Our first debate topic in class was whether Columbus was a hero or a villian. What did you guys think about how it went? Did you want to add more but did not have a chance to because we ran out of time in class? If so, leave a comment here. Who in our class made a really good point? Why?
bobby blevins wrote @
okay first of all he was a villian because of all how can you call some one who killed over 2million people a hero. that is not a hero. and secondly the native Americans befriend Columbus and his men and then he didnt even have the common regard for the Native Americans to stab them in the back he stabbed them right in the face i mean they knew that they were bring over all of the diseases and they still came and the cut off there hands and took them as slaves because they could so i ant call him a hero i just cant
khsaggiegirl wrote @
In 5th period, the point was made that he was really the first big mistake, (enslaving people in order to take over the land, therefore he can’t be the villain those who didn’t learn should be called the villains) although that is somewhat true, he came back and made the mistake numerous times. Therefore not only did he not learn from his OWN mistakes, he didn’t set any type of example. As school children we’re taught that Columbus is a hero, he found America! That is not the case, not only did he enslave the people of the New World but he lied to his represented (though not his own) country, telling them about all the gold and such that he had supposedly found so that they would finance his journeys back to the New World. How are we to call this man a hero?
carson mckay wrote @
Columbus actually at first praised the natives. Whit the help of the natives he then built a small outpost that was manned by 40 men. He then left the outpost and returned the following year finding all of his men slaughtered by the natives, only then did relations sour. And he didn’t ‘trick’ any natives, instead he went to war and conquered their land. This was nothing new, as countries had gone to war countless times before. Columbus wasn’t a villain, he was mearly a man of his times.
Nicole Northcutt wrote @
Columbus in my opinion, was a villian. He may not have killed personally all those Native Americans, but he did however lead the killing. He brought them into slavery and all they did was try to welcome him with hospitality and gifts. If anything, he should have been thanking the Native peoples for teaching him of cultivating vegies and agriculture. Also, the precious metals of gold and siver. Columbus was just a greedy man wanting whatever he could get, regarless of how he had to minipulate others and take advantage of their lack of knowledge. He could’ve done the right thing, and cooperated with the Natives by sharing ideas and learning each others cultures, but no, he decided to trick them into being slaves and ruin many lives. I don’t understand why he could even been thought of as a hero because he hurt so many and a hero is supposed to help people not hurt them. It doesn’t matter how times were back then, there’s still a fine line between the right and the wrong thing to do. Christopher Columbus remains, in my book, a villian.
Kristen Young Pd. 1 wrote @
There’s not much more that I wanted to add, though I did have a very strong opinion of Columbus being a villain. Before today, I never really knew a lot about him. But now that I know, I consider him a villain. Andrew Morales was one of the best debaters in first period today, and I really think he deserves extra credit or something like that (and I’m not just saying that because he’s one of my best friends.)
Jordyn and Sarah were also very strong in their views and opinions today, and it made for a very harsh, but informative and entertaining debate.
Jessica Pd. 5 wrote @
My opinion of Christopher Columbus was that he was a villian. I dont think it’s right that he decided the land was his, when it was already discovered. Although I do agree that if it was not for him we probably would not be here today. But that still does not make him a good person or give him a reason for doing all the horrible things he did. For example, making the Native people slaves when the only thing they did was welcome him and gave him gifts. Columbus was a very seflfish person. He wanted everything his way and it didn’t care what anyone else thought. If he would have knowledged them they probably would have made a better judgement, on what they can do with the gold, metales, silver and all the land. Christopher Columbus will always be a villian in my mind.
khsaggiegirl wrote @
NOTE: Everyone, please remember, when you write in these forums others are able to read your responses, represent Kofa positively and use proper grammar and spelling
Thanks!
M. Vincent wrote @
I thought the debate went alright. I feel that the class as a whole did well debating their points and had a very strong conviction of whether Columbus was a villian or a hero. Especially those who tried real hard to support their statements with historical facts. Oh and there is nothing that I personally want to add to the debate.
