Columbus' Description of the Discovery of America 1492 Essay

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Columbus's Description of the Discovery of America (1492)

When Christopher Columbus embarked upon his famous voyage of 1492, he was in search of a faster route to India and China, and instead became one of the first European explorers to have an encounter with the native peoples of the Americas. Columbus regarded these individuals as innately inferior both because of their pagan status and because of what to him seemed like primitive behaviors. Columbus characterized his relations with them in virtuous terms in his first account of his voyage entitled Description of the Discovery of America: "In order to win the friendship and affection of that people, and because I am convinced that their conversion to our Holy Faith would be better promoted through love than through force; I presented some of them with red caps and some strings of glass beads which they placed around their necks, and with other trifles of insignificant worth that delighted them and by which we have got a wonderful hold on their affections."

This description, of course, ignores the fact that Columbus embarked upon his trip for wealth-related reasons. Spices and silks were prestigious commodities during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. So was gold. Columbus' account is no doubt influenced by the fact that he was on a voyage in search of these items for the famously Christian king and queen. Subjugation of so-called primitive people was seen as excusable, so long as it was done with the intention of bringing the Gospel to them. If the natives' souls were saved as a result of European imperialism, then the actions of colonization were seen as justified.

It should be noted that Columbus does not describe the natives as fearsome or terrifying in their appearance.

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Rather, he actually praises their beauty and their stature. "I saw but one very young girl, all the rest being very young men, none of them being over thirty years of age; their forms being very well proportioned; their bodies graceful and their features handsome." He notes their general timidity, in a manner which clearly suggests that he regards them as an inferior people. The generosity which they showed to him and the supposed reverence with they regarded Columbus and the seemingly godlike power of the Europeans confirmed Columbus' belief in his right to rule over the inhabitants of the island. Although he may not feel disgust at their nakedness and painted faces, it clearly sets them apart from what he considers the correct way to live and to organize a civilization.

Rather than fear or dislike, Columbus seems to take a paternalistic attitude towards the inhabitants. The delight with which the native population is shown venerating trinkets further underlines their childlike, primitive qualities. It suggests that just as they are fascinated with beads and red caps, they are similarly fascinated with false idols and, by implication they cannot fully appreciate the wealth of the land which they occupy. Because the natives cannot truly 'use' the bounty of the land, then Europeans such as Columbus are therefore legitimate in their use of it. Columbus anticipates the potential riches he will acquire as part of his conquest of the land, and the natives are seen as incidental to that mission. They are contented with glass beads and red caps, while he seeks gold. The….....

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