Christopher Columbus Documentary

    In the documentary Christopher Columbus, researchers believe that Columbus's had landed on the island of San Salvador. The island matches the description from Columbus’ logs, and there have been remnants found on the island from Spain. “It looks like I have found what appears to be a coin” (Clark’s History Reels. “Christopher Columbus”). Almost all of the natives of the island died from European disease and exploitation. Columbus was convinced that he had landed somewhere on the coast of China. He was originally looking to land on Japan, but he thought he was landing on the islands surrounding Japan. “Along with finding a new route to the Orient, spreading Christianity was one of Columbus’ primary intentions” (Clark’s History Reels. “Christopher Columbus”). Columbus left crosses along the coast, he did this for Spain and to Christen the land. Any natives who did not conform to Christianity were burned at the stake. They told the natives that only Christians can find peace and go to Heaven. Many of the natives who did not convert were hunted and treated as infidels. “In the years of colonization that followed Columbus’ first voyage, the natives were forced to provide food, tribute, and labor to the Spanish. Those who resisted were enslaved or killed” (Clark’s History Reels. “Christopher Columbus”). The natives were not treated very fairly by the Spanish. Within 50 years of Columbus landing on the native’s shores, European disease had killed almost all of the natives on the island. The natives had almost no immunity to fight off foreign diseases.

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