History vs. Christopher Columbus - Alex Gendler

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/history-vs-...
Many people in the United States and Latin America have grown up celebrating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage. But was he an intrepid explorer who brought two worlds together or a ruthless exploiter who brought colonialism and slavery? And did he even discover America at all? Alex Gendler puts Columbus on the stand in History vs. Christopher Columbus.
Lesson by Alex Gendler, animation by Brett Underhill.

[@alan220297]

"A hero in one era might become a villain in the next" 5 stars for that

[@ElMoShApPiNeSs]

KZbin hasn't had a star system for more than half a decade haha.

[@ian_sch]

That is the type of people that get all judgmental about old heroes...

[@schlotch]

Half a decade? You mean 5 years, you drama queen hahaha

[@fernandolopez1931]

Colón is till a Hero

[@bosbanon3452]

Alan Frederiksen he never be a hero for the natives

[@dauvone.5772]

When u realize it’s the same dude doing all the voices...... and he is having a argument with himself

[@thenomad9963]

aha yeah... and if most ppl argued with themselves we would be living in a better or more civil society. Arguing against our initial contention reduces biases and helps see different perspectives and in turn, it helps get a bigger picture of what the truth is; isn't that what we care about, the truth?

[@dauvone.5772]

The NoMad nah u right

[@nnaranji7195]

he's being us at 3 am

[@nikkiralaniakea9527]

It’s called “thinking,” my friend.

[@rageagainstrussianbots429]

Reminded me of those obscenely huge brain memes.

[@BlackishSayian]

“Actually he was pretty bad even by old standards”. lmao that was the best part to me.😂

[@napalmpalermo6639]

TBF Bartolome de las Casas was very ahead of his time w his compassion towards people society deemed as undesirables. Tho I’d say it’s more of even Columbus should of known and not of been so repugnant

[@antoinettecmarshall2270]

and that tells you everything you need to know fr

[@dwainsimmons3447]

@@napalmpalermo6639 Casas hates Columbus.

[@stephaniediehl5096]

@@napalmpalermo6639 Even the pope got angry at Columbus who definitely wasn't the most liberal, and the monarchs of Spain also trashed Columbus.

[@thecollector4332]

Bartolomé de las casas never even met Colombus. Most encomiendas in la hispañola began after he died.

[@Camila-vy5mu]

As a person who has studied history in Latin America her whole life and now, has to pass U.S. History class, how conflicting persperctives of the same history events are, is absolutely mindblowing.

[@user-gb7ek5eh1q]

They discovered a document a few years by a guy claiming Columbus was bad. But no background for his story.

[@JuniorSr815]

You should see how the Japanese study WW2

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@JuniorSr815 Germany handles it better!

[@RugaGGG]

​@@JuniorSr815Indian students study the colonization and mutual rule from middle school to end of high school

[@JuniorSr815]

@@RugaGGG India had plenty of opportunities to stand up for itself and gain its independence. Especially during WW2. But, like always, they rather serve their British masters and were too underdeveloped to lead themselves as a sovereign nation

[@sevenaries]

I think the real problem is the judge, who can't seem to know anything about history or even his own work schedule

[@prptheawesome4911]

Total ignorance is probably the best way to remain completely impartial

[@xenoidaltu601]

"Order, order" 👨🏿‍⚖️

[@Potatotenkopf]

Nah he's a lad he would've probably developed his own biases if he did do his own research, that's why legal cases rely on plaintiffs and defendants making their own cases and not judges researching everything by themselves

[@DeGoya]

really funny joke

[@abiodun5180]

I don’t think you’ve been keeping up with the series, perhaps you’re a new watcher. You’re actually meant to be the judge. The judge you see never really judges anything. The point is to pit two opposing sides of a story against one another. It’s as simple as that.

[@nishchay2487]

'Traditions change, and the way we choose to keep them alive says a lot about our values'. . 𝙎𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚.

[@calypso]

Liberals and commies trying to erase any tradition, what else is new

[@aab1254]

@@calypso The idea of liberals and commies "trying to erase any tradition" is laughable. Stop using liberals and commies as an insult and educate yourself on what "liberal/liberalism" and "communist/communism" actually means.

