Columbus: hero or villain?
Quick quiz
Where was Columbus born?
Spain Portugal Italy
Columbus wanted to find a new route to ...
India Africa America
He set off to the New World in...
1453 1492 1603
On his first voyage, he did not take...
Nina Santa Maria Santa Barbara
Reading comprehension
Some sentences are missing from the text. Put the following sentences into the correct gaps.
A This is why he thought that clever Indians would make good servants and slaves.
B The Spaniards picked 500 inhabitants and loaded them onto the ships.
C Why don’t we go west, thought Columbus, and reach the Indies that way?
D When Columbus and his crew reached the shore the inhabitants ran to greet them.
E They thought the best way to do this was by sailing round Africa then to the east.
F Some think, he is responsible for slavery and destruction of Native American culture.
G He really wanted to find gold.
Columbus: hero or villain?
The traditional view
Most people believe that Columbus is one of the greatest heroes of Western civilization. For a lot of people he not only discovered America but introduced arts and religion to the primitive tribes of the New World. 1 _______ Which view is more reliable? First of all, we should consider the facts.
Roads to the East
In the 15th century, the Portuguese were one of the most powerful nations on earth. By the end of the century, they were sailing further and further into the Atlantic, in search of a new route to India. 2 _______ It seemed the most sensible thing to do. But the journey was much further than they thought.
A new approach
Columbus came up with an original solution to the problem: he decided to turn Portugal’s strategy for an eastern sea route on its head. 3 _______ No European before had deliberately sailed ships away from land, with no certainty of getting back home safely. In the end, the Spanish King and Queen gave Columbus ships and men and in return he promised to bring as much gold and slaves as they ask.
A new world
In 1492 Columbus sailed west with three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. After three weeks, on 12 October, Columbus and his crew arrived at an island in the Bahamas.
4 _______ Columbus wrote in his diary: ‘They brought us food, parrots and spears and many other things, which we exchanged for glass beads. They do not bear arms, and do not seem to know them.’
How they lost their freedom
When the gold that Columbus found was not enough, he made the natives into slaves. The slave trade started when Columbus’ men captured 500 inhabitants and kept them imprisoned, guarded by Spaniards and dogs.
5 _______ Of those 500, only 300 survived the trip. When they arrived in Spain they were sold.
Mixed feelings
Columbus thought the Indians were more intelligent than he had expected. 6 _______ Although, Columbus sometimes used terrible punishments on the Indians, he warned his officers to treat them well, and he really loved the native’s culture.
His reputation
Five hundred years later Christopher Columbus remains an enigma. He clearly had a very strong desire for riches. 7 _______ In this he was successful. However, his attempt to create a colony was disastrous. He died after the fourth voyage when he was rich. Was he a hero or a villain? The answer must be that he was a bit of both.
Vocabulary
Match the words (1-7) with their definitions (a-g).
1. reliable
2. primitive
3. sensible
4. deliberately
5. exchange
6. capture
7. villain
a. to do sg with intention and willingness
b. able to be trusted, sg coming from a trustworthy source
c. a wicked or evil person
d. to catch a prisoner or take control over
e. belonging to an early stage of development, original, simple
f. to trade; to give sg in return for sg received
g. sg being reasonable, practical and logical
Writing
Finish the sentences.
1) Columbus thought he landed ...........................................................
2) Columbus actually discovered ........................................................
3) The Spanish King..............................................................................
4) The Portuguese’s idea was ...............................................................
5) Slavery ...........................................................................................
6) In 1492 ...........................................................................................
7) The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria ..........................................
8) The Native Americans .....................................................................
9) Columbus’ success was ....................................................................
10) Columbus failed in ............................................................................