Viewing Christopher Columbus As A Society

After recently learning that Christopher Columbus contributed to the significant mass genocide of Native Americans and that he spread numerous diseases that were rampant throughout the Americas, I was alarmed and intrigued as to how our society views him. Since I was very young, I was always taught that Columbus was a very brave and intelligent man who discovered the Americas by "sailing the ocean blue." This is why we celebrate his accomplishments on Columbus Day. Obviously the information that I received as a child was not entirely complete! Despite the fact that it is very disturbing to believe that Columbus was actually the explorer who brought with him disease and destruction to Native Americans, I still believe that he had the best intentions of delivering positive economic development to the Americas. He had no idea that there would be humans native to the land he ‘discovered’, or conceive that the immune systems of the natives would be unable to defend against the viral infections brought by the Europeans. His intentions, as well as those of his fellow voyagers’, were not to kill but to explore and to conquer new uninhabited territory. Despite the fact that Columbus was not the first individual to discover the Americas, without the courage and guidance of Columbus and his inaccurate navigation skills, the Americas wouldn't have been developed and established as early as they were. Without his vision, part of North America might not have formed into the thirteen colonies and evolved into our present- day democracy. Columbus who was a very driven and valiant man, was bright, diligent, adventurous, and determined to take a stand for his country--to go on a quest to find the remaining frontier of Asia for the good of his countrymen. Instead, he successfully exposed a new frontier of the Earth to the people of the world and was able to introduce the Western Hemisphere to new future explorers and developers. His ‘discovery’ led to significant economic opportunities and expansion in the Americas with positive economic impact to Europe and their means of trade. This improved the social and economic conditions of Europe. Despite Columbus unintentionally bringing disease to the Americas, his life should be celebrated for the legacy of enormous contributions to the expansion, development, and abundance that we enjoy today.