In the reading "Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress" Zin shares his ideas on how he views Columbus. Too many Americans Columbus is a hero who found our great land. However Zin feels that Columbus and his men used these people for their generosity, and caused years of slavery and death for their search of gold. Zin writes "Because of Columbus's exaggerated report and a promise, his second expedition was given seventeen ships and more than twelve hundred men. The aim was clear: slaves and gold." This is a tentative thesis statement on how the rest of the chapter will follow.
Zin's argument states that Columbus and his men used the generosity of the "arawak people" to help him find gold, one of the main purposes of his trip. Columbus and his men began imprisoning and torturing these people. Columbus wrote in his journal “Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold." He had no care for these people neither did his men. “Total control led to total cruelty. The Spaniards thought of nothing of knifing Indians by tens and twenties and cutting slices off them to test the sharpness of their blades." Zin supports that these Indians were just seen as objects not people to the Spaniards during this time.
One question I had was this the first major genocide in the world, and how many people were actually killed.
The next I had was if more Indians survived would the complete nature of American society be different, and how so.
Zin's argument states that Columbus and his men used the generosity of the "arawak people" to help him find gold, one of the main purposes of his trip. Columbus and his men began imprisoning and torturing these people. Columbus wrote in his journal “Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold." He had no care for these people neither did his men. “Total control led to total cruelty. The Spaniards thought of nothing of knifing Indians by tens and twenties and cutting slices off them to test the sharpness of their blades." Zin supports that these Indians were just seen as objects not people to the Spaniards during this time.
One question I had was this the first major genocide in the world, and how many people were actually killed.
The next I had was if more Indians survived would the complete nature of American society be different, and how so.
Also was the lives of a whole developed society worth the price of starting a whole new society in the same area.
Zin's first chapter actually surprised me as a reader. I have discussed this topic before about how Columbus treated the Indian people when he first landed in the America's. With the Amount of detail, from Columbus writing logs, as well as examples of what Spaniards had done to these people shocked me. The description of what happened to this people just kept me interested. Yes it was hundreds years ago, and it was easy for Columbus and his men to take advantage and kill that many people. Even though Columbus is seen as the "Admiral of the open sea" and the man who found the Americas, this came at price to a whole society and developed culture that existed before he came to this land. Thes are things that were sacraficed for a nice compensation for wealthy noble spaniards.
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