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.
A small colony was established in Hispaniola (modern day Haiti and The Dominican Republic) consisting of thirty-nine of his crew, the rest returned to Spain with Columbus along with gold, spices and natives taken as slaves to be given as gifts for his royal patrons. The following year, he led a second expedition comprising of seventeen large ships and one and half thousand new colonists, arriving in the Americas a month later. By the time he got back to Hispaniola, his men there had been slaughtered by the locals and a second colony was founded. Columbus punished the local tribe, known as the Taino, severely. He enslaved many and executed many more; according to Ward Churchill, former professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado, by 1496, the population had been reduced from as many as eight million to around three million.
Before enrolling in American Indian Studies 475 I had known that Columbus had not discovered America. I knew that he had landed in what he thought was India and named the local people Indians. What I did not know was where he had actually landed and the destruction he had caused to the local people. Although at first, the deaths were accidental due to lack of immunity to the disease brought by Columbus and his men, the trip slowly turned into one that resulted in essentially the extinction of what Columbus called the Arawak peoples. I think what drew me most to this topic, was the lack of knowledge we have about who Christopher Columbus was, and the atrocities he committed.
Bacon’s Rebellion and Metacom’s War also known as King Philip’s War were two of these conflicts that greatly hurt the relationship between these two peoples. During Metacom’s War multiple towns in the colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts bay, Rhode Island, and Connecticut were attacked. These attacks left thirteen town completely destroyed and pushed the colonist back toward the east coast. This battle which started in 1675 lasted just about fourteen months and ended in 1676. During Bacon’s Rebellion, we can see where the colonist retaliated against the Native Americans despite the wishes of their
Barbary Pirates and American Captives In 1804 American ships set out of Maryland headed to a Spanish port. On their way the encountered a ship full of Barbary pirates, a North African Muslim based crew. The Pirates jumped over and boarded the American shipped with weapons, forcing the Americans to strip to shirts and draws. By the end of the year the Pirates had taken over more than ten ships and vessels. The pirates enslaved and killed the crews.
This is the start of a new world, but it is also a start for a series of genocides and tragic! Many people may think that Columbus is a hero, however, I my opinion, I think Christopher Columbus is not a hero but a villain. It is widely accepted that Christopher Columbus “discovered” America, however, during 1492, millions of Native Americans already live on that giant lands. If America had been discovered by Columbus, how is that possible that there are people living on it? Moreover, it is also widely accepted that Columbus is the “first” one discover the New World.
How it affected their people and some of the surrounding people and justification by the Spanish for war against the Aztecs. Secondly, what the Aztecs believed to be the return of the god Quetzalcoatl, the Spanish conquistador, Cortes and his Spanish army. Disease played a huge part in the fall. Small pox brought upon the Spanish spread quickly to the people and no cure for the disease was known therefore leading to many deaths. Lastly, the skillful tactics used by Hernan Cortes that leads to the surrender of the last Aztec emperor.
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?
The Incas had resisted the Spanish for forty-five years. To see if the Incas had the riches the Spanish believed they had, Spaniards captured the Sapa Inca and asked for a ransom of gold and silver. Many Incas had tried to flee their homes but either they got very sick or got caught. Some escaped but were never seen again. When the soldiers were fighting the Incas, they wore armor called escapuil.
For example, during the French and Indian War, British commander and chief Jeffery Amherst suggested using smallpox to wipe out the Native Americans (D'Errico, 2010). When these new disease were introduced, the shaman or medicine men were baffled and unable to heal the ailments. As a result of the natives’ shaman being unable to cure their people of these diseases, the natives began not to believe in their healing powers. However, many of the indigenous that did not fall to disease, were captured for slavery. Many people believe that slavery of the Native Americans was a result of the Europeans colonizing the New World, but it was not.