[@abhinavjha3082]

@@aab1254 I'm not surprised that people who say "libs/commies ruin the world through progress" don't even know the difference between the two

[@mr.rubycarnation8325]

It is very strong quote.

[@aarondt77]

As long as we dont forget the orgins of these traditions

[@Janthdanl]

I like that the only defense they had for celebrating Columbus Day was “cause we wanna”

[@Endgame707]

Christopher Columbus Never Existed he was a myth invented by England in 1641

[@SawBuii]

You clearly didn't listen to the video.

[@kevinboros7427]

Americans love shifting blame. They decided to attack Columbus Day so that they may have a scapegoat to point to when asked where the millions of natives on their territory went. This all sounds like a ploy to me. Instead of helping the natives by disbanding reservations and giving them at least some of their land back, they choose to blame one guy and hide behind the facade of "Indigenous People's Day" which just seems like a half hearted attempt to relate to the people that have been oppressed for centuries by the Americans (and still are). This, of course, applies to the Mexicans, Canadians and the rest too.

[@Janthdanl]

@@kevinboros7427 2 things can be true. Yes American colonists and subsequent Americans slaughtered natives and moved them to desolate reservations. And it is a crime against humanity that we should never stop addressing. But that doesn’t mean that Columbus should suddenly be celebrated. Just because one group of people destroyed natives and their culture doesn’t make another group of people doing the same thing any better. Your comment is utterly foolish.

[@ethanpetersen810]

@@Janthdanl I’m neutral on this matter but defenders’ of Columbus point is that while Columbus was a murderous enslaving tyrant, that’s not what’s celebrated and that’s not what Columbus Day is about. Columbus Day is celebrating how he was the first European of his era to discover that the Americas existed. Btw, “cause we wanna” is the reason for ALL celebrations. Celebrations don’t do anything except make us happy.

[@yodef6828]

I think it's pretty bad that he didn't mention the spread of diseases all over the continent, mostly suffered by the Mexicas, Mayans and Incas, which was the reason for all those deaths. And, the cultural integration of natives within Spanish and Portuguese territory. The genocide was carried on rather by British, French, Americans and other individuals who did it without asking the local ruler.

[@kingbaguette1843]

Mexico was not a thing yet my friend.

[@yodef6828]

@@kingbaguette1843 Mexico is a historic name given to that region by the native peoples, the country is named after the name the Aztecs called the region.

[@kingbaguette1843]

@@yodef6828 I am aware. Mexican as a concept did not exist before 1821 when the land which before was called New Spain gained its independence and was renamed Mexico. As for the Aztecs, they referred to themselves as Mexicas. A 16th century Aztec would be called a Mexica not a Mexican. A Mexican is someone who is a citizen of the nation state of Mexico. Important difference

[@yodef6828]

@@kingbaguette1843 Mexicas is exactly the word I used.

[@arkle519]

​@@kingbaguette1843he means Mesoamerica as a geographical and cultural region when he says Mexico

[@ShahStark]

The defense for Columbus is really poor....

[@WinstonKillDeath]

Robb_Stark because he's basically indefensible. The people who were in charge of the Spanish Inquisition were so horrified by his crimes they had him arrested.

[@ShahStark]

Winston_KillDeath I agree totally but why do this episode at all? The man is a monster.

[@WinstonKillDeath]

Robb_Stark because the prosecution was right.

[@spartan1010101]

because people actually believe some of the things the defense said which is sad and ignorant.

[@nathanwatches]

this time I am with the thin lawyer.

[@thomdoyle2149]

Why do they not mention the fact Columbus never made it to North America , the closest they believe he got was Cuba...

[@sarahmolina7819]

Yeh, I thought the same thing. Like he just made it to the Caribbean.

[@sofalso]

He did make it to continental America via today's Panama when he was pardoned by the Spaniard kings and given a ship to go loot some more

[@TheLocoUnion]

On his fourth voyage he hit Central America.

[@lct7192000]

He colonized the island of Hispañola basically what is Dominican Republic and Haiti today.

