In recent years, there has been speculation as to whether Christopher Columbus is a hero or a villain. Some argue that he is a hero because without him America might have never existed, while others argue that he is a villain because he enslaved natives and claimed to discover the Americas even though he was not the first to do so. In my opinion, Christopher Columbus remains a hero because although he did not really discover America, he was the first to publish his findings and make Europeans more aware of the New World.
When Columbus first came to the Americas, he wrote down what he saw in a journal. When he returned to Europe, his findings were published so that his fellow Europeans could also know about the new world. Although his publications were likely biased, no one in the old world would have known about these things if he had not written about them.
When Columbus first came to the Americas, he wrote down what he saw in a journal. When he returned to Europe, his findings were published so that his fellow Europeans could also know about the new world. Although his publications were likely biased, no one in the old world would have known about these things if he had not written about them.
5 comments:
Gussie, you are the bomb with your qualifiying arguments and such. You bring up a good point that he can be either a villan or hero, depending on who you're asking. It's good that you also mention how he recorded his observations of the New World. Many people forget that he was an explorer, not a conquistador.
I disagree with your depiction of Columbus. He did bring cultures of the new world back to the old but he brought harmful things from old to new. Many of his crew members raped women, stole food and grew greedy in their quest for gold. Columbus may not have done many of these things himself but he was the commanding officer so shouldn't he be responsible for his crew. The natives were subjected to many years of abuse only because Columbus wanted some fame and fortune and he was willing to pay any price for it.
GOOSE!
I agree with your statement that Columbus was a hero because he was the first to publish his findings! I never thought of it that way, good job. I like how you encompassed that he could be a villian as well, but still stuck to your thoughts about Columbus remaining a hero.
I agree with your opinion of Columbus. I said he was a hero, but after the discussion, I can see him as a villan as well. But you have good back up information that helps me to see him as a hero.
Gussie i like the fact that you see that the viewpoint can determine whether he was a hero or a villain. Good observation about the fact that he was a explorer, but he did however have some characteristics of a conquistador.
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