Historians’ Changing Perceptions about Christopher Columbus Essay Example

The study of history may seem to be a simple endeavor but in fact it is a sophisticated one especially because what history tells us is constantly evolving with the emergence of new evidence, changing interests, and popping up of new questions all of which help in seeing things in a different light. There has been a widely publicized disagreement regarding the cross-Atlantic voyage of Christopher Columbus to the Western Hemisphere in 1492.

Even though there are well known records about this voyage, historians have interpreted this event in different ways based on their different political biases. The idea that Christopher Columbus is a hero still persists in the American public and some historians support this especially because they believe that he made communication possible between different hemispheres. However, other history scholars disagree with this citing him as a villain who mistreated the local American people and began a pattern of exploitation by the Europeans.

Nader Helen, for instance, talks of the major contributions that were brought about by Christopher ColumbusfootnoteRef:4. His voyage from Europe to the Caribbean Islands and later to the American mainland has been termed as heroic by various scholars. During his voyages, he amassed a lot of wealth but he used a lot of canny ways to do it. The ways through which he amassed his wealth and made the aboriginal people in the Americas submit to the Spanish crown are questionable. Desai for instance, states that when Columbus landed on populated areas he claimed those areas for the Spanish crowns. He also subjugated and enslaved the people he encountered especially because of his unquenchable thirst for gold.

The natives that failed to conform

to his demands saw their hands being cut off especially when they could not fulfill his unrealistic gold quotas. Those who resisted to were tortured and vicious dogs were used on them. In other cases, Columbus has been said to have captured some of the natives and sold them as slaves to the Spanish settlers. This is especially one way through which Columbus is referred to as a villain by some of the historical scholars.

Some scholars have argued that Columbus was the founder of the American continent as well as the one who served as the catalyst for European expansion of exploration and colonization as well. However, other scholars argue that when compared to other explorers who had reached the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the contributions of Columbus are insignificant. They continue to argue that the power and contributions of the merchants much contributed to the economy of the Europeans as compared to the trivial contributions of one explorer. McGeeargues that Columbus was not the founding father of the American continent like most people like to make him.

Most of these people were overworked and also weakened by diseases while others died in Columbus ships while on their way to Spain. The natives were engaged in mining activity and they died in the mines while others who could not work or failed to provide Columbus with gild to pay his debts were mercilessly sold as slaves. Therefore, it seems that even though Columbus made some contributions to the various lands he visited while on his voyage, he used negative ways to make a fortune for himself and for the Spanish crown as well.

Furthermore, some scholars like

Charles Mann present the accounts of the Columbus voyage but do that without having to judge him as either a hero or a villain. Mann seems to be only interested in describing the contributions that were made by Columbus in the areas he visited and especially in America. The Columbian Exchange which was brought about by Christopher Columbus is described as a positive contribution because it enabled people to overcome their geographical areas and therefore re-shape the worldfootnoteRef:8. However, Irving paints a picture of a hero when he narrates the accounts of the Columbus’ voyage. In this article, Columbus is portrayed as an American idol and icon-like. Columbus in this case is praised as a man of great inventive capabilities.

Irvin states that all the ambitions that Columbus had were noble but sometimes lofty. Instead of Columbus ruining the lands he found he decided to colonize the people to ensure that they became civilized. However, the author does not forget to mention that not all the Columbus endeavors were noble because he was also involved in behaviors that were unkind to the people he found. While Irvin argues that Columbus was inventive, Desai seems to contradict this. She states that while many people believe that Columbus excelled in various branches of science such as astronomy, geography, and navigation, he is also known for wildly miscalculating the distance from Europe to Asia. Even though Columbus made a lot of discoveries, the connection between deaths that took place and his discovering voyage seem not to have been explored.

To conclude, there are many stories that have been told about Columbus, his voyage, experiences, and the discoveries and contributions he

made. While some history scholars have painted him as a hero who discovered various lands like America and brought about civilization to various lands, other scholars describe him as a villain who was unkind to the people he found. Still, there are other scholars who only outline the contributions and experiences of Columbus but without judging him as a hero or villain. However, for various decades, there have not been any new evidence or developments to offer a balanced view about what really happened during the Columbus voyage and the people he met on his way. A lot of literature works have a lot of assumptions and some of them maintain that Columbus must always remain a hero.

Others have exaggerated the character of Columbus as that of a cruel and mean man. It is clear that Columbus was not as noble as many works of literature wants us to think but at the same time, he was as cruel and mean as he is sometimes portrayed. It is clear that history may tend to tell a lopsided story especially because of the values of the person telling it. As such, there is a great need to do a deep research and come up with valid points about each side of the argument. This will be very helpful in order to avoid things like Eurocentrism, omission, selection, and euphemism which make it difficult to discern what the truth is about Columbus. Various questions need to be explored and answered like: What economic forces produced Christopher Columbus? What are the impacts of the Columbus voyage to the world history? What practical constraints did Columbus had to operate

with during his voyage? In addition to that, the history scholars should provide a substantial amount of primary sources to back up their arguments.

Bibliography

• Charles Mann "1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created." Magill’s Literary Annual 2012 (April 2012): 1-3. Literary Reference Center Plus, EBSCOhost.
• Desai, Christina. "The Columbus Myth: Power and Ideology in Picturebooks About Christopher Columbus." Children's Literature In Education 45, no. 3 (September 2014): 179-196. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 21, 2016).
• Fernandez-Armesto, F. "Columbus--Hero or villain?." History Today 42, no. 5 (May 1992): 4. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed April 21, 2016).
• Irving, Washington. "Life of Christopher Columbus." World's Greatest Books -- Volume 10 -- Lives & Letters (March 2006): 22-27. Literary Reference Center Plus, EBSCOhos
• McGee, R. Michael. Christopher columbus: Construction and deconstruction of an american hero. 2006. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. (304957750). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304957750?accountid=35812
• Nader, Helen. "Christopher Columbus: The Hero and the Historians." (April 1, 1989): ERIC, EBSCOhost
  Pelta, Kathy. Discovering Christopher Columbus: How History Is Invented. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1991.
• Schuman, Howard, Barry Schwartz, and Hannah D'Arcy. "ELITE REVISIONISTS AND POPULAR BELIEFS." Public Opinion Quarterly 69, no. 1 (Spring2005 2005): 2-29. Business Source Complete,
• EBSCOhost (accessed April 6, 2016).