[@sarahmolina7819]

@@lct7192000 yes, I'm from Dominican Republic. For us that is 4th grade history

[@aarons.596]

If you interpret "discover" as "to take the cover off of something" then Columbus did just that since his voyages resulted in numerous European powers heading west. Regardless of who got there first, the end result was going to be the same; the natives had no chance against smallpox.

[@richardeast3328]

Exactly, people confuse the fact that something can be discovered more than once.

[@robertrichard6107]

The printed word didn't exist when the Vikings went back to Europe from North America. The scribes were part of the hierarchy controlling information.

[@tedzaremba1412]

Columbus as a man is not the issue . The voyage was the important thing because it brought the 2 halfs of the globe together. Maybe the most significant event in human history.

[@codieomeallain6635]

I do not think that the Natives really count as having known that the Americas were there. They knew they were on land of course but they did not really know what that meant in the sense that we do, even the Norse did not understand the importance of what the found; Columbus was the first person to see it who understood the significance of that land in a wider context which I think makes him the discoverer.

[@jimgaston9863]

@Doctah History I believe he thought he was in India to begin with,hence the name INDIANS.

[@catfood1788]

“Why is celebrating Columbus so important to you” Me: day off

[@jeffreygao3956]

Then have your cake and eat it too! Rename the holiday something like Crossover Day.

[@rupertpupkin1476]

“Because it’s tradition” has got to be one of the worst widely used arguments ever.

[@lolbit1232]

@Z82 like I get it.... and I believe there’s a place for the argument and I believe there’s not a place for the argument

[@fildariusv7045]

We can't forget our history, our traditions. There is an amazing book called “The Wall of Storms” made by Ken Liu. In it, there are discussions in that fictional world about philosophy and tradition. For example, maybe the way they used to live in another land has to change in this one, but the burial of the death? It may seem odd but that is tradition, we need to adapt and progress but not forget our roots, our origins

[@fildariusv7045]

K.G What they try to meant in this video is simillar to the problem with Genghis Khan. You can't just assume one part or the other, yes, Genghis killed MILLIONS but also created a massive empire that in time brought decades of peace, tolerance and economic prosperity. On the other hand, Coloumbus did all of those horrible things but you have to admire his determination to cross the oceans!

[@alphadown1670]

General F Decades of peace, tolerance, and economic prosperity sounds a lot better than “Determination”

[@alexsmith2910]

Appeal to tradition fallacy.

[@jman6866]

Lets not forget that Columbus died thinking he travelled to Asia, it was not until Amerigo Vespucci started mapping the area and realized it was not India but a whole New World, thanks to him we now call this continent "America".

[@michealkeene6185]

Actually this continent Is North America. America is a country not a continent

[@jman6866]

Micheal Keene I can tell you are from USA by your ignorant comment -_-

[@jman6866]

Micheal Keene Ever heard of the Americas.. It is separated in 3... North America, South America and Central America, all belonging to one big America or The Americas, which ever you prefer.

[@michealkeene6185]

+jman6866 Yes it is one big America, however the continent isn't America which you seem to know it's just the original comment says the continent

[@jman6866]

Micheal Keene In most countries you are taught America is the continent and N. America, S. America and C. America are it's subdivisions

[@conchimengibarrico3196]

It's intresting to see history from different viewpoints. The thing that disturbs the narration is the mention of the king of Spain when it was the Queen of Castille at that time married to the king of Aragon who decided to support Christopher Columbus.

[@thexalon]

The reason everyone thought Columbus was nuts was not because they thought the world was flat, but because Columbus was claiming that the world was about 12,000 miles around instead of the ~25,000 miles around they all knew it to be after Erastothenes did the math in around 350 BCE. It would be like someone saying they were going to get to the moon using a really big stepladder.

[@Child_Friendly_Child_I_Swear]

^^

[@generalamsel4743]

thexalon Thats is true but he didn't even really discovered continental America he only discovered a couple of islands in the Caribbean and he died before the Continents of North and South America were discovered by European's. also mind you by Discovered I mean that when European's found out they existed, people were living there already when European's first landed on them.

