Essay on The Debate about Honoring Christopher Columbus

Thru history studies in grade school and secondary school students are taught of the great explorer who discovered America, Christopher Columbus. Tales of his many voyages and the names of his ships the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria are engrained into the minds of children through rhyme and song. For many years the history written in text books have been regard as fact however information provided by Howard Zinn excerpt has shed new light on the shadowy past of Christopher Columbus. In recent history, Christopher Columbus has been regarded as a great explorer renowned for his numerous discoveries. For instance a holiday is celebrated; the second week of October, in honor of the day Christopher Columbus discovered America. The holiday is†¦show more content†¦Previously, the voyages of the Spainards have been described as explorations to prove the world was round. When the Spaniards discovered the Bahamas they encounter the primitive Arawak people. Christopher Columbus recognize the indigenous people were naà ¯ve and easily controllable. Men were forced to work in inhumane and treacherous conditions while they labored for months in the mines. It became evident the Spaniards were in search of gold but only trace amounts could be found in the region. Christopher Columbus began to enslave the indigenous people and shipped many out to be sold as slaves in Spain. The Arawak people tried to defend themselves only to endure greater torture at the hands of the Spaniards. The impact on the people in the region is great. In Howard Zinn excerpt he states â€Å"In two years, through murder, mutilation, or suicide, half of the 250,000 Indians on Haiti were dead â€Å". The Spaniards pushed the Arawark and other tribes to near extinction driving down population to below two thousand in some areas. Howard Zinn provides a chilling account of the hardships the Arawak people faced when he presents passages from Bartolome de las Casas’ book History of the Indies. As young priest, Bartolome de las Casas, took part in the conquering of Cuba and describe the events he witnessed. The heinous acts inflected by the Spaniards included killings, mangling, and the brutalization of the indigenous people. The harsh treatment of men,Show MoreRelatedLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesUniversity of Colorado at Denver; Dean J. Nelson, Dutchess Community College; James E. Parejko, Chicago State University; Robert Sessions, Kirkwood Community College; and Stephanie Tucker, California State University Sacramento. Thinking and writing about logical reasoning has been enjoyable for me, but special thanks go to my children, Joshua, 8, and Justine, 3, for comic relief during the months of writing. This book is dedicated to them. For the 2012 edition: This book is dedicated to my wifeRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 PagesUniversity Jeffrey A. Hoffer School of Business Administration, The University of Dayton E. Wainright Martin Kelley School of Business, Indiana University William C. Perkins Kelley School of Business, Indiana University Prentice Hall Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo Editorial Director: Sally Yagan Editor