Christopher Columbus set sail for Asia in 1492. This journey was filled with many hurdles, the most obvious- landing on the wrong continent, South America. Even though he never made it to his intended destination, there were many advantages to landing in the Bahamas. Here Columbus learned of new crops, such as tobacco, which would be one of America’s most profitable exports. Columbus also and heard rumors of treasure, which powered many more expeditions from Spain. On the other hand there were many disadvantages for Columbus’s landing- especially for the natives. With strange visitors, the natives were welcoming, which lead to their downfall, consisting of disease and slavery.
One of the most important positive interpretations of Christopher Columbus’s journey, were the reasons for the journey itself. At this time, Portugal led the search for new trade routes after Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. In addition to this, Spain was currently conquering lands held by Muslims since the 8th century (Horwitz 53). It was the opportune time for Columbus to make his case for a westward trade route and he was backed by
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When the Spanish first landed in the Bahamas, they were greeted by the natives, which Columbus described as “childlike innocents”. After the natives catered to the Spanish’s every need, Columbus had the thought that “They ought to make good and skilled servants” (Horwitz 61). He departed from the island two days later, with 7 captured natives for the King and Queen. In addition to slavery, there were also European men raping native women. When looking for gold, Columbus began island hopping through the Bahamas, taking many captives. One of these captives was given to friend, Michele de Cuneo, who raped the captive and then recorded it in a journal. These negative repercussions were important because it paved the way of Spanish brutality towards the natives in