does anyone think that Columbus is a idiot?? I mean he couldn't tell east from west since India is east of Spain and he called the Native Americans "Indians" and people still call them that, and it pisses me of b/c it is an insult to my people.
2007-11-28 10:11:38 · 8 answers · asked by SeanSutanto540987 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Columbus was indeed seeking a westerly route to India, and he called the indigenous people "Indians" because he honestly thought that he had reached the islands off the coast of India. He had seriously miscalculated the distance between Spain and India by means of a westerly route--he had no idea that such a way would be much, much longer than the one in use by the Portuguese, going around the Cape of Good Hope. Had he been successful, he wouldn't have reached it in a matter of three or four months, because he would have first had to sail around Cape Horn, then sailed across the Pacific (a whole lot bigger than the Atlantic). This is, of course, barring anything such as storms, mutiny, etc.--we're looking at a voyage of a year or two, not a few months.
Oh, and just FYI, Columbus was NOT trying to prove the earth was round--most educated people of the time knew this already.
2007-11-28 10:36:44 · answer #1 · answered by Chrispy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no i dont think he was an idiot....plus since the world is round india can be west or east from spain....well no one knew at the time that there was another continent other than Africa, Europe, And Asia....and his intensions were to travel to India (remember nobody in europe had even a clue what indians from india looked like or the geography of the place) but on the way he found America instead (remember he thought that he founded india) so he called them Indians after the name of there land.......for a long time people didnt know what the new land would be called or what to name the natives......so they grew up calling them Indians instead of Native Americans.......
2007-11-28 18:32:06 · answer #2 · answered by Mason W 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, he sailed West. He did not find India because he sailed the wrong way and miscalculated the distance. As well as the physical blocks in the way...He did land in American Hemisphere. He did name your people wrong...I think it was inventiable. Deliberate or not as ship technology and fire arms improved some European was going to sail here with the same result. So was Columbus an idiot? No, he was pretty smart actually. He just happened to be first that lasted. So he got all the crash from Spain in his own time. No cheap fast riches in the islands. And from ours he has got the rep of starting Genocide in the West. Basically he was a creature of his time and should be viewed as such.....
2007-11-28 18:30:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It wasn't really his fault because no one knew anything about Indians in their time or that America even existed. The communication and transportation in his time was terrible and information didn't get around very fast, plus people were over come with a great many superstitions still. And he did know India was East but he was trying to prove the earth was round and that going west would just end up like going east. Of course he found America by accident.
2007-11-28 18:22:05 · answer #4 · answered by buckykatt31 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
He wasn't an idiot. But he was ignorant of some things. He had probably not seen many people from India, and since Native Americans looked similar enough to him, along with the fact that he was trying to find India, it was convenient for him to assume that he had succeeded in his mission.
But it's amazing to me that the "indian" name stuck to Native Americans for so long, even to this day! But that wasn't Columbus' fault, as there were plenty of other people who came after him and could have easily corrected this error anytime they wished.
As far as India being east or west, wasn't that the point of his travels? To find a shorter route than the one already being used? So, of course it would be in the opposite direction, especially if he believed the earth to be round!
2007-11-28 18:18:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
He was trying to find a route to the East Indies, not India, by a westward passage.
He didn't expect to find the Americas in the way.
I don't know the origins of native American being called Indians.
I was under the belief Indians was now considered PC incorrect when referring to native Americans.
2007-11-28 18:27:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Columbus was smarter than you think. He may have not known it initially, but he knew before he died that he had reached a new continent. This is evidenced by his coat of arms at the link below. He also 'miscalculated' the distance on purpose to secure himself more trips since only he would know how far to get to the Americas.
2007-11-28 19:18:13 · answer #7 · answered by IamCount 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think he was an idiot, he just didn't know any better. However I do think that he was cruel and horrible and its a disgrace that he has his own holiday.
2007-11-28 20:43:34 · answer #8 · answered by jamisonshuck 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