I remember hearing about Columbus at around the first grade or Kindergarten. From what I remember, the datils were as low resolution as the graphics on a PS1 game. “He said across the sea and befriended the Natives”. I’ve always been a curious child who asked some strange yet enlightening questions like: “Who did it first? The Pilgrims or Columbus?” or “What happened AFTER the events of Columbus’s “discovery?””. Sadly- these questions wouldn’t be answered until late middle school to mid-High school.
The readings from the past week enlightened me on what I already know as well as a more scoped in perspective on the mindsets of these colonizers at the time. They were cocky on all fronts; they wanted nothing more than to convert and enslave simply because of the way the Natives lived their lives and that they didn’t agree with their religious outlooks (let alone even took the time to consider if they even had a religion at all; they did, but Columbus never seemed to care about if they did or not).
Because of this chain of events in history, our society today is very much shaped by European culture and conversion into that culture. In the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’, we find that Spain passed their own laws and claimed ownership on land that they only merely stepped on.
Hi Vic!
I also remember learning about Columbus as a very young age… Maybe first grade? It’s interesting to think about how history (especially histories of conflict and violence) can be watered down or mythicized.
We can see from Columbus’ own words that he wanted to exploit Indigenous populations for their labor, land, and resources. We only read a small excerpt from his journals, but a more in-depth reading would have revealed even more.