for his country. Also, the debate on the New World itself is debated. Was it up for grabs? Or was it occupied and not up for grabs? And one of the most important question Columbus was asking, is there gold? After reading the 3 articles about Christopher Columbus, readers will be able to compare the different perspectives that the 3 authors had about Columbus himself, his motives and the quality of the New World. Christopher Columbus can either be portrayed as a villain who stole, raped and pillaged. Or he can he be portrayed as a great explorer …show more content…
Some say that Columbus is a great discoverer for discovering the Americas. Meanwhile some say that he is a terrible person who took many natives as slaves. His motives however, are hard to get into because there may be so many motives that drove Columbus to do what he did. And lastly, the quality of the Americas when Columbus landed was very populous and very civilized. It was the complete opposite of Europe. So however you portray Columbus, there are always going to be people who portray him differently and