Christopher Columbus Influence

After the the Ottoman Empire shut down the Silk Road, Spain and other European powers still wanted to solidify their position as the prime global empire. To achieve this, they were to find a more efficient way to access the Indies. The only sensible pathway now, was to go around Africa. However, prince Henry from Portugal already had successful efforts by reaching Africa before they did. Considering Spain and Portugal’s rivalry it is evident why Spain would be in a rush to find this new pathway. Which is why Columbus’ encounter with the new world was so significant. It curated a new sense of hope for Spaniards at that time such as Bartolome De las Casas. It additionally intrigued citizens of the potential wealth and rumors of “gold, spices, …show more content…
I was not only directed towards Queen Isabella, but to the entire world. Considering that he was previously affiliated with the brutality of Hispaniola, writing a chance for him to gain sanctification, show that he was a man who could be trusted, and a man of virtue. Also, he was adamant in diminishing cognitive dissonance of people who were actually colonizing and the people who were compliant. It is highly ironic that an empire based on religion could partake in such “massacres,rapes, and forced labor”. De las Casas described the conquistadores as “wolves,tigers, and lions which had been starving for many days, and since forty years they have done nothing else”. The imagery he provides his readers is almost poetic in that he describes Hispaniola as a fertile land, more beautiful than his homeland, but it was painted with the blood of its own inhabitants. De las Casas ultimately knew that he needed to use his platform and status to get people to pay attention to what needed to be said. He faced opposition in causing the “black legend” because Spaniards did not want to be represented by what the colonizers were doing. However, they had no problem reaping the economic benefits from the colony. Therefore, they are just as guilty in their compliance. De las casas sacrificed his life essentially in bringing justice for the natives and brought light to things the world may have never known …show more content…
For example, slavery and forced labor. As for slavery, De Las Casas wrote that the spaniards “slay, afflict, torment, and destroy them with strange and new, and divers kinds of cruelty”. This represents the change in meaning of what slavery essentially was before that time. Normally, slaves were captured from war and in some cases could eventually assimilate into the culture and ascend social status. However, this new form of slavery was complete genocide and oppression of the natives with no remorse. They also consecutively passed laws that would prevent them from obtaining rights, stripped them of their identity, and left slaves with no hope. If slaves tried to rebel, there were mortal consequences. They performed acts such as “slit a man in two, or cut off his head with one blow: or they opened his bowels. They tore the babes from their mother’s breast..”. Therefore slavery in America and the Caribbean had a physical connection with transportation of slaves and a connection in forced labor. Overall, De las Casas’ work is a treasure in that it records moments in time that shape the economy for years to come. It showed his growth as a person in that he accepts his past and owns that adding to his appeal. His words are piercing and ambiguously eloquent. A job well