English 1110.01, TR 15:55 – 17:15
Professor: Dr. Cathy Ryan
Assignment: Christopher Columbus Annotated Bibliography
Submitted: October 5, 2017
CHRISTOPHER vs. COLUMBUS
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
By
Chris Oswalt
1. William Eleroy Curtis, Honorary Curator, Department of Columbus Memorial. “The Authentic Letters of Columbus, Publication 2, Volume 1, Number 2.” Field Columbian Museum, Chicago. Web: www. archive.org. May 1895.
Note: “The people of this island and of all the others which I have discovered or heard of, both men and women, go naked as they were born, although some of the women wear leaves of herbs or a cotton covering made on purpose. They have no iron or steel, nor any weapons; not that they are not a well-disposed people and of fine stature, but they are timid to a degree. They have no other arms excepting spears made of cane, to which they fix at the end a sharp piece of wood, and then dare not use even these.”
Abstract: As a naturalist journaling his findings, Columbus takes copious notes of his observations, capturing the generally scared and docile demeanor of the indigenous native population.
2. Edward Everett Hale, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University. “The Life of Christopher Columbus From His Own Letters and Journals and Other Documents of His Time.” G.L. Howe & Co., Chicago. Web: www. archive.org. Circa 1891.
Note: “It does not appear that he was a bad man; he was a man wholly unused to command; he was an imprudent man, and was weak. He had compromised the crown by the easy terms on which he had rented and sold estates; he had been obliged, in order to maintain the revenue, to work the natives with more severity than ever. He knew very well that the system, under which he was working could not last long. One of his maxims was, “Do the best with your time,” and he was constantly sacrificing future advantages for such present results as he could achieve.”
“The Indians, who had been treated badly enough before, were worse treated now. And during his short administration, if it may be called an administration,–during the time when he was nominally at the head of affairs–he was reducing the island to lower and lower depths. He did succeed in obtaining a large product of gold, but the abuses of his government were not atoned for by such remittances. Worst of all, the wrongs of the natives touched the sensitiveness of Isabella, and she was eager that his successor should be appointed, and should sail, to put an end to these calamities.”
Abstract: A look into considerations at the time of Columbus’ role as a hero versus that of a villain. Judgement from the highest levels, Spanish royalty, believed he was not a bad man with an ill-intended nature, but rather a good man with little-to-no experience in command who gave into instinctive impulses when faced with overwhelming adversity. In short, he was a reactionary leader with virtually no education or training as a leader to fall back on, thus he was left to his own devices to essentially figure things out as he stumbled through the extremely difficult tasks associated with colonizing new territories while simultaneously integrating vastly differentiating cultures.
3. Clements Robert Markham, C.B., F.R.S., President of the Hakluyt Society. “The Journal of Christopher Columbus (During His First Voyage, 1492 – 1493), and Documents Relating to the Voyages of John Cabot and Gaspar Corte Real.” The Hakluyt Society, London. Web: www.latinamericanstudies.org. Circa 1793.
Note: “As part of my duty I thought it well to write an account of all the voyage very punctually, noting from day to day all that I should do and see, and that should happen, as will be seen further on. Also, Lords Princes, I resolved to describe each night what passed in the day, and to note each day how I navigated at night. I propose to construct a new chart for navigating, on which I shall delineate all the sea and lands of the Ocean in their proper positions under their bearings; and further, I propose to prepare a book, and to put down all as it were in picture, by latitude from the equator, and western longitude. Above all, I shall work at the business of navigation, that so the service may be performed; all which will entail great labour.”
Abstract: Columbus very much viewed himself a professional sailor, a visionary explorer and in some ways a scientist, in that his knowledge of nature and navigation afforded him greater insight than that of leading scientists of his time (he was convinced the world was round while the general consensus of the scientific community believed it to be flat).
4. Edward Gaylord Bourne, Ph. D., Professor of History, Yale University. “American Journeys Collection: Journal of the First Voyage of Columbus, Document No. AJ-062.” Wisconsin Historical Society, Digital Library and Archives.
Note: “As soon as it was known that the Admiral came from the Indies, it was wonderful how many people came from Lisbon to see him and the Indians, giving thanks to our Lord, and saying that the heavenly Majesty had given all this to the Sovereigns of Castille as a reward for their faith and their great desire to serve God.”
Abstract: An excerpt that provides a glimpse into the dominating mindset of the times, a case in point in which religious belief is not merely superstition but a way of life. The good fortunes of all men, particularly of individuals as daring and successful as Columbus was perceived to be, was in fact an act of divinity, a reward for prevailing faith as opposed to mere discoveries from exploration.