What Columbus was Really Saying

Is it just me, or does anyone else wonder why Christopher Columbus still has a national holiday in his name? Not only do we as Americans celebrate a man who both directly and indirectly led to the genocide of entire races, demanded non-existent gold and sex from survivors (Christopher Columbus, first page), and never really achieved what he set out to do (he never did find that trade route to India, did he?), most of us do so unknowingly. The vast majority of Americans are also blissfully unaware that their great icon ultimately died penniless and disgraced, the numerous atrocities he committed as governor surfacing and eventually leading to his arrest.

Columbus himself, however, was by no means shy in revealing this information. In his letters to Ferdinand and Isabella, Christopher packs on the pathos, using phrases like ’ I never think without weeping’ (letter to Ferdinand and Isabella Regarding the Fourth Voyage, paragraph 1) and ’the unmerited wrong I have suffered’ (paragraph 6) to appeal to the readers’, namely the king and queen’s, sympathy. Although it isn’t clear whether or not his methods had any effect on his chosen audience, his pity-inducing diction does do an incredible job on portraying him in a pathetic and almost admirable light; indeed, if this final plea to his patrons were coupled with the heartbreaking image of the fallen hero being herded off the ship in shackles, not even the most informed and callous person could help feeling even the tiniest ounce of pity for the poor guy. He certainly makes no secret of his depleted fortune either, willingly admitting that ’of worldly goods, he had not even a blanca for offering in spiritual things’.

Impressively, Columbus manages to both simultaneously induce the most sympathy possible in these letters while reminding his employers of all the ’wonder’ he has done for them. ’The land which here obey Your Highnesses are more extensive and richer that all other Christain lands. After I, by divine will, had placed them under your royal and exalted lordship…..I was made a prisoner and with my two brothers was thrown into a ship, laden with fetters, stripped to the skin, very ill-treated, and being condemned.’ ( paragraph 5 of the Ferdinand letter) Tsk, tsk, poor Columbus. He gains incredible wealth for his adoptive country and its sovereigns, governs the new lands justly and to the best of his ability, and this is the thanks he gets? Slandered, impoverished, and tried like a common criminal? Why, the outrage! He should be hailed as a national hero for all that he’s done; statues should be erected in his name, scholars should be tripping over themselves to get his account of the new world, or at the very least, he should be well compensated financially for his discoveries.

This is the true message that Columbus meant to be embraced by Ferdinand and Isabella, and he admittedly did one heck of a job getting his point across, even if it was not completely successful at the time. To answer my own question, Columbus is such a revered figure in our society not only because most of us still (mistakenly) believe that he discovered this great land of ours, but because the pathos his images and letters invoke make him someone we can relate to. When we are taught the biography of Mr. Columbus, the fact that he was an Average Joe son of two working class stiffs is always one of the first things to be mentioned; since most of us are Average Joe’s and Jane’s ourselves, we make a slight connection with him there. As stated before, he is also a true genius at invoking sympathy when the situation calls for it, and the fact that his life ended tragically only strengthens our bond with Columbus. These letters and images like the picture above paint Columbus as a pathetic and prosecuted, completely undeserving of the atrocities committed against him. This is why we celebrate October 12 as the recognition of a true hero, and why we will most likely continue to do so for years to come.

P.S. Okay, I can't get double spacing or tab to work on this thing.