How does Christopher Columbus potray himself in his account? How does John Smith portray himself? What are the similarities between them?
How do both men view the local Indians?
What, if any, are the differences between the confirmed historical record and these autobiographical descriptions?
Diego Rivera "Pan-American Unity"
Feb 9, 2012
Discussion Questions - 2/9/2012
For the writings of Christopher Columbus and John Smith.
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1. Columbus was portrayed as a very important figure in the reading. Most of the times when he was mentioned, he was referred to as "Admiral." I also think Columbus was portrayed as sincere and respectful like when he gave orders that nothing should be touched when they landed.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Columbus was portrayed himself as a very important individual. On his journal he mentioned that the natives in the Dominican Republic for example, viewed him as if he and the other Spaniards, "have come from heaven" (115).
DeleteI think it is very important to remember, that contrary to what we were taught in middle school and high school, the historical facts just don't "add up." As young students in the United States, we are told the simple and attractive side to "America's" story. Personally, I do take a specific side to the Columbus and Native American tale. Being of Taino decent, I was raised with the knowledge that Spain was a major factor in the diminishing of my ancestors. Therefore, I strongly feel the true story of the development of America should be further studied in high school. We shouldn't have to wait until we reach our years of higher education to know the reality of the country in which we live.
ReplyDelete@Daniel -- The historical record shows that there is a pretty sharp divide between the popular perception of Columbus as an explorer and discoverer of the New World, the conscientious and inquisitive man portrayed in his reports to Spain, and the reality.
ReplyDeleteIt is entirely possible that Columbus thought he was being considerate of the indigenous people he encountered. It is entirely possible that he made an effort. But I think that certain social expectations were too deeply ingrained -- Columbus, like John Smith, the Jesuits of Jamestown and others, could not conceive of the local Indians as human beings akin to themselves. They thought of them as different races not even in our modern conception of race, but as a genuinely different, inferior kind of human being. Columbus showing regard to them was thus no true sign of the kind of human respect we might today term political correctness -- It was, instead, functionally the same as being nice to a toddler. You might be nice to a toddler, but you wouldn't let him make decisions for himself, believing that you knew what was better for said toddler than he did. The European conception of the Indians was functionally the same.
I agree with M.Marie. In no uncertain terms, he committed genocide. A genocide that was, as I said in class on the day I presented, more thorough in terms of proportion than the Holocaust. In this case, actions speak louder than words and there is some merit to unraveling the consensus narrative surrounding Columbus and recognizing that he was responsible for serious crimes against humanity.
I agree that the genocide that the European settlers committed should not be glossed over when teaching American history to students. While it is a sensitive subject because Christopher Columbus is often glorified and revered when teaching children the history of the Age of Exploration, completely censoring the slaughter of an entire population does the indigenous people of the Americas a disservice. Students are taught about the Holocaust of World War II at much earlier age than they are taught about the genocide of Native Americans, but this should not be the case.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, these autobiographical accounts should not be taken at face value. Like many writers, Columbus and John Smith craft tales in which they are the heroes of the narratives. Few people would actually want to write about how morally repugnant they are and what a terrible thing it is to be committing mass murders; instead, they depict themselves as warriors fighting for God, king, and country. This fact makes the journal entries we've read somewhat unreliable as historical records.
The historical record shows that the world was spherical and that both the Eastern and Western hemisphere was similar in roundness. However Columbus describes the earth as in the shape of a pear. The Eastern hemisphere remains its roundness and the Western hemisphere is pointed outward to the left on the equator.
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