The Columbus Dilemma
Who do we celebrate?
The Christopher Columbus debate of today might be as hotly contested as the arguments prior to his voyage in 1492. What insurrection will occur if we denigrate him as the genocidal, bloodthirsty maniac he truly was instead of the bold explorer from our propagandized high school textbooks? Columbus was always a controversial figure.
The debate of a breakthrough passage to Asia and who would pay started well before the ships left port in August 1492. The earliest history of this might be in 1484 — at least eight years prior. Passage and financing of this expedition were never a certainty. What is known for sure is that upon the publishing of his exploits and discoveries in 1493, he became a phenomenon. His first voyage left with roughly 100 seamen. His second voyage departed with over 1,000 — including horses and domestic work animals. The second voyage of Columbus bears the purpose of colonization. Columbus made four expeditions to the new world.
The portrayal of this explorer from our brief teachings is of a brave hero and conqueror. The truth is that the Spanish sent out a pious moron who, until the day he died, believed he had found Asia. His erroneous beliefs continued despite the vast documentation of innumerable sailings to India and other parts of Asia for centuries. There were no reports of Asian people who looked…
