Columbus in America
Columbus’ discovery of America was accidental because he initially thought that it would take him a lesser distance and time to discover the way to Asia. His estimations were about twenty four hundred miles, while it was actually over 10,600 miles. This circumstance made him stick in America that let him discover the lands and the islands in the continent. In his letters describing his discoveries, he told about the nature and the status of the people living on this land. From his letters, we also get to know that he sent out his people to look out if there was a city or a king, which may have given a clue whether they had a government or not, and their feedback was negative. This showed that the people were not industrious and that their economic status was low. However, the description of the land showed that it was very fertile and many land segments were still ‘virgin’ because no one had explored them yet and the natives did not reside them either. Besides, according to Columbus’s letter, the trees were so tall that they reached the sky, the weather very pleasant, and the place had many inviting commodities that could be harvested (Mancall 210).
The natives of the American land, according to the letter, had a culture that allowed them to stay naked. However, from the European standards perspective, it was considered primitive. He further said that people lived together in small settlements located on the mainland. Also, the natives did not create settlements along the coastal lines as according to Columbus’s letters there were neither villages nor towns/cities at the coastal regions. He aslo narrated that his men found no king or any other form of government that ruled or organized people (Mancall 211).
In addition, the natives of America neither had religion nor worshiped any idol. Therefore, Columbus initiated the Christian religion after he won their trust by giving them gifts they treasured. The natives believed that the goodness and power came from heaven and that was their only belief and faith (Mancall 211). They also believed that Columbus, his ships, and men came from heaven. What is more, Columbus mentioned that they were not ignorant. Rather, they were kind in the way they treated him and his men. They also gave them precious gifts such as gold and food. However, in the Indies, they encountered man-eating people and Columbus considered this as the only monstrous thing they came across in the region (Mancall 212). Continue reading Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery Essay