[@trevmac8362]

Yer analogy is away off..The circumference of the earth at the equator 'latitude' is about 24,900..which makes up approx 10% of the Earth's distance to the moon (approx 239,000 miles) The stepladder example is at the very least an over exaggeration and only someone who was nuts would agree with that.

[@thexalon]

Trev Mac You are obviously missing my point: Columbus' plan sounded just as crazy to the scientists of Europe.

[@trevmac8362]

oh okay

[@TheMedicatedArtist]

"Because it's tradition." America in a nutshell.

[@lokolm8004]

Columbus was much more than what these twats say. you should be happy America was not discovered by some arab or chinese

[@grimtastic6356]

The Chinese did sail along the west coast and sold the maps they made to the Europeans, Columbus used those maps to support his request for funding his expedition to find a way through the New World over to Asia.

[@bosscool4246]

I'm pretty sure Arab or Chinese would be better never heard of Arabs doing genocides on tribes

[@Ciscogrande]

Never heard of Arabs enslaving and committing genocide? Well now you will. Search the white genocide, the Arabs were actually the ones that have enslaved most people in History, even more than the black enslaved (by other African black kingdoms), and sold to Europeans to work in America. And I am not even talking about their continuous invasions over Europe for centuries. They had to be stopped in France, Spain, Italy, Greece... And the Ottomans even reached Wien.

[@bosscool4246]

First of all your way off topic if you actually read my comment I said Chinese and Arabs wouldn't genocide innocent tribes also where did you pull that bulkshit slave thing from in no way shape or form did Arabs have more saves than any Europeans please just leave don't respond with this bullshit anymore not going to argue with on things way off topic and has nothing to do with my comment

[@niranjanr8075]

Thanos: I wiped 50% of whatever life I knew Columbus: you were saying? Thanos: o__o

[@barel8741]

Thanos: I wiped 50% of whatever life I knew Colombus: "You gotta pump those numbers up, those are rookie numbers"

[@yoroshikuonegaishimasu8649]

@@barel8741 columbus doesnt wipe out nothing... Most native americans died from diseases

[@barel8741]

@@yoroshikuonegaishimasu8649 nah bro, they literally enslaved, killed, rap3d, tortured and beaten, and when they got the deases, the american just left them alone, tell me how in shor span of time 90% is dead??

[@yoroshikuonegaishimasu8649]

@@barel8741 which Americans? You mean the slaughter of Native Americans in North America? Colon never came to northamerica nor was he alive at that time. the spanish did not kill most of the indigenous people, they only subdued them.

[@thecapitalist4560]

@@yoroshikuonegaishimasu8649 Europeans brought those diseases in the Columbian Exchange. Unlike the Europeans the natives had little to no immunity. Imagine someone with covid walking up to you and coughing on you. Not very pleasent is it.

[@RealMattHaney]

From what I have read, Columbus was initially friendly and then left crew in the Americas and returned to Spain. Then on his subsequent return to the Americas found the crew had started raiding and enslaving natives. He ultimately went along with it himself and perpetuated it. It is not better, but as I understand he did not actually enslave the first people he met there. That said, it is incredibly sad. Often seems like most of the history of humanity is sad. 😞

[@tomassmith1519]

Thats's not hisyorically acurrate (completly?

[@thomassenbart]

Columbus did not ultimately go along with enslaving the natives as you say. He sent some 500 POWs back to Spain in chains. These were captives taken from the hostilities that ensued upon the return of Columbus and his discovery of the killing of all his men left behind. War ensued, the natives lost and 500 of them were taken prisoner and treated as was the custom at the time...slavery.

[@lostbladder]

@@tomassmith1519 Even the often quoted statement referenced in this video where Columbus apparently states something along the lines of, "These people are innocent and would make good servants." is a misquote of multiple layers of translations from a journal that might not even be genuine. The full quote and more accurate translation is that the people are intelligent and would make good servants... to Christ. He was speaking of conversion, not enslavement. I recommend a video by "Knowing Better" on youtube titled something like "In Defense of Columbus." It's a good video. I don't particularly like the channel owner though. He pretends to be a moderate but is not. A moderate is in the middle. He holds views of the left and right on different subjects. He is mixed politically, not a moderate.

