Christopher Columbus
Hero or Villain?
Was Christopher Columbus a Old World hero or a New World Villain? I feel that Christopher Columbus is a Villain because of how he mistreated the Native Peoples of the New World. Even though Columbus brought great wealth to Europe, there were millions of deaths caused by diseases Columbus brought with him to the New World, and he also brought back diseases to the Old World along with treasures exclusively from New World. I feel that Columbus helped begin the Americas, but he did not need to take as many lives to do so, making him a Villain.
A People’s History of the United States (1980), Howard Zinn
In this excerpt, author Howard Zinn uses facts and explains his reason for believing that Christopher Columbus was a hero, and the holiday should continue to be celebrated. He points out that in today’s society and previous, Christopher Columbus has always been seen as a hero. Howard Zinn feels that Columbus was occasionally portrayed
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Although he did not find a water route to the Indies like he had intended, he found many valuable foods native to only the New World, and he found gold which became a high demand to search for among fellow explorers and conquistadors. His findings greatly increased his country’s economy, and later the New World offered a place for religious freedom from the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican church for anyone who wanted to chose a different denomination of Christianity. Columbus also started the Columbian Exchange, which allowed the newly discovered goods from the New World to be transported and traded within and around Europe.
While Christopher Columbus made many advancements towards the evolution of Europe and sea routes for trade, I still consider him a villain due to the many lives that he took, because I feel that he could have made these same advancements for Europe, but without as much bloodshed as he