Essay on Columbus and Indians - 1129 Words

Regarding the article, â€Å"Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress, Dr. Howard Zinn argues that there is another perspective to consider as to Christopher Columbus’ adventures. Dr. Howard Zinn’s position is that history books have omissions of slavery, death and innocent bloodshed that accompanied the adventures of Christopher Columbus. In the following statements Dr. Howard Zinn describes his perspective; â€Å"The writer began the history, five hundred years ago, of the European invasion of the Indian Settlement in the Americas. That beginning, when you read Las Casas- even if his figures are exaggerations (were there 3 million Indians to begin with, as he says or 250,000, as modern historians calculate) is conquest, slavery, and death. When†¦show more content†¦They were willing to trade everything they owned. They were will built, with good bodies and handsome features. They would make fine servants†¦. With fifty men we could subjugate them all a nd make them do whatever we want†. In this quote, Dr. Zinn gives what he believed to be another motivation of Columbus, which was the motivation to make the Indians into slaves for monetary gain. Dr. Zinn believed this to be the motivation of what he termed the â€Å"Europe of the Renaissance†. Dr Zinn states; â€Å"theses traits, speaking of the Arawak, did not stand in the Europe of the Renaissance, dominated as it was by the religion of popes, the government of kings, the frenzy for the money that marketed Western civilization and its first messenger to the Americas, Christopher Columbus. Dr. Zinn references numerous accounts of innocent bloodshed, cruelty and the enslavement of Indians by Columbus and his soldiers from De Las Casa’s books prior to Columbus’ return to Spain. Dr. Zinn records the following statements from De Las Casa book in which he says; Endless testimonies ... prove the mild and pacific temperament of the natives. But our work was to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle and destroy; small wonder, then, if they tried to kill one of us now and then.... The admiral, it is true, was blind as those who came after him, and he was so anxious to please the King that he committed irreparable crimes against the Indians.... To pleaseShow MoreRelatedColumbus, The Indians, And Human Progress5743 Words   |  23 PagesChapter 1 – COLUMBUS, THE INDIANS, AND HUMAN PROGRESS Thesis Statement: Zinn argues that the perspective of indigenous people should not be omitted and argues that their perspectives are as significant as any other. He provides insight and perspectives of the Indians to describe how the heinous acts of the Europeans were unjustified. He also discusses that the Europeans had a continual motive of exploring during that time which was to increase the power/authority of the Spanish Crown by whateverRead MoreSummary : Columbus, The Indians, And Human Progress1389 Words   |  6 PagesDahuya Date: August 8, 2016 Period: 1 Chapter 1: Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress 1. Important People In this section, you will list the important people that are presented in the chapter with a short description of that individual. (Approximately one sentence each) Arawak people- Natives of the Bahamas Islands that Christopher Columbus came upon; they are known for their hospitality and their belief in sharing. Christopher Columbus- A merchant s clerk from the Italian city of GenoaRead MoreChristopher Columbus s The American Indians1728 Words   |  7 PagesChristopher Columbus’s brother took a census of the American Indians in 1496 and had a total of 1.1 million, but by 1555, they ceased to exist (Loewen, 57). James W. Loewen describes in his book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, Christopher Columbus coming to the Americans and the death toll placed on American Indians, partly due to new diseases, such as measles. After measles helped kill the entire Indian population, measles began appearing in Northern America in the early 1600’s. Centuries went by untilRead MoreHoward Zinn Columbus, the Indians and Human Progress2369 Words   |  10 PagesColumbus, the Indians, and Human Progress by Howard Zinn Posted on October 13, 2009 by dandelionsalad by Howard Zinn Featured Writer Dandelion Salad October 12, 2009 Image by Whiskeygonebad via Flickr An excerpt from A People’s History of the United States. Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speakingRead MoreWhy Is Christopher Columbus A Hero1466 Words   |  6 PagesChristopher Columbus is best known for his voyage across the Atlantic where he accidentally discovered America. He paved the way for future exploration and set the course for history. Although Columbus is known as a historical hero for this discovery, he committed many awful acts along the way. Therefore, this writer concludes that Columbus was more of a villain than a hero. This researcher has reached this conclusion after examining many secondary sources including†¦(list sources)†¦ Important informationRead MoreThe Truth about Christopher Columbus983 Words   |  4 Pagesknows the saying Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. However, there is a lot more to Christopher Columbus than what everyone was taught in elementary school through high school. Columbus is thought to be a hero, but just being classified as a hero is a fallacy. Several works including Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies and The Lies my Teacher Told Me have been published about the real Christopher Columbus and his legacy. The story of Christopher Columbus begins in the cityRead More Christopher Columbus Was a Murderer Essay examples1541 Words   |  7 PagesChristopher Columbus Was a Murderer The second Monday in October is celebrated across America as Columbus Day. It is a celebration of the man who discovered America. In school, children are taught that Christopher Columbus was a national hero. In actuality, the man was a murderer. It is true that he found a land that was unknown to the civilized world, yet in this discovery, he erased the natives inhabiting the land. With slavery, warfare, and inhumane acts, Christopher Columbus and the menRead MoreThe Legacy Of Christopher Columbus1390 Words   |  6 Pageshave mixed historical and traditional interpretation about the legacy of Christopher Columbus. The history of the famous explorer has been rewritten many times. He was one of the first of many Europeans to land in the New World. He is an Italian explorer whose discovery of the New World— Caribbean– with his crewmen marked the beginning of decades of colonization and trans-Atlantic invasion on the American soil. Columbus sighted the New World, as he in tended to sail west hoping to reach Asia through aRead MoreAnother Side of Christopher Columbus Essay755 Words   |  4 Pagesagriculture and livestock. These people lived in the Bahamas Island and behaved very similar to the Indians on the mainland-America. These people could rightly be called Native Americans/Indians. However primitive these people were, they were very organized. In a much busier world (Spain), lived a very adventurous, religious, and loyal man named Christopher Columbus. Born in Genoa, Italy, Christopher Columbus was the son of a very skilled weaver. He was an expert sailor, thus earning the title of â€Å"AdmiralRead MoreSpeech On Columbus Day1430 Words   |  6 Pagesevery year on this day, Columbus Day, citizens across the nation are addressed with the issue of the â€Å"History of the West.† On one of our district’s campuses this morning, Native American and white students got into a large disagreement about the true happenings of the â€Å"History of the West.† For Native American students, Columbus Day is a day of mourning where these students and families think about the near genocide of their people and culture. For white students, Columbus day can make the student