As it is stated in “Christopher Columbus and the New World” when he first arrived in America he claimed the land immediately for Spain, then took seven Natives Prisoner in hopes they would lead him to there leader, as well as too all the gold there. Christopher realizing that the Indians were equipped with barely any weapons, and little knowledge of the other “world.” He immediately took advantage of the situation, scaring the Natives into submission by firing rounds from his cannon. He did this even after the chief of the Indian tribe he scared had assisted him in building the entire fort he then shot from. Once he got authority and respect from the Indians he practically forced the Indians into discovering and searching for gold, in his own benefit. Christopher soon returned back to England with the news of his great success to the royal family.
The Spanish Inquisition occurred at this time as well, in which people that didn’t convert to Catholicism were tortured and killed or put into slavery. This is the world that Columbus and his men lived and worked in. Columbus was an Italian explorer and ex-slave trader that had a hard time convincing someone to finance his voyage. He finally convinced the king and queen of Spain to commission him Admiral of the Ocean Sea and to provide money, men, and ships for his voyage. In this deal he would sail under the flag of Spain and would receive a share of the profits secured from whatever lands he reached in Asia.
Initially, small tribes greeted them and bestowed them with gifts, and Cortes even acquired a translator named Malinche who would play a crucial role in the downfall of her own people. As the Spaniards moved further inland towards the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, they encountered larger groups of Indians, but there was little to no resistance. The question has often been discussed of why the Aztecs did not attack the Spaniards at this point. Cortes and his men were an obvious threat, and the Aztecs could have easily raised an army that would have far outnumbered Cortes’ 500 soldiers. The answer is that the
The Truth About Christopher Columbus Millions of people around the world celebrate Columbus Day every October 12. The tale of Christopher Columbus, the legendary Genoese explorer and navigator, has been retold and rewritten many times. To some, he was an intrepid explorer, following his instincts to a New World. To others, he was a monster, a slave trader who unleashed the horrors of the conquest on unsuspecting natives. What are the facts about Christopher Columbus?
In a time of discovery following Columbus's findings of the New World it is no surprise men like Las Casas would have wanted to take part in some exploration as well. One of the biggest discoveries first for Columbus and then for Las Casas was the Indians. Las Casas first refers to them in his writings History of the Indies. Las Casas, "went about his concerns like the others, sending his share of Indians to work fields, and gold mines, taking advantage of them as much as he could" (Las Casas 35-36). With a personal belief in Christian ideas Las Casas later began to feel guilt for his sin to the Indians and did his best to stop the slave system of future Indians.
Many people believe that slavery of the Native Americans was a result of the Europeans colonizing the New World, but it was not. The indigenous people, long before the settlers arrived were enslaving each other. However, the native people did not exploit slavery on a large scale. Instead, they used the captured slaves to replenish their tribe’s fallen warriors or to replace people who have died of disease. When the Europeans arrived to inhabit America, Native American the slave trade changed significantly.
In the 1500s, the Spanish arrived in the New World with the intent to convert natives to Catholicism, trade, and discover riches. Juan de Onate, one of these explorers, killed thousands of natives in order to gain fame and wealth. The Spanish and Indians also developed the Columbian Exchange; a trade of goods, livestock, and crops, which was beneficial to both sides as it brought new items to both groups. Most of the products that the Spanish gave to the natives brought diseases that the Indians had no immunity to. Cortez even intentionally gave out
The Spanish didn’t really have any challenge taking over; the Musica attempted to resistance the Spanish and get their territories back. The Spaniards killed all of the tribe’s sovereigns. When the Musica structure vanished Spanish colonial came in to play. The conquistadors explored and began to settle the coastal areas to supply there ships for the conquest of the Latin
1 Some estimates claim 20,000 human sacrifices a year. The loss of human life would not only weaken the Aztec empire but brought hatred upon the people of the powerful city of Tlaxcala. Many of their own people had been sacrificed, and at the end, the people of Tlaxcala joined forces with the Spanish army to fight the Aztecs. 2 Aztec authority, Henry Nicholson said that among the Aztecs, “human sacrifice was practiced on a scale not even approached by any other ritual system in the history of the world”. Spanish sources report that over 80,000 victims were sacrificed at the dedication of the Great Temple in 1487.
| | | | | Many people are surprised to learn that Christopher Columbus and his men enslaved native inhabitants of the West Indies, forced them to convert to Christianity, and subdued them with violence in an effort to seek riches. For readers who are skeptical or wish to learn more, this page contains information that can be confirmed by consulting the sources cited. After reading this page, please also see Examining the Reputation of Columbus. In Pursuit of ProfitsOn April 17, 1492, before his first voyage to the Americas, Columbus negotiated a business contract with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, entitling him to 10% of all profits. In this contract, the Spanish sovereigns agreed: "that of all and every kind of merchandise, whether pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise whatsoever, of whatever kind, name and sort, which may be bought, bartered, discovered, acquired and obtained within the limits of the said Admiralty, Your Highnesses grant from now henceforth to the said Don Cristóbal [Christopher Columbus] ... the tenth part of the whole, after deducting all the expenses which may be incurred therein."