Meina Zhou_ Christopher Columbus Research-vqkt25
Meina Zhou
English 1110.01, Monday 10:20-11:15AM
Instructor: Cathy Ryan
Assignment: Christopher Columbus Research
March 9, 2017
1.Whitney, DeWitt. “Christopher Columbus: Hero or Murderer?” Central Virginia Community College. Web. 9 March. 2017.
<http://campuspages.cvcc.vccs.edu/polis/2003/nonfiction/whitney%20dewitt.amlit.htm>.
Note: “Columbus apparently believed it was his right to pass the captured women out to his men, and they, in turn, believed they did not need to ask for the women’s consent. The statement makes it seem like Columbus thought it was not wrong to rape women, and we can also know Columbus and his men could be a very cruel group of people who engaged in horrific activities.
Abstract: The author discussed if Christopher Columbus was a hero or a murderer. Despite the great contribution that Columbus made. The writer also listed several facts to show the negative impact that he brought to the Native Americans. For example, he raped women and children, he killed innocent people, and he didn’t even manage to complete his initial goal of finding a commercially viable route to Asia by traversing the western oceans. Therefore, in the end, the author believes that Christopher Columbus was in no way a hero.
2.Nathan, Nunn. “Slavery and Spanish Colonization.” UH.EDU. Web. 9 March. 2017.
<http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=2&psid=3569>.
Note: “Christopher Columbus believed that Indians would serve as a slave labor force for Europeans…Thus Columbus initiated the African slave trade, which originally moved from the New World to the Old, rather than the reverse.” Here Several factors show that it was Christopher Columbus who brought the African slave trade. However, the African slave trade would be an indispensable part of European settlement and development of the New World.
Abstract: This article talked about the positive side of the African slave trade. Although the African slave trade was a cruel event that made by Christopher Columbus, it also had economic benefits for both the countries of Europe and the colonies of the Americas.
3.Phillips, Jr, William D.; Phillips, Carla Rahn (1992). “The worlds of Christopher Columbus.” Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35097-2. Retrieved 2016-02-28. Web. 9 March. 2017.
<http://worldhistorypratt.weebly.com/uploads/2/2/5/1/22519320/columbus.pdf>
Note: “Columbus himself never lost confidence in his own star. He was sure that he was divinely sent, and that his mission was to open the way to the Indies, for the religious advancement of mankind.” We can easily tell Columbus personality from this sentence. Columbus is presented as a model to strive for, an ambitious and intelligent gentleman traveler.
Abstract: This is a PDF file of a book written by Phillips and Phillips. They presented many of the positive aspects of Columbus — a great financier and salesman, a man who pulled himself up from a blue-collar family background and became one of the most well-known figures in American history and an individual who attempted to spread the word of God throughout the New World.
4.William, Bigelow. “Once Upon a Genocide: Christopher Columbus in Children’s Literature.” OSU.EDU. Web. 9 March. 2017.
<http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/stable/pdf/41411570.pdf>.
Note: “Columbus’s devout Christianity is a theme in all the books – and is never questioned. The most insistent of these, and the worst of the lot in almost every respect, is Sean J. Dolan’s Christopher Columbus: The Intrepid Mariner (1989).” “The reader is practically strangled by Columbus’s halo.” Here we are given one of many examples of the author’s frustration with the fact that historical events are often misrepresented. Columbus represented as a good person with strong Christian motives, but in the reality, that’s not true.
Abstract: This is a PDF file of a book written by William Bigelow. The author uses Columbus as a focal point to examine the flaws of today’s educational system. Children in schools today are practically painted an angelic depiction of Columbus, regardless of the cruel acts committed during his expeditions. The article explores many injustices such as racism, and other social issues. It makes the claim that children are wrongfully taught to praise the actions of Columbus, due to the positive outcomes of his voyage. The ultimate objective of this article is to suggest alternative teaching methods which encourage independent thinking, rather than one-sided opinions.