Was Christopher Columbus a Hero or a Villain?

[MANT!]

Columbus was the first non-native American whose discovery opened up the America's to colonization by foreign powers and interests, the civilizations of the Americas were ill equipped (being somewhere about Ancient Egypt or below in social and technological level) to resist...

All the others that discovered America weren't able to colonize and keep their settlements (if any).

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Clearly, a world class douchebag.

When you think about it, the logic of his 'discovering' the Earth is round makes no sense. By 1492, naval navigation was pretty established as a science. Do you honestly believe that navigation system would have worked when picturing the Earth as flat?

Sorry, Chris was a crackpot who royally fucked up his math and then took slaves to make up for it. I used to idolize this guy as a kid, too; I did reports on him... then I read one of those books about the real parts of his life years later and felt disgusted.

My guess is the whole idolization in American public schools is based on chance. Teachers wanted another holiday away from the brats, so they picked a name from a hat, and it happened to be his. Boom, he gets a day named after him and a week dedicated to his 'adventure'.

 

[Rush Limborg]

...

"One of those books"....

...

 

[JiNX-01]

Since my definitions of hero and villain don't include tripping over a land mass by accident, I would say he was just another boss who took credit for a "discovery" made by a barefoot peasant in a crow's nest.

 

[sidious618]

Christopher Columbus was a hero. But that was another life!

 

[Rett Mikhal]

...

"One of those books"....

...

Here you go, my good chum:

http://books.google.com/books?id=nX...&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Now, I'm not saying I believe every word of this just because it proves my second grade teacher (who was a witch in human form) was wrong. There's always two sides to every story. I don't believe Columbus to be 'genocidal' since that usually means you hate a race so much you make it your life to eliminate them. I do, however, find him to be a moron with a plan so monumentally stupid that it just blows my mind we celebrate him to this day.

Think about it. What would have happened if America wasn't there? Everyone on those three ships would have died halfway to Asia. Sailing that way to Asia, he'd have to assume the world is half the size or LESS for that to make any kind of sense. Plus there's the fact you're no where near anything or anyone so you better sacrifice something to Poseidon for a safe journey.

So, I hate stupid people and I really hate stupid people who succeed. Though technically Columbus was exiled for his crimes and stripped of his rank and died penniless as that crazy old guy no one listened to... but why all the historical love? I just don't get it.

Christopher Columbus was a hero. But that was another life!

That's probably the best post so far.

 

[sidious618]

I try, man, I try.

 

[darkshadow0001]

Columbus was the first non-native American whose discovery opened up the America's to colonization by foreign powers and interests, the civilizations of the Americas were ill equipped (being somewhere about Ancient Egypt or below in social and technological level) to resist...

All the others that discovered America weren't able to colonize and keep their settlements (if any).

Well if you technically look at it The Vikings were also non-native Americans and at one point the Native-Americans were also non-native Americans. Didn't they cross over some straight to get here?

Just because they couldn't colonize doesn't mean they should receive credit. Also if it wasn't for the Native-Americans I don't think Columbus would of been able to colonize, either...

 

[gturner]

It's that Columbus voyages resulted in everyone's knowledge that the Atlantic could be crossed entirely, that it had a Western shore. The Norse sagas mentioned finding some land even further west than Greenland, but in no way did this directly imply that the Atlantic Ocean ended there, as their find was easily dismissed as some far-flung island.

So far as we know, the people who crossed the Bering land bridge didn't bother to let anyone know where they were, as it predated mapping.

But the honor of the name of the two new continents didn't go to Columbus, because he was lost and never figured out what he'd found.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

He does NOT deserve any of the blame for what Cortez or anyone else did. He was responsable for HIS discoveries, HIS actions--no more, no less.

OK, then I'll judge him for his Governorship of Hipsanola. He was arrested by the crown for his actions here.

Let's not forget that one of the first things he mentioned in his report about the Indians was that they would make good slaves. The Spanish followed his position and proceeded to wipe out all native life on many Spanish islands (which necessitated replacing them with imported labor, either from the mainland or Africa). Columbus can be judged harshly even without bringing in those who followed him directly.

That being said, his importance is hard to underestimate. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him. Now the fact that he owes everything to being bad at math and convincing some gullible Spaniards that he was right is an entirely different issue. Also, don't bring the Norse into this. It's really apples to oranges. Columbus did bring about European colonization. Vinland was a temporary colony that was supplied from a half-starved colony in Greenland.

 

[Brandonv]

Christopher Columbus was a hero. But that was another life!

That's probably the best post so far.

Agreed, I actually laughed out loud.

I had this image in my head of Nero in a fist fight with Christopher Columbus.

 

[scotpens]

. . . When you think about it, the logic of his 'discovering' the Earth is round makes no sense. By 1492, naval navigation was pretty established as a science. Do you honestly believe that navigation system would have worked when picturing the Earth as flat?

The notion that Columbus believed the Earth to be round at a time when nearly everyone (including the King and Queen of Spain) though it was flat is one of those enduring myths. In fact, of course, the true shape of the Earth had been known ever since Eratosthenes calculated the Earth's circumference (with surprising accuracy) in the second century BC. In Columbus’ day, educated and literate people -- who would certainly have included royalty -- knew the Earth was a sphere. But the educated and the literate were a distinct minority.

Where Columbus erred was in underestimating the size of the Earth, a bit of information that had apparently been lost or misplaced sometime during the Middle Ages.

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Indeed, as I said before his plan might have worked if not for those meddling kids...

I mean if not for the fact he misjudged the size of the Earth by about half...

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, the Portuguese court had the correct size of the earth, so they told him they wouldn't fund his trip, since the ships would just run out food before he reached India.

 

[bigdaddy]

He was a dumbass who didn't even know where the fuck he was.

Also the Vikings were on North America in 800s, so CC discovered jack shit and we shouldn't have a holiday for his stupidity.

 

[SeerSGB]

He was a dumbass who didn't even know where the fuck he was.

Also the Vikings were on North America in 800s, so CC discovered jack shit and we shouldn't have a holiday for his stupidity.

I said something similar back in my 8th-grade World History class-- early 90s...got my ass hauled to the principal office for being "disruptive"

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Christopher Columbus was a hero. But that was another life!

That's probably the best post so far.

Agreed, I actually laughed out loud.

I had this image in my head of Nero in a fist fight with Christopher Columbus.

Hello, Christopher. I'm Nero...

 

[bigdaddy]

He was a dumbass who didn't even know where the fuck he was.

Also the Vikings were on North America in 800s, so CC discovered jack shit and we shouldn't have a holiday for his stupidity.

I said something similar back in my 8th-grade World History class-- early 90s...got my ass hauled to the principal office for being "disruptive"

Wow... they were still teaching you CC bullshit in 8th grade? That's sad.

I would never have my children go to a public school system in the USA, just complete and utter shit. You say the truth as you see it and they hell at you because the correct answer is one the state test says is correct.

 

[ichab]

He was nothing. The native americans had been here for a long time before he came so he didn't "discover" anything. We have plenty of more worthy people in our history to celebrate.

 

[STR]

we shouldn't have a holiday for his stupidity.

Whoa now, I'm not going to condemn your opinion of Columbus, but there is NEVER a bad reason for a holiday. I'm still pissed they combined Washington's and Lincoln's birthday into President's day. Nobody wants to celebrate Rutherford B Hayes, keep it the way it was.