Sinner or Saint?

Italian explorer credited for opening the America’s up to European colonization. Born in 1451 in Italy 1 st voyage into the Atlantic in 1476 Married to Felipa Perestrella; had a son, Diego in 1480 Wife died soon after – Columbus moved to Spain 1488 – had another son Was rejected 4 times for his plan to try and reach India/Asia Died 5/20/1506 still believing he discovered a shorter route to Asia

August 1492 – landed in Bahamas – claimed it for Spain Continued on to Cuba & Hispaniola (current day Haiti and Dominican Republic) – claimed it also – thought he was in Asia – Went home 1493 – he went back – claimed more islands – implemented a forced labor policy over the natives – still thought he was in Asia 3 rd voyage – reached the mainland (current day Venezuela) – settlements he left behind had deteriorated – Columbus was arrested – stripped of all titles – lost most of his $$ - was eventually released

1502 – last voyage – travelled along the eastern coast of Central America in search for a route to the Indian Ocean – shipwrecked, he was left stranded – natives were fed up and left them to die Feb – rescued by a crew from Hispaniola – reached Spain in Nov Never regained all his riches or his titles

His expeditions set in motion the wide-spread transfer of people, plants, animals, diseases, and cultures that greatly affected nearly every society on the planet. (Columbian Exchange) The horse from Europe allowed Native American tribes in the Great Plains of North America to shift from a nomadic to a hunting lifestyle. Foods from the Americas such as potatoes, tomatoes and corn became staples of Europeans and helped increase their populations. Coffee from Africa and sugar cane from Asia became major cash crops for Latin American countries.

Small pox from the Old World decimated millions of the Native American population to mere fractions of their original numbers. The Americas were forever altered and the once vibrant and rich cultures of the Native American civilizations were not only changed, but lost, denying the world any complete understanding of their existence.

Who was Christopher Columbus? What did he really accomplish? Why does he receive so much credit? Should he be held solely responsible for the enslavement death of most of the indigenous people of Hispaniola? Explain.