Christopher Columbus

1. Christopher Columbus America’s Controversy

2. Hero, or Villain? Was I the great explorer and discoverer of America? Or, was I a gold-hungry, genocidal Italian in search of wealth and glory?

3. Who am I? • Born 1451 in Genoa, in modern-day Northern Italy • Spent much of young life at see on merchant ships • Independently studied the sciences and literature • Devout Christian who often quoted bible verses in discussions and writings

4. Quest for Funding • Wanting a piece of history as his own, Columbus desired to gain support for a voyage to find China by traveling west, rather than south/east. However, this proved difficult. • Turned down twice by the Portuguese Crown • Turned down by both Genoa and Venice • Turned down by Henry VII of England • Turned down by Isabelle & Ferdinand of Spain • 1492, after begging, Columbus was approved Spanish funds by Ferdinand

5. Explorations • 1492 found Columbus set on his first voyage west, hoping to find the East Indies. Instead, he found the Caribbean. • Believing this to be the East Indies he hoped to find, he referred to the natives as indios – Spanish for indians.

6. Explorations

7. Why care about me? • I introduced Europe to a heretofore unknown land mass – the Americas • I initiated the colonization of Central and South America for Spain, resulting in massive wealth accumulation – and power – for the monarchy • I opened Europe to a host of new goods, such as maize and potatoes.

8. Why care about me? • I initiated the exploitation of native populations through unfair bargains for gold and goods and enslavement • Many of whom were worked to death • I initiated genocidal practices which led to the death of tens of thousands of native peoples, including the cultures Tainos and Arawaks • I helped introduce bacteria into the native populations – such as smallpox – against which they had no immunities • I committed several atrocious acts during my time in the Americas, including, but not limited to: sexual slavery, rape, punishing natives by cutting of noses or ears, or feeding them to dogs • I initiated the Atlantic Slave trade which transformed the world

9. Why care about me? • As James Loewen wrote, • “[I] introduced two phenomena that revolutionized race relations and transformed the modern world: the taking of land, wealth, and labor from indigenous peoples, leading to their near extermination, and the transatlantic slave trade, which created a racial underclass.”

10. References • (2012). Why I Won't Be Celebrating Columbus Day | ClearComplexity. Retrieved February 18, 2013, fromhttp://clearcomplexityblog.com/2011/10/10/why-i-wont-be-celebrating-columbus-day/. • (2009). File:Viajes de colon en.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 18, 2013, fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Viajes_de_colon_en.svg. • (2011). Root, hog, or die - Christopher Columbus Bennett James Gordon ... Retrieved February 18, 2013, fromhttp://www.encore-editions.com/root-hog-or-die-christopher-columbus-bennett-james-gordon-bennett-1841-1918-publ-of-n-y-herald-has-discovered-the-true-indian-policy. • (2011). Image: Christopher Columbus part of Turning History On ... - AllVoices. Retrieved February 18, 2013, fromhttp://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6886539/image/64379147-christopher-columbus. • (2011). Explorers for Kids: Christopher Columbus- Ducksters. Retrieved February 18, 2013, fromhttp://www.ducksters.com/biography/explorers/christopher_columbus.php.