Christopher Columbus is seen by many people as the founder of the Americas. Over the years it has only been his story that has been seen and taught to many children around the United States. In Zin’s writing of "Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress" he depicts the harsh truth of what Columbus and his men were all about. A clear example is in the sketch of apparently the first interaction between the Native Americans and Columbus. This piece stuck out in my mind because when I observed this piece for the first time to me it looked as if Columbus and his men were swarming these native Americans offering them gifts. Then we had the discussion in class about the two views of Columbus, him as the founder of our country, while others are starting to see him as the cruel European who was so into pleasing the queen that he would destroy a civilization that was already established and strong.
In this piece from the University of Michigan the painting speaks volumes. It depicts how the Native Americans who had previously lived in the America’s have a civilization developed. This cartoon shows how Columbus and his men overwhelmed the Native Americans who were seeing Columbus and his men and were trying to offer them gifts as a form of welcoming new faces. Columbus saw the gold and wealth that the Native Americans were offering and thought of profit. The term a picture speaks a thousand words is best used for this. While some may see this as the first meeting, the knowledge that I obtained from class allows me to see what is truly happening in this picture.
The issue of Columbus is one that has many people divided. For me this drawing shows the way that Columbus took advantage and destroyed a culture that was previously established and may have been flourishing before the Columbus and his men came to destroy something that may have caused America to become a completely different place, than we are accustomed to today.
link to picture: http://www.umich.edu/news/Releases/2005/Sep05/img/columbus.jpg
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