Christopher Columbus Sources
Source One
Churchill, Ward. “Deconstructing the Columbus Myth: Was the “Great Discoverer” Italian or Spanish, Nazi or Jew?.” Social Justice, vol. 19, no. 2, June 1992, pp. 39-55. EBSCOhost, proxy.lib.ohiostate.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ahl&AN=45865430&site=ehost-live.
SUMMARY: This author defends his comparison of Columbus to Hitler, stating that they are similar in many aspects. He discusses them both taking over land, enslaving the citizens and committing genocide; His purpose for embarking on his journey; What Columbus did to the people of the Caribbean; How he wiped out an entire population; Lasting impact he left; Which origin was Columbus?
STATEMENT: Columbus did not embark on his journey for discovery purposes, but rather because of greed. He only did this for personal gain of wealth and fame. He was greedy. Once he reached America, he took away the native’s land, and turned them into slaves, and worked them to death only to make money for Spain. Along with this, he also took over the Caribbean Islands and instituted policies of slavery and killed the native Taino population.
Source Two
Brady, Phyllis. “Columbus and the Quincentennial Myths: Another Side of the Story.” Young Children, vol. 47, no. 6, 01 Sept. 1992, pp. 4-14. EBSCOhost, proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ451988&site=ehost-live.
SUMMARY: Debunks myths about Christopher Columbus and provides facts and implications of these myths; Discusses what children are taught in school and how childhood educators can provide both sides of the story; Myths include things like Columbus’s intentions and attitudes of Natives; discusses cultural perspectives and responses
STATEMENT: Columbus did not discover the Americas, and they have been inhabited since 1300 B.C. His real mission was to seek glory and gold in the name of Spain. When he realized that gold was scarce the Indians were used as cheap labor for the Europeans. He came to their native country, stole their land, and claimed it as his own. Along with this he also brutalized the Taino, Arawak, and Carib people of the Caribbean when he conquered it. He almost entirely wiped out the Taino population. It is estimated that there may have been more than three million living in Bohio (Espanola) when Columbus first arrived, and fifty years later there are only 200.
Source Three
Freeland, Mark and Tink Tinker. “Thief, Slave Trader, Murderer: Christopher Columbus and Caribbean Population Decline.” Wicazo Sa Review, vol. 23, no. 1, Spring2008, pp. 25-50. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/wic.2008.0002.
SUMMARY: This article details the accusations against Columbus and analyzes the facts in order to determine if they are true and if they are, to the extent. It includes information on his eight-year reign as governor of Espanola where it is claimed that he committed genocide and slavery. Also discusses that we should end the Columbus Day celebrations and holiday because of all the evidence against him.
STATEMENT: Columbus was a slave trader. After he discovered that there was not easily accessible gold in the Caribbean, he loaded the holds of his ships with Indian human cargo and took them to the slave market in Seville. He was also a thief. On island of Espanola, he forced Indian people on the island to surrender goods, including gold ore. Also, he was a murderer. He made laws to kill Taino persons who failed to attain enough gold for the admiral and his monarchs.
Source Four
Sale, Kirkpatrick. “The Columbian Legacy and the Ecosterian Response.” The Columbian Legacy and the Ecosterian Response | Schumacher Center For New Economics, www.centerforneweconomics.org/publications/lectures/sale/kirkpatrick/the-columbian-legacy-and-the-ecosterian-response.
SUMMARY: This article describes the impact and motivations of European exploration and colonization of America. It explains how and why Columbus destroyed the native culture and stole the treasures from their land for personal gain. This article details the negative legacy that Columbus left behind including elements like humanism, rationalism, materialism, and nationalism.
STATEMENT: Columbus has left behind a negative legacy because he took over Native people’s land and destroyed their culture. He represents Europe at the time, and what made them powerful. They used humanism and its domination, rationalism and its science, materialism and its capitalism, and nationalism and its militarism in order to make themselves successful. They wanted the treasures in the New World, and they sent out people like Columbus to explore, and dominate new countries in order to make themselves richer and more dominant.