Is Christopher Columbus considered a hero or a villain? In many schools, Christopher Columbus is interpreted to students as a hero. His few "heroic" traits have acted as a disguise, hiding his evil side throughout the history of America. Although Columbus is known for discovering America and was the first to start a settlement in America, there is an issue of the controversial topic of whether Christopher Columbus should still be known as the "Great Admiral" who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and "discovered" the West Indies and America. Or be known as the "Villain" who sailed the Atlantic Ocean for his own selfish needs. .
The majority of people, especially students, assume that Christopher Columbus is a hero. There is no doubt that Columbus should be commended for being brave enough to set sail across the Atlantic when many feared that doing so would lead to death by falling off the edge of the earth. Additionally, introducing the West Indies and North America to the Europeans in order to expand trade is also a great accomplishment. He ventured popular opinion and said the Earth was round when nobody else believed him. He did what no other explorer dared to do. He was determined to search the New World when everyone else was afraid to.
Little does the society knows that Christopher Columbus can be reckon as a villain. It is the vile acts of inhumanity suffered by the Natives because of the orders from Christopher Columbus that has many people thinking twice about the supposed hero. Many people conceive that Christopher Columbus was the first to "discover" America, but how can Columbus claim to "discover" somewhere that was already inhabited by millions of people? In the Bahamas, the Arawaks who brought him food and gifts greeted Columbus. They did not have any weapons and were fascinated .
by his sword. By showing the natives his gratefulness for their hospitality, Columbus captured a few of them by force, hoping that they would show him where any gold mines may be.