Sal Alonso wrote @
I think the debate was very good and informative. The people that tried very hard to defend Columbus i thought were the ones that tried the hardest to make their point.Before that day i didnt know that he was like that but now we all know so let the whole world know
period 5 wrote @
umm everyone in our debate kind of said they same thing. they just walked around the hero villian thing by yelling about learning from mistakes. For our debates to go better people need to branch out, repeating things over and over gets us nowhere
Rachael Foster wrote @
I think that, though he was wrong, Andrew Morales was the best during the debate. He surprised me when he took sides with Columbus against his own heritage! He ought to recieve some sort of credit. He mde it sound as if he was completely right and that everything he said was a true fact of life. Few people are capable of persuasion like that. Kudos to him!
The dude that commented here wrote @
Well, there are various ways to look at this. Columbus could be both a hero OR a villian, and, personally, I am more in accord with the villian profile. It is safe to say that Columbus re-discovered America, and he DID broaden the world’s knowledge about it, but at what cost? At the cost of millions of indigenous peoples’ lives? At the cost of their long-surviving culture and society? It is not fair. Yes, it was the way things rolled back then, but look at it this way. Police, in a sense, also have that power over us. With enough paperwork, they can come and seize our homes and steal our babies and everything. Columbus did just that. He got paperwork and fancy boats from the Spanish, and went and seized their lives and gold and fancy women and babies. I do not understand how that can be called “heroic”. It is horrible and cruel way to claim and discover land. Who’s with me?
yanyerz (yanira Lopez) wrote @
In my opinion Columbus’ actions were extremely wrong. He was a villain because he hurt the Native Americans purposely and even after they had shared everything they had and helped the spaniards with everything they needed to learn. Even after these acts of kindness he still gave them the infested blankets so that they would sicken and die. Yes he brought new technology and fodd to them but someone else might have been more careful and trustworthy towards the Natives who deserved better treatment.
Jordyn Pd. 1 wrote @
Columbus Was a hero. Yes he had slaves, yes he murdered people, but he also helped the discovery of America. Before he arrived in the new land the Natives were already inslaving eachother and killing their own kind. Columbus did what he had to do. What if someone worse can along and made the world we live in worse. The point is Columbus only did what he was taught to do in his country and he was sent for land and gold which is exactly what he acomplished.
Adr1an A. 5th p. wrote @
I didn’t have much more to say. I really do think that Columbus was indeed a hero. He made the Americas what they to this date. Our country wouldn’t be any thing like it is now with out him. What he did here allowed other countries to advance themselves and become better. Yes he did do some things that were wrong. We know that , but out of it something great happened, the birth of one great country. Things have to go bad before they can get better. I think that T.J was on fire during our debate, and so was Frankie. I liked debating against them it gets fun.
pd5 wrote @
I feel as though the debate in our fifth period class didnt go very well at all, people were saying the same thing over and over. I didnt say anything because Iam very shy but still kids BRANCH OUT!!
i say that columbus was indeed a hero. He had such good intentions not at all like a villian because he wasnt a wicked or evil person just a man wanted to help his country and have gold, god and glory.
He was so determined to go over and find that alternite route that he never gave up. king henry even said no but he waited through all that war when finally the queen said yes.I say thats definetly not a villian thing to do. He was so commited to the journey.
Once he did finally sail off and find the island he had no idea that the indians were there yet he just saw land and claimed it .( got off of columbuses log).He was rtring to help spain and was greatkly honored for it as a hero. not a villian. he only killed the indians becasue for one he couldnt understand them btu only guess and he couldnt risk them hurting his men or getting in the way he did what any man would do and what he had to do. its not like anyone else was going to sail the ocane bliue inm 1942 and discover that. he may not have found the americas himself but he was a cause of the findings. him going there made others know that they could also go explore. i think thats big hero thing to do.In mythology a hero is someone who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.Columbus was celebrated for finding the islands and he had such great strength sacifices his own life to find everything.
also he came over for God. he wanted to help the indians not hurt them but like i said earlier it had to be done(i dont agree with it though)….he even brouyght some back to help them learn the lang and prosper but also help him. back in that time thats what they did they didnt knw slavery was wrong.and he tried to christianize them too and helpo them in that way.
