2007-03-19 14:54:01 · 5 answers · asked by Peter 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
I don't care wether you agree with me or not. I have to do it for a school project. I am not saying that it is true or not.
2007-03-20 15:50:04 · update #1
You need to look for translations of source documents from the time of the "voyages of discovery" in the 1500's. They are just accounts of the events not filtered through our modern lens. Columbus was a pretty brave guy who unleashed some pretty crappy stuff on the Central and South American Indians. You have to remember that he was a man of his time and as such saw the world as his, just as the puritans saw the world as theirs and the Americans see the Moon as theirs. You plant your flag and stake your claim. History will always judge us by a standard other than the one by which we live.
2007-03-19 15:08:04 · answer #1 · answered by Duncan w ™ ® 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Given the general state of medical knowledge at the time, I think it is unfair to place the blame on Columbus for the spread of disease. There was certainly no malicious intent along those lines, anyway. There was simply no way anyone would have forseen that.
European explorers can, however, be blamed for utterly disregarding the sovereignty of the native people of the Americas. Columbus and his successors were immensely arrogant and saw nothing wrong with exploiting the New World however they saw fit.
2007-03-19 22:06:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately, history does not agree with you. The Europeans carried many diseases with them that America's aboriginal population had no immunity to. So to blame Columbus directly is wrong, but indirectly he did. He may or may not have been the first man to step foot on North American soil, but his steps had much more of an impact in global affairs, and led to several nations setting up colonies here and importing their food, culture - and disease. Many of these colonists were scared and/or ignorant of the native peoples, and therefore fought what they did not understand. However, the natives were not altogether innocent either, as many went on special raids to try to kill as many colonists as they could. It should be noted, however, that they saw these colonists as invaders on their land and were, in their eyes, acting in self defense.
2007-03-19 22:01:39 · answer #3 · answered by admtraz 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You could probably find it somewhere on the internet, I'm sure, but not from a reliable source, because it would be a lie.
2007-03-19 22:07:10 · answer #4 · answered by Sarah 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A third grade history book maybe?
Columbus was a bastard. Saying he "discovered" America is like a kid stealing a bike and saying, "I found a bike!"
2007-03-19 21:56:35 · answer #5 · answered by It's Me 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