Was Christopher Columbus Ethically Good Or Poor?

There are many famous explorers from the 14th century, one of them being none other than Cristoforo Colombo, otherwise referred to as Christopher Columbus. Columbus is very well known for reaching America during his voyage in 1492. Additionally, a holiday is dedicated to him on the second Monday of October every year. Although he engaged in controversial actions throughout his lifetime, the central inquiry remains: was he ethically good or bad? This analysis will discern his character by evaluating the good, the bad, and the motives behind each of his major actions. To start, let's talk about the things he did that were good, such as his eagerness to help the Native Americans. When he arrived in the New World, upon seeing them, he hugged them.

It is crucial to assess whether these actions stemmed from genuine altruism or merely served to advance his personal agenda. The question at hand is, did he anticipate their susceptibility to European diseases due to lack of immunity? The truth is, no one knows. One of his greatest and most commonly known good deeds was discovering the New World. Now, did he know he landed in North America? Simply put, no. He actually thought he landed where his voyage was supposed to land, India. This is why Native Americans are sometimes referred to, or known as, Indians. Now that we’ve viewed the good, let’s view the bad. When he brought back 10-25 native Americans against their will to Spain, only 8 survived. (Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History) Some of them were raped in Spain. Then the natives fought back and Columbus and his men killed and cannibalized them. When it was Columbus’ duty to ensure their safety, he was the one who removed them from their home. One of his other major bad actions was enslaving the Taino people in Hispaniola. “Within twenty-five years of Columbus’ arrival in Haiti, most of the Tano had died from enslavement, massacre, or