Skip to main content

What is the true story of Christopher Columbus compared to the legend?

The legend of Christopher Columbus is that he believed, against everyone else in the world at the time, that the Earth was round.  He therefore believed that he could sail to Asia from Europe by going west.  He bravely set sail into the unknown and thereby discovered the New World.  For this reason, he is a hero of world history.


As to what is true, there is a great deal of controversy today and different...

The legend of Christopher Columbus is that he believed, against everyone else in the world at the time, that the Earth was round.  He therefore believed that he could sail to Asia from Europe by going west.  He bravely set sail into the unknown and thereby discovered the New World.  For this reason, he is a hero of world history.


As to what is true, there is a great deal of controversy today and different people will give you different versions of the truth about Columbus.  My own view is that Columbus was a brave man, but not necessarily a hero.  First, it is clearly not true that Columbus defied conventional wisdom to hold that the world was round.  This was a fact known by all educated Europeans.  What Columbus believed that was different was that the world was much smaller than it is.  He thought that it was a very short distance (relatively speaking) from Europe to the eastern shores of Asia.  He believed that he could easily reach Asia by sailing to the west.  He was clearly wrong about this.


Columbus did “discover” the New World for all practical purposes.  It is true that the Vikings got there before he did, but they did not stay and they did not pass down their discovery.  It is true that the Americas were populated and their people did not need to be discovered, but Columbus “discovered” them from a European perspective.  He was, therefore, clearly a man who made history.


Is Columbus a hero?  I would say not.  He was brave and ambitious.  He managed something that no one had done before.  However, bravery and ambition do not make heroes.  There are plenty of people who are brave, ambitious, and evil.  Moreover, Columbus did not even realize what he had done.  He died insisting that he had found Asia.  In short, he was a man who had a fortunate accident while bravely chasing his ambitions.  This does not, in my mind, make him the hero that legend says he is.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with... Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him.  Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law.  “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till ...
Post a Comment
Read more