Christopher Columbus Myth Versus Reality Essay Sample

Christoper Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 the nursery rhyme many my age sang in school as they were taught the myths of him from their early childhood. Yet should this man be remembered as an idealized person in our American culture, even to the point of having a holiday. Christopher Columbus is an Italian born sailor who brutally colonized the Americas for the Spanish. He sailed hoping to discover a shorter route to India but failed and ran into the Americas on the way. However in the United States of America he is looked upon as a hero whose mythological deeds have caused him to become an idealized version, with the excuse that he is a representative of the Italian American contribution to the United States of America. In response to the anti-Italian sentiment in the United States Theodore Roseleves made Columbus Day a federal holidy. His status as an Italian-American icon is now coming under fire due to not living up to all of the myths that Americans were taught about him as he did not discover America, he enslaved natives, and genocided the native population due to this he should not be celebrated in American culture.

For almost all Americans in school we are taught by our history teachers many of the myths about Christopher Columbus but the problem is many of them are just myths such as the following points. Firstly we are taught that Chsristopher Columbus discovered America. Yet this is a very eurocentric view of history as it is known that the natives clearly discovered this land before he did, invalidating that myth. In addition other Europeans had sailed to America from Scandivania hundreds of years before Colubmus. Secondly we are taught that Christopher Columbus was kind to the natives he came into contact with, however this could not be farther from the truth as will be shown further into the essay. His wrongdoing against the natives is numerous.

Christopher Columbus enslaved the native population of the new world. Of course slavery is not an acceptable practiced by any individual however he opened the routes for te atlantic triangle slave trade in doing this opened the gates to untold horror on the native and african poulations. According to Whittney Dewitt at Ohio State University Columbus is responsible for being “Disrespectful to rights of natives, Kidnapped Indians to bring back to Spain (to create fame for himself), Would export them out, 1/3 dead by the time they reached Spain.”(Dewitt) Also in the words of a Spaniard priest who sailed with Columbus Bartolome de las Casas “did not need a compass back to Spain; they could simply follow the bodies of floating Indians who had been tossed overboard when they died”(Casas) This alone is proof of his genocide of the native population as he toook the natives as slaves by froce allowing many to die in the process that is akin to geoncide in workcamps in world war two. Given this genocide could we expect Americans to celebrate his actions in the from of a federal holiday, especially those of native ehnictiy.

Some people will attempt to excuse these actions of genocide as simply part of his time however this is not a reason to not look at his actions. Even though he is not a modern day figure he should when being celebrated be looked at in a modern context. Genocide of natives in America was sadly not looked at in the same way as it is today when this holiday was brought about, yet now we can use our higher level or human rights and see him for what he truly was. A genocidal conqueror and not a hero. How could someone who would actively participate in the genocide of natives a hero even if it was a long time ago he still should have held himself to a higher standard. This is especially true as excusing his actions as part of the time could lead to a normalization of his genocide against natives, something Americans must work hard to fight against as it is a country with a history of its own genocide of natives. As a result of his actions of genocide Columbus cannot be looked at a a hero in our modern day America he has no place.

Columbus is also responsible for the slavery of many natives of the Americas. He in his journal even admits his plans.

“They all go completely naked, even the women... Weapons they have none, nor are acquainted with them, ... through ignorance. They have no iron, their javelins being without it, and nothing more than sticks, though some have fish-bones or other things at the ends. They are all of a good size and stature, and handsomely formed. ... I thought then, and still believe, that these were from the continent. It appears to me, that the people are ingenious, and would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have no religion. ... If it please our Lord, I intend at my return to carry home six of them to your Highnesses, that they may learn our language. I saw no beasts in the island, nor any sort of animals except parrots." These are the words of the Admiral.”(Columbus Journal Translation Hanover University)

He is clearly in his writings has intentions to make slaves of the native poplulation when he says things like they will make good servants and they have no defense such as iron tools. Even saying further into the quote that he will take six home with him and convert them to his culture and make good servants. Openly admitting to enslaving natives. Addition according to Ohio University he

“Forced them to work in the gold mines, Slavery so intolerable that 100 of them committed mass suicide, Refused to baptize native people, Cruel Punishments, If native resisted slavery, cut of nose/ear, If tried to escacpe, burned them alive, Send dogs to hunt them down, dogs fed with Arawak babies, Columbus became first African slave trader in 1505 “(Dewwit)

It is an openly known that Columbus engaged in the slave trade and buratlizataion of the native population.

How can a man of this nature be seen as an American hero and have a holiday in his name someone who would enslave countless natives be glorified. Especially after the civil wat which was a huge turning point for the views of slavery in America. It is because of this that we cannot allow supports of Columubs to say that he is someon who should be given a pass for his actions as slavery is somthing that is a universal evil. Yet America still pushes for Chistoper Columbus to be a hero. Yet this adversely affects our relations at an often overlooked for the entirety of American history group of people and that is the Native Tribes who are independent nations unto themselves. How do you think the celebration of this figure would make our neighboring groups of natives feel unsafe to say the least. Due to this there has been a push to teach a different side of the history of Coulmbus who due to the little known actions described above is still looked at as an American hero. In addition there has been real change in this issue as many States in the United States of America have begun to adopt a holiday on the same day as Columbus day. Known as indeigeonus peoples day, a holiday in reverence for the native peoples of the world who long suffered under european colonoialism. According to the whtiehouse website

“Since time immemorial, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians have built vibrant and diverse cultures — safeguarding land, language, spirit, knowledge, and tradition across the generations. On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, our Nation celebrates the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples, recognizes their inherent sovereignty, and commits to honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.” (White House)

It is important that this holiday is for honoring the Federal Government’s trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations.

Should Children be taught about Christopher Columbus as a hero, should he a colonizer have a holiday in the United States of America. There are numerous reasons why he should be looked at in a negative light and not be celebrated. Firstly he did not truly discover the new world, he simply arrived somewhere that native tribes had been living since the beginning of time. In addition to this he was known and recorded to commit goniced against the natives of the new world. As well he enslaved many natives and it is one of the first things he journaled about. Some who are pro Columbus will try to say that his actions can be thought of as simply part of the times. Yet for our own morals as Americans and our relations with Tribal Nations we should no longer celebrate this holiday in place of indeigons peoples day one small step in rewriting the history of cominus taken in our modern day.

Works Cited Page

1) “Physical Abuse.” Christopher Columbus Debate Prep, https://u.osu.edu/columbusvillian/physical-abuse/.

2) Columbus, Journal (1492), https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111columbus.html.

3) “A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples' Day, 2021.” The White House, The United States Government, 8 Oct. 2021, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/10/08/a-proclamati on-indigenous-peoples-day-2021/.