Blog #9: Was Columbus a hero or villian?

I know that generally there is no right or wrong answer to historical questions, and it is usually both but one to a greater extent. However, I feel that Columbus was a villain, and to no extent a hero. All "benefits" that Columbus supposedly bestowed upon the world are twisted interpretations of his impact, and are a prime example of revisionist history. Many of his accomplishments benefited Europe and his employers, the Spanish, allowing them to exploit a weaker native people for economic and territorial gain. Historians cite his greatest accomplishments as being the first European to set foot in the Americas, bringing Christianity to the new world, and spurring the Columbian exchange. Despite evidence that Leif Erikson, Thorvald Erikson, and Thorfinn Karlsefni all landed in modern day Canada, and set up Norse encampments, the European powers of the 1500's were able to expunge this from history, as to further their legacies as great explorers. There is also evidence of Chinese interaction in America through coinciding jade carving techniques. While Columbus may be part of a select group of non-native explorers to reach the Americas at this time he is by no means the first. As for his evangelism, I do not see why this would be a benefit. Taking a group of people with a common culture, and their own developed and sophisticated religion, and forcing them, with threat of death and genocide, to convert to a foreign religion with no ties to their own culture does not seem like an action that should be looked back upon as an accomplishment. Why is the decimation of a foreign religion justifiable to spread another. What gave Columbus and the other European nations the right to deem that Christianity was correct, and should be followed by the whole world. This draws direct parallels to the work of ISIS and other terrorist groups today, or the violent crusades of the 1200's. Why should Columbus be the exception to the general disgust at movements of this nature? Lastly, his arrival in the Americas is considered the main factor in the commencement of the Columbian exchange, the greatest interchange of goods and technologies among two groups of people in recorded history. While this is true, and without Columbus there would likely be no Columbian exchange, the Columbian exchange was not entirely good. In fact, it was very one sided. While American food was given to the Europeans, and European technologies and animals were given to the Americans, there was also a lopsided amount of disease transferred. The animals taken over during this period of time exposed the native Americans to diseases they were not accustomed to, and the European settlers brought even more. This led to over half of the native American population dying to smallpox, and deadly diseases. While they were dying there was no time for the Native Americans to enjoy the European technologies, culture, foods, animals, or anything because the Europeans took advantage of this hardship and enslaved the majority of the survivors. Countless Native American lives were lost due to the overworking of sick people on brutal plantains in colonies across the Americas. Their land was taken away, as well as many of their lives. The only thing the Native American people were able to reap from the Columbian exchange was death and humiliation. Yet, due to the revisionist history of the time, it is regarded as a great exchange of culture and goods. The Columbian exchange was no more than a glorified genocide. Christopher Columbus's one real accomplishment is leading a crew across the Atlantic, at a time where there were no planned routes, or real precedents to doing so. However, this is far from making him a hero. Christopher Columbus was a racist, violent man who forced religion upon a weaker people, then took advantage of disease to enslave them. To me, that is a villain, to the entire extent.

Leif Erikson:


Christopher Columbus: