Through out all of history Christopher Columbus must be one of the most, if not the most, controversial people. Starting in their elementary school years students are being informed that Christopher Columbus is a hero to human kind. They are taught that Columbus is the sole discoverer of the Americas. Surely, it is acknowledged that disease was brought over to the Americas by Europeans, which killed millions of Native Americans but it is not linked with Columbus. Therefore, as elementary students progress into middle school they have this perfect image of Christopher Columbus as one of the greatest influences in history. It is first in high school that the opposite side is shown.
Depending on which point of view one takes on the matter, one may see Columbus as a hero or villain. From a 15th century Spaniards point of view or dedicated American, Columbus is often seen as a supreme hero. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue (Atlantic Ocean) to be the first to discover America. In actuality, he was not in America just yet. He landed on Watlings Island, which is located in the Bahamas. There is also debate that he may also have landed on a very similar island named Samana Cay which, shares several features with Watlings Island. In either circumstance, Taino or Arawak Indians already inhabited the island that Columbus and his men landed on.
Epilogue
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Christopher Columbus took the lives of over 500,000 friendly Native Americans. When he wanted to test the sharpness of his sword, he would cut off a innocent child's legs. I thought we were supposed to celebrate heroes, not cold-blooded killers.
