Sinner or Saint?

Christopher Columbus:

TIMELINE

Italian explorer credited for opening the America’s up to European colonization.

Born in 1451 in Italy1st voyage into the Atlantic in 1476Married to Felipa Perestrella; had a son, Diego in

1480Wife died soon after – Columbus moved to Spain1488 – had another son Was rejected 4 times for his plan to try and reach

India/AsiaDied 5/20/1506 still believing he discovered a shorter

route to Asia

Who was he?

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

3rd 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

What did he really accomplish?

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. 1504 – rescued by a crew from Hispaniola – reached Spain in Nov. 1504

Never regained all his riches or his titles

What did he really accomplish?

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.

Why does he get so much credit?

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.

Why does he get so much credit?

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.

What you need to know & understand…