another thing was that columbusalso was there for his men he left them on the island with the fort party becasue they wanted to be there becasue it was so pretty and columbus promised them all gold , whtrher they got it or not i dont think that was coloumbuses fault sometimes we dont have control.
so, i definetly with out a oubt think columbus was a hero. if anyone e;lse did this then history would trun out differnt and we would not have what we have today or be like we are today. you can call him whatever you wont but know that i call him ahero….and anyone who culd give up so much to help his country and himself is a hero in my book and no man that could do that could be considered a villian( evil and mean) for columbus had good untentions and no one to follow off of to fix them.
Mike wrote @
OMG i have this topic as well for my history class and i personally chose the PRO-Columbus side because he was more of a hero than a Villain because it wasnt really He who raped and killed it was most likely his men.His Men were on this 3-4 month voyage,after a while they are getting sex deprived so they were desperate so they raped any women they would see or men if they were gay. There are other things you can blame on like the Men he had with him,The King and Queen,the Natives for not defending themselves,or the System of Empire who knows but i am going to have a debate in my class and i need to write a speeck PRO-Columbus so if anyone can help me it would be GREATLY appreciated
Laotian Teacher wrote @
Mike, read the comments made by my students because it will help you in the debate. If you want to prove that he is a hero, then focuson the positive aspects of his journey. For example, his journey to the new world inspire other nations to explore and expand their territory. Good luck!
Mike wrote @
Laotian teacher~thank you very much i will make a strong debate using this site i wanna thank everyone who posted here it really helped me out
now to go write that essay
kevinn* wrote @
Um /actually/ he was a hero~~ >_> otherwise you all wouldn’t be here!!! Sure he brought diseases around, but don’t diseases spread like crazy anyway? O.o yeahhh………… gl with that
Leigh wrote @
Columbus should not be considered a great man for his discovery of the Americas
I believe that Christopher Columbus should not be considered a great man for his discovery of the Americas. His aim was to find a direct sea route to Japan, China and Indonesia where spices, silks gems and gold came from. He was unsuccessful in his goal but by a happy mishap discovered North America. Principally, he was the one who began the Slave Trade and this led on to thousands of deaths. Another reason I believe the above is because he carried diseases from Europe to the lands he discovered.
The slave trade caused a massive impact to the entire world. If Columbus had not begun it then as some say, 2 million Africans would not have died. Some say more and some say less but the real picture is that it was much too many. As soon as Europeans discovered there was a relatively easy route to the Americas and the Caribbean, the slave trade rapidly changed from a trickle to a massive flood. From the natives that he could not add to the growing slave trade eventually got killed off only thanks to the illnesses he carried over from Europe.
Columbus intruded on many of the Indian tribes in the West Indies. After transforming them to become slaves, he stole their gold and many of their valuable possessions. And yet when could not force any others to become slaves he intruded Africa and began the same process once again – just ruining another country as he did so. The lands he discovered with their residents all welcomed him with open hands after realising he was no threat, but they were easily deceived. If anything, he should be thankful that they taught him how to cultivate crops and land as well as many teachings in agriculture.
Yes, Columbus might have been a navigator but he had a limited knowledge of the earth and thought it was smaller than what it really was. He might have brought over around 200 tonnes of gold to Europe but who said that this gold was rightfully his to take? He did broaden the spectrum of how we view the world but at what cost? I think that the line should be cut way before people’s deaths. To many he is the person who discovered America. But, I disagree as we all know that there were many inhabitants before he arrived. It was also not right of him to decide the land was his when it had already been occupied by others. He was a selfish man and deserves the title as an indirect villain as he did not do the damage with his own two hands but he made life-changing decisions which cost people more than their country – their lives.
jay jay wrote @
I would say columbus is a Villain First it was dumb to leave his crew behind and second he did not find a new shorter path to asia BANG BANG
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[...] Was Columbus a hero or a Villian DebateOur first debate topic in class was whether Columbus was a hero or a villian. What did you guys think about how it went? Did you want to add more but did not have a chance to because we ran out of time in class? … [...]