Christopher Columbus: Hero or villian?

[Derika]

This question has been a major one, especially recently. Christopher Columbus was an influential person in the 1490's, and he paved the way for European colonization of the New World. However, he also spread the already growing African slave trade here, and treated natives harshly. This question has been asked... alot, by many of my old teachers and even my dad. (That doesnt matter, just trying to add more words to it, kinda busy rn, probably gonna add on to this soon)

But what do you think NS? Was Columbus an innovator and renowned explorer? Or was he an evil tyrant only looking for God and Glory?

[Sundiata]

Villain.

He bought and sold children, tortured people, and treated indigenous people with the utmost cruelty.

[Sanghyeok]

He wasn't the best person. But to blame all of colonization on him alone is also without evidence. Those who are really responsible are those funding his and future voyages, those in the trading companies seeking profit, and national leaders who supported colonization and slavery.

[Latvijas Otra Republika]

Neither, a man.

[Wink Wonk We Like Stonks]

he didn't do anything heroic
just slavery and "discovering" a place that people already lived in
and colonization wasn't good for the people who already lived there

villain

[The Reformed American Republic]

Vikings got to America first, people knew the earth was round back then, Columbus didn't land on the American mainland, he cheated a crew member out of money, enslaved and genocided the natives.

Villian.

[Jabberwocky]

He committed genocide by entirely wiping out the Arawak tribe. Hence, villain.

[Wink Wonk We Like Stonks]

he didn't do anything heroic
just slavery and "discovering" a place that people already lived in
and colonization wasn't good for the people who already lived there

villain

they would have colonized it eventually anyways, so he did even really cause that

[Rothella]

Wasn't necessarily a hero, but definitely wasn't a villain.

[Liriena]

Definitely an overrated murderous asshole.

If people want to glorify and revere someone for discovering the Americas, the guy who actually deserves that honour is Amerigo Vespucci.

[Sanghyeok]

he didn't do anything heroic
just slavery and "discovering" a place that people already lived in
and colonization wasn't good for the people who already lived there

villain

they would have colonized it eventually anyways, so he did even really cause that

That's why I believe the real villains are the company shareholders and national leaders.

[Outer Acharet]

Definitely an overrated murderous asshole.

If people want to glorify and revere someone for discovering the Americas, the guy who actually deserves that honour is Amerigo Vespucci.

The Americas are literally named after him, that's a pretty significant glorification

[Rothella]

he didn't do anything heroic
just slavery and "discovering" a place that people already lived in
and colonization wasn't good for the people who already lived there

villain

Never enslaved anyone. In fact, he was against the enslavement of women for sex (I don't know about hte institution of slavery itself tho) he cut off the hands and noses of Spanish sex traffickers who were selling INdigenous woman as young as 9 (maybe 12, but still bad). Now granted they deserved that, but it was unjust because there was no due process of law. Just, "Oh, you're a sex trafficker? Got your nose!"

[Outer Acharet]

he didn't do anything heroic
just slavery and "discovering" a place that people already lived in
and colonization wasn't good for the people who already lived there

villain

Never enslaved anyone. In fact, he was against the enslavement of women for sex (I don't know about hte institution of slavery itself tho) he cut off the hands and noses of Spanish sex traffickers who were selling INdigenous woman as young as 9 (maybe 12, but still bad). Now granted they deserved that, but it was unjust because there was no due process of law. Just, "Oh, you're a sex trafficker? Got your nose!"

Read and be amazed.
Note it's possible these accusations were exaggerated by his opponents, but there's no denying they happened to some extent.

[Valrifell]

Heroes and villains don't exist. Columbus has a complicated legacy that is, tragically, marred with slavery and genocide. Some of it intentional, some of it not.

He definitely should not be put up on this pedestal that several folks have him on as the "first to discover the Americas" and should probably be celebrated less overall, considering his eponymous holiday is a celebration of colonialism which isn't very good.

[Great Mann]

I do not believe Columbus deserves an inkling of respect and should be universally looked down upon as a lesser human being, or at least a fucking cuntbag. I despise his memory.

[Valrifell]

Definitely an overrated murderous asshole.

If people want to glorify and revere someone for discovering the Americas, the guy who actually deserves that honour is Amerigo Vespucci.

In the sense that he was the first to notice that the New World was a separate landmass and wasn't India or Asia. But Columbus was undeniably one of the first Europeans to set foot on the continents for hundreds of years and is why Vespucci was able to come to such a conclusion in the first place.

[Theberstan]

I think he’s a hero. He gave courage to European immigrants coming to America.

[The Gold Mines]

Heroes and villains don't exist. Columbus has a complicated legacy that is, tragically, marred with slavery and genocide. Some of it intentional, some of it not.

He definitely should not be put up on this pedestal that several folks have him on as the "first to discover the Americas" and should probably be celebrated less overall, considering his eponymous holiday is a celebration of colonialism which isn't very good.

He didn’t even really discover the America’s, he discovers the Caribbean. Why do we have a day named after him again?

[The Black Forrest]

He committed genocide by entirely wiping out the Arawak tribe. Hence, villain.

Columbus didn’t wipe out the Arawak. They still exist. Their departure from the Caribbean islands took about 100 years.

http://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/sl ... europeans/

[VlaRiSsiA]

Enslaving and brutalizing an Island until 99.9% of its population dies from torture, murder, enslavement, starvation, suicide or disease seems pretty villainous. And then he opened the door to colonialism, which was directly responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths(more people were killed in the British raj alone than were killed by Hitler, Stalin and Mao combined)

[Valrifell]

Heroes and villains don't exist. Columbus has a complicated legacy that is, tragically, marred with slavery and genocide. Some of it intentional, some of it not.

He definitely should not be put up on this pedestal that several folks have him on as the "first to discover the Americas" and should probably be celebrated less overall, considering his eponymous holiday is a celebration of colonialism which isn't very good.

He didn’t even really discover the America’s, he discovers the Caribbean. Why do we have a day named after him again?

Because for a long time white Americans thought that having a holiday that glorifies colonialism was cool.

[The Gold Mines]

He didn’t even really discover the America’s, he discovers the Caribbean. Why do we have a day named after him again?

Because for a long time white Americans thought that having a holiday that glorifies colonialism was cool.

I guess they want everyone to believe the lie that columbus discovers America, even though he didn’t

[Heloin]

he didn't do anything heroic
just slavery and "discovering" a place that people already lived in
and colonization wasn't good for the people who already lived there

villain

Never enslaved anyone. In fact, he was against the enslavement of women for sex (I don't know about hte institution of slavery itself tho) he cut off the hands and noses of Spanish sex traffickers who were selling INdigenous woman as young as 9 (maybe 12, but still bad). Now granted they deserved that, but it was unjust because there was no due process of law. Just, "Oh, you're a sex trafficker? Got your nose!"

He embraced and promoted the enslavement of the Taíno people and would begin the process of their near complete extermination. His horrific policies in Hispaniola where part of the reasons he was recalled to Spain.

[Greed and Death]

Neither. Much of what he is blamed for is actually written about his successors and not him specifically.

Now is it worth having a holiday for him ? I would say yes. It was a world changing even that ultimate doubled the carrying capacity of the earth.

On a side note Indian likely refers to a shortened form of Los Ninos de la Indios rather than being from India. India was referred to as Hindustan at the time and India didn't come to prominence until the 16th century.