Despite the fact that it is over 500 years after Christopher Columbus came to the Americas in 1492, there is still a major debate about whether he should be celebrated or condemned, according to Bryan Brown from Upfront Magazine. Columbus was the explorer who brought the Europeans to the Americas, which overall impacted world history in severe measures. Columbus was the explorer who started interaction between the Americas and Europe, also known as the Columbian Exchange. When Columbus arrived, he traded with the Native Americans, but also did many things to benefit the Europeans that harmed and killed the Natives. Furthermore, unlike what many people think, Columbus wasn’t even the first European to discover the Americas; the Vikings came hundreds of years earlier. Having a Columbus monument standing is representing someone who committed despicable crimes and someone who didn’t even discover the Americas, so they should surely be removed. …show more content…
One of these accomplishments was introducing the Old World to the Americas while changing history, according to the Columbian Exchange packet. The Vikings did come to the Americas hundreds of years earlier, but they didn’t introduce all of the Old World to the Americas. Columbus, on the other hand, caused trade and interaction to occur between the two unfamiliar parts of the world. Another major accomplishment of Columbus was to be able to take several trips back and forth from Europe while bringing very precious materials, such as gold, back to Spain. Columbus did whatever he could to get his hands onto these items, and when he brought them to Spain, they had a great amount of value. This was a success for Columbus since his sponsors counted on him to earn money, according to the Christopher Columbus: Celebrated or Condemned