Columbus Vs. Hitler
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Some may say that history has a tendency to repeat itself. From episodes regarding war, to expansionism, and incidents of genocide similar examples are present through modern day. While this phenomenon never ceases to replicate the past, there are always enough subtle nuances of change that prevent history from repeating itself exactly as before. At a time when European expansionism was begging to take shape war and genocide were prevalent. When Columbus set sail for Asia with the intent of establishing a trade monopoly between the vibrant culture of Asia and Spain and discovered the New World, along with it came the discovery of the Indians and a new trade and labor opportunity began to take place. Columbus discovery of the New World has been controversial. There are those who wish to honor him and therefore feel that the accusations concerning his crime of genocide are revisions of history. Blinded by greed Columbus turned into a vicious tyrant hungry for only gaining wealth and status. However, there are sources that describe the atrocities Columbus and the Spaniards committed against the Indians. These brutalities are all part of a bigger picture of genocide committed by Columbus when he discovered the New World. Many of the tribulations done are similar to those performed by the Nazis in World War II. Hitlers “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” attempted to be solved through a mass genocide we know as the Holocaust. Some people would argue that Columbus “conquests” and “Hitlers Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” are comparable. These people look at the atrocities that both parties committed against their victims and the amount of people who died. Although the methods and intent were different, the slavery and subjugation of the Indians and the Jews as compared through the two men Columbus and Hitler and had an affect on our modern world.
In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Portrayed, as Americas first great hero Columbus still remains a mysterious and controversial figure in history. Described as one of the greatest mariners in time, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a failed administrator, a naive entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy imperialist Christopher Columbus is a pivotal character in history. Columbus was born in Genoa Italy in 1451 as the son of a wool weaver and small time merchant. As a teenager he went to sea and began in the merchant trade business. He traveled as far as Iceland and Guinea. Eventually he made Portugal his base. It was here that he first tried to gain royal patronage for a westward voyage to the Orient and create an enterprise with the Indies. When Columbus was born, Europe Africa and Asia were each apart of the Old World of the Eastern Hemisphere, but they were also separate worlds culturally, religiously, and politically. Throughout history, as land and sea trade routes were discovered these worlds came together. Columbus voyages broke the isolation barriers of the Old World once and for all, for he opened the gateway between human nations as no one had before.
Columbus never set out to discover the new world. He originally left his homeland because his career as a mariner and merchant prompted him to do so. He lived in Portugal for about a decade, during which was one of the most influential times in his life. He learned a tremendous amount about his trade and here began to believe in the possibility of sailing westward toward Asia. This idea, although not unique, was an extraordinary thought for the time period. He worked in the kingdom of Castile with merchants who had business dealings in Lisbon, Cadiz, and Seville. He sailed to Portuguese trading stations in parts of the world unknown to the previous generation. He gained knowledge and techniques of commerce from working with merchants in the lucrative sugar trade. Furthermore, with the early age of the printed book, a more wide range of books and ideas were available. Due to this Columbus read and created notions that the earth was round, and much smaller in circumference than it really is. This promoted him to go forth and ask for provisions from the King of Portugal to establish trade in Asia. Columbus envisages “The Enterprise of the Indies.” Based on the maps and writings of Ptolemy and other navigational documents, he believed it would be a relatively easy westward voyage from Europe to the east coast of Asia. He calculated that it would be faster to sail westward from the north coast of Africa that from the coastal regions of northern Europe, but King John of Portugal denied Christopher Columbus, not willing to fund his trips. The Portuguese did not accept the writings of Ptolemy and believed Columbus would be unsuccessful. Also, they were more interested in establishing and controlling a trade route to the Orient around the southern tip of Africa. Determined to continue in his conquest to establish trade in the Indies, Columbus left for Spain after he fails to convince King John to back the plan.
Columbus arrived in Spain in 1485. It made perfect sense for Columbus to go to Spain based on his knowledge of the wind patterns of the Atlantic. He established life here and went on to settle himself. During this time the Spanish were competing with the Portuguese in the Atlantic islands and along Africas western coast. King Fernando of Aragуn and Queen Isabella of Castile conducted a small naval war against the Portuguese and prevailed. Columbus established connections in Spain and decided to try his luck with the newly united nation, so he took his project of establishing trade routes with Asia to the Spanish Court. During his first visit to court, Columbus presented a written petition addressed to the Spanish monarchs, but had to go through a process before he could finally present the idea to the crown. He met with Ferdinand and Isabella and they agreed on a legal contract The Santa Fe Capitulations on April 17, 1492. This plan was mimicking the Portuguese model; a monopoly between Columbus and the crown, having Columbus as their ambassador to the crown. This began the journey that would shape the face of history.
Columbus set sail on May 12, 1492 for what he thought would be a western route to Asia. Finally on October 12, 1492 Columbus and his crew spotted land. At daybreak the men caught there first sight of the native people on shore, the Tainos. They called the island Guanahani in there native tong. Columbus proclaimed possession of the land for the king and queen. He attempted to communicate with the natives which he described would be “they should be good and intelligent servants. Columbus was a man with a purpose; he had come to these islands thinking that he had landed in Asia and that these people were Indians. He sailed around