- Bourne, E. G. (1906). The Northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503: The voyages of the Northmen, The voyages of Columbus and of John Cabot. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Accessed 6 March 2017.
Summary: The journal of Christopher Columbus includes his thoughts and ideas while exploring to these native lands. Christopher gave the indigenous people many items that they brought over with small value, but the people were very pleased and traded for them. Columbus thought they the people seemed very poor and young, unarmed, however, they have already experienced people from nearby islands who tried to take them but they defended themselves. He overall thought the natives would be good and intelligent servants, and would convert to Christianity easily.
Quotes: “In order that they would be friendly to us—because I recognized that they were people who could be better freed and converted to our Holy Faith by love than by force.”
“They should be good and intelligent servants…and I believe that they would become Christians very easily.”
Bartolome de Las Casas “defender of the Indians” says that “The Indian race is not that barbaric, nor are they dull witted or stupid, but they are easy to teach and very talented in learning all the liberal arts, and very ready to accept, honor, and observe the Christian religion and correct their sins.”
Juan Gines de Sepulveda believed “The Spanish have a perfect right to rule these barbarians of the New World, … who in prudence, skill, virtues, and humanity are inferior to the Spanish as children to adults, or women to men”
Statement: Christopher Columbus and Men like Sepulveda should not be honored as heroes for believing they are more superior to these Indians, for they were gentle and easily accepting of Christianity and new values. Yet, Columbus wanted to convert them with love, not force.
- Byne, M.S. Christopher Columbus. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1915. Accessed 6 March 2017.
Summary: In this biography of Columbus, Byne explains the journey of Columbus’ entire life, including his trip to the New World. Leading up to 1492, Byne explains the long, hard-working years Columbus put forth in order to get to the New World, never giving up. Byne takes notice of Columbus’ greediness and all the awards he would be promised had he succeeded in finding this new land. Upon finding the native people, Columbus decided he wanted to bring home some of the Indians as servants to the King, whether they wanted to or not, taking part in the “miserable business of kidnapping, buying, and selling human beings”
Quotes: “He would also be entitled to a tenth of all revenues from the new lands among several other items that were unheard of to be bargained for at the time” (7).
Statement: Columbus is deemed hard-working and restless, yet greedy and aggressive on his voyage to the New World, and uses inhumane practices on the natives.