The Difference between Myth and Reality about Christopher...

Christopher Columbus is a name known to nearly every American that has ever had an elementary education. He is imagined as the brave explorer that against all odds prevailed in his belief of a round earth. Credited with the discovery of America, Columbus has a holiday and even the Nation’s capitol and a powerful Catholic service organization are named after him. What isn’t as well known is the dark side of his arrival to the New World. Though he did make the first steps in founding modern America, these steps came at the cost of thousands of lives. Columbus enslaved the natives he came across and ruled the Caribbean with an iron fist. He killed thousands in a relentless pursuit to find gold and used Christianity to justify the†¦show more content†¦The most remarkable difference in the two different views on Christopher Columbus is the graphic violence. As governor of the island of the new territories he enslaved the native populace, forcing them to mine for gold and imposing brutal discipline. Columbus worked the natives to death, it has been calculated that he is directly responsible for the deaths of at least a quarter of a million natives (Columbus Controversy 1). After a revolt he even had the dismembered bodies of those involved paraded around as a warning to others (Columbus Controversy 1). The descriptions of Columbus’ brutality reach a level that censoring from children’s textbooks is mandatory. As a result the true story ends up not being taught until later more specialized history classes keeping the truth from becoming common knowledge. The fact that he allowed 9-10 year old native girls to be sold into sexual slavery does not fit well into the â€Å"Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492† rhyme. The reality is so unsettling that it is much more comfortable for one to only focus more on the positive results of Columbus’ colonization. This tendency to look at the positive side has allowe d the myth to over power the facts even in the modern age of mass media. It is hard to hear that the man one once thought as a hero was really a villain, so people are just as happy not knowing theShow MoreRelatedTotem And The Coyote Columbus Story By Thomas King1288 Words   |  6 Pages The two stories ‘Totem’ and ‘The Coyote Columbus Story’ written by Thomas King are about the Aboriginal people of North America. Thomas King revisits the history of the Native American people in his stories and tells them in a symbolic and metaphorical manner, with his simple touch of humour. The stories â€Å"Totem† and â€Å"The Coyote Columbus Story† are based on historical events, where in they describe the real historical events which have occurred, rather than the ones written down otherwise. 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