Who Is Christopher Columbus A Hero Or A Villain?

Should Christopher Columbus be celebrated as a hero or a villain? This is a question that has been asked for many decades. Christopher Columbus is known for discovering the “New

World,” which we now know as The United States of America. Many people have different perspectives of Christopher Columbus some believe he is a true hero while others believe that he is nothing but a villain. It is only fair to look at both sides and compare before jumping straight to a conclusion on something like this matter.

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451, he was the son of a wool weaver. As a child Columbus was always extremely interested in the seas. When Columbus turned 14, he began to work as an apprentice for his father. He, however,

He was very skilled and brave, which led to several significant voyages across the ocean.

He began his first voyage in 1492, this alone was a major advance. Columbus and his crew started the sail with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. After almost a month the crew arrived in the Bahamas. They were the first people to ever sail west of Europe across the Atlantic. These voyages had incredibly significant impacts on the Europeans. This opened many new trade routes along with supplying new access to many untapped resources.

This began to start an economic boom in Europe and eventually led to further colonization. Also,

Columbus’s voyages made the way allowing for the spread of Christianity. Columbus himself was a devoted Catholic. He originally started his voyages to spread the Christian faith. This is one of the many reasons that Columbus is considered a hero among Christians. Eventually

Columbus led three additional voyages to the New World. These led him to explore the coast of

South and Central American along with the Caribbean islands. This is when he began to establish settlements. There are many reasons why I believe that Chrisopher Columbus should be considered

As one author writes, we cannot forget the brutality and tragedy that

Columbus and his men inflicted upon the indigenous people.5

It is no denying that Columbus did not treat the indigenous people as he should have. He enslaved them and made them work for him. He beat and tortured them and made them do whatever he or his crew told them to do.

However, there is also no denying that his contributions to the New World made it what it is today. The people complaining about this would also not be here if it wasn’t for Columbus.

In conclusion, determination, courage, ability to bring together two vastly different worlds, the spread of Christianity, along with inspiring generations of explores these all-stand out as reasons why Columbus should be considered a hero. As explained in this essay there are many reasons why Chrisopher Columbus should be considered a hero. Research shows so more than we are taught in school. Not everyone agrees with this, but you cannot argue with the facts. Everyone is entitled to opinions on what they believe but after doing proper research one may change their opinion. 5 Anderson, Maddie. “Columbus: Hero or Villain?” Tiger Times. SNO sites, January 10,