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Quyen Hoang

Professor Felix

History 007A

2017 May 04

Document Interpretation 1

Christopher Columbus: Extract from Journal

1. Christopher Columbuss voyage of 1492 has been highly disputed about. With the prior

knowledge of how Columbuss voyage to America brought upon the discovery of a New

World, it is hard to take a side and support whether Christopher Columbuss discovery

of America was actually for the greater good. Opponents of Columbuss voyage state

how the voyage ultimately led to the extinction of the vast majority of Native Americans.

This insight is new to me because I had never put into perspective if Columbuss voyage

was a necessary evil or could it have been prevented.

2. With the conception that they discovered India, the Admiral had a surprisingly well

impression of the Natives there, he then had high hopes that he could promote Christian

faith and gifted them red caps and beads around their neck. This insight was very

fascinating to me because of how easily friendly the Natives there were to the Europeans.

3. Columbuss conclusion of the Natives is very deranged in his journal to his Highnesses.

He states how the Natives would make great servants and at the same time be very

readily able to convert to Christianity. This insight is surprising to me because it is hard

to for me to comprehend how Columbus was able to already conclude that the Natives
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there were of a lower status than them already and wanted to take advantage of the

Natives kindness.

4. Columbuss way of thinking when he is with the Natives is very capitalistic. In his

journal, he is determined to discover where gold is and how to take advantage of the

Natives resources and people. This insight was very interesting to me because I was

intrigued how Columbus implicitly acted around the Natives when he was with them.

5. The Natives analyzing Columbus and his crew as divinity allowed Columbus to take

advantage of them. With the knowledge that the Natives had an extreme fascination over

the explorers items and resources, Columbus was able to boldly conclude that he would

be able to take control of the Natives with only fifty people. This insight was new to me

because of how egotistical Columbus was towards the Natives, ironic because his initial

goal was to promote Christian faith.

6. With selfish evil-intent, the Admiral was motivated by the discovery of gold rather than

the motivation of Christian faith. This insight is eye-opening to me because of the quick

to change nature of Columbuss crew to bring back riches and resources rather than

spread the morals of Christianity.

Columbuss Letter to King Ferdinand - First Voyage

7. Columbus entitled names to the islands in which he discovered after his sovereigns,

which San Salvador is still presently known as today. This insight was interesting to

me because I never took into account the legacies Columbus left for himself from his

voyage.
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8. In the context of Columbuss journal, the intelligence of the Natives relative to the

Europeans was drastically dissimilar. As Columbus carefully observes and makes

interpretations on the Natives actively, the Natives seem to be slow and ignorant. This

insight is compelling to me because the Natives were very archaic.

9. Columbuss descriptive illustration of the New World deeply characterizes how

nature-filled the land was. This insight is fascinating to me because the scenery is almost

non-existent in our contemporary society, being we have industrialized remarkably.

10. As Columbus describes in his journal, he states how now the Natives are intimidated and

flee from the men who simply want to exchange words with them. This insight is new to

me because of how the Natives initially acted when Columbus first set foot on the New

World relative to now.

11. The difference of equipment and instruments the Natives had relative to the Europeans

was immense in efficiency. This insight was new to me because although the Natives had

the knowledge of demographics on their side, the Europeans could easily overpower

them because of their superior equipment.

12. In Columbuss letter, he highlights how the women have more responsibilities than men

and have a relative equal share of the property. This insight was interesting to me because

the Europeans practiced a different style of social standard and system during the time.

13. Columbus was extremely loyal to his Highnesses in Spain. This insight was compelling

to me because Columbus could have easily stayed in the New World with his crew and

became the king, however, he worked diligently for his Highnesses instead.
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The Devastation of the Indies by Bartolome de Las Casas

14. The difference of diets between the Europeans and Natives were drastically dissimilar.

What a Christian would eat in a day would suffice three houses of ten natives. This

insight was new to me because it reflects the difference of lifestyle between the two.

15. The Devastation of the Indies can actually be comparable to the Holocaust because both

were events of mass-killing of innocent people. This insight was new to me because there

are some parts of history that repeat itself and I believe this is one of those times.

16. During this time period, measurement was based on leagues. Perhaps this was because

they did not have a standard metric system back then. This insight is interesting to me

because the Europeans would generalize a measurement rather than be exact.

17. The Europeans justified their actions under the Christian faith. This insight was ironic to

me because the Europeans determined that Christianity justified their reasoning to dictate

the Natives.

18. The Devastation of the Indies was probably much more brutal than it is depicted from

Bartolome de Las Casas. This document only covers a brief account of the Devastation of

the Indies. This observation was surprising to me because the illustration Bartolome

creates with his descriptive words characterizes the devastation as already barbaric

enough.

Columbus Contract With Ferdinand and Isabella

19. To my surprise, Columbuss contract with Ferdinand and Isabella was very fair. This

insight was surprising to me because my prediction was that they would only give

Columbus a fraction of power, however, in the letter they give him recognition in the

voyage and would allow him to do what he believes is reasonable.

20. In Columbuss Contract With Ferdinand and Isabella, how Columbus attained the

nickname Admiral is explained. This insight was new to me because this name was

mentioned in the previous documents, however, I had the conception that it was another

person.

Summary

After reading the four documents about Christopher Columbus's voyage to the New

World in 1492, what I would take away most from the documents would be the brutal, savagery,

and devastation that was brought upon the Natives when Columbus set foot on the New World.

This was because my conception of Columbus's interaction with the Natives was quite different

initially, I thought the Natives were annihilated because of diseases that the Europeans brought

over. However, after reading the four documents, especially the "Devastation of the Indies" that

Bartelome de Las Casas writes about, I am informed that Columbus's devastation to the Natives

is quite analogous to the Holocaust, being the mass killing of innocent people. This was perhaps

the most vivid to me personally because the language and descriptiveness from the document

that clearly embedded an image in my head, thus being able to predict what occurred during the

massacre of the Natives.