[@tomassmith1519]

@@lostbladder Well I guess we can all agree that this guy was not exaclty good, but a lot of lies where made up about him

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@lostbladder Well I find the Knowing Better guy likeable.

[@neurosynchron]

"Celebrating genocide" Thanksgiving: Am I a joke to you?

[@shady8045]

Fizz Atomic I thought thanksgiving. Celebrated when the native Americans prevented settlers from starving to death in Plymouth, probably something they would regret latter tbh

[@noahjohnson935]

Thanksgiving was the light in the darkness of colonialism. The "Pilgrims", who are more accurately called Sepratists, held up their end of the bargain on the treaties and was genuinely friendly with the natives. The later Puritans were the ones who disregarded the treaties put in place and activly persecuted the Natives, and influenced the grandchildren of the settlers of Plymouth to do the same. It is celebrating the time we could get along despite differences in culture and religion, before all of that was changed with religious fanaticism.

[@noahjohnson935]

@M T how is celebrating one of the few times Native Americans and Europeans saw eye to eye wrong?

[@iamkulit1cs735]

Thanksgiving was the peaceful time, the genocide was later. but still yeah

[@mkplant1012]

I don't think you guys understand the actual history of Thanksgiving XD

[@ajduong]

Next should be "History Vs Winston Churchill". While he did lead Britain against the Nazis during WWII, he committed failures (like Gallipoli, a major military disaster) and atrocities (like the Bengal famine, one of the worst incidences in human history) that are often brushed aside.

[@pastamaniac6794]

Incog Elbowtross he didn't cause the Bengal famine

[@mickeyman9431]

Incog Elbowtross he just did not help

[@pastamaniac6794]

@@mickeyman9431 he tried to help but there were complications.

[@adamkeasey655]

He did not try at all, he blamed the Bengalis for "breeding like rabbits". Churchill was a tyrant.

[@pastamaniac6794]

@@adamkeasey655 he tried but he couldn't feed them. Canada offered wheat but Canada would've had to travel all the Pacific. It would've taken months and there was danger of Japanese attack. He wanted Australia to help because at least it would take weeks, but Australia tried it's best. And there's no document or recording of him saying that.

[@aduck5639]

You can absolutely discover a place people are already living. Kids discover things that everyone else already knows all the time. Columbus, Leif Erikson, and probably early chinese explorers each discovered the americas *from the perspective of the old world cultures*. This is still the correct use of the word, and is still accurate given how the body of our accumulated knowledge came to understand the american continents. Columbus was horrible, and not the first to visit the americas, but he really was the catalyst that brought back VERIFIABLE information about it which catalyzed expedition and colonization. I'm just tired of this worn out point about "discovery" that's wrong from the beginning.

[@gamerstheater1187]

I've also heard about Romans settling in America

[@Carolinablue78JS]

Links to historical facts or references would be a plus.

[@ariefraiser140]

Between CPG Grey and this channel I've learned more about history than all my k-12 years combined.

[@lokolm8004]

you learned what they wanted you to learn and they are not very honest people.

[@myrkwise1281]

+Lok Olm That's just your opinion

[@theoyoung5410]

I know right

[@rahnbruce8365]

+Haunted Melon It's a true opinion, though. Those who set up the school board's education specifically re-word things or leave certain things out to keep us ignorant of certain things. _Many_ of my teachers have even told me that the things they're teaching are oftentimes biased and some things are falsified.

[@myrkwise1281]

I was talking about Lok Olm

[@LordCHull]

"You are going to hear a lot in school about European 'explorers' and colonists. Now as adults you will realize these men were basically genocidal lunatics, but for now enjoy thinking about them as thrilling adventurers and discoverers." - John Oliver

[@LordCHull]

+U PC Bro? At least I'm not the base of centuries of exploitation and oppression, I just benefit greatly from it. :D What's up your ass?

[@conde6077]

I guess this is why I have never heard of John Oliver

[@LordCHull]

Puglous Sure; let's forget the Scramble for Africa, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Spanish Conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, the Opium Wars, the Genocide in the Belgium Congo, or European Imperialism in general. Let's pretend that no one ever has done anything bad in history. Just because a few men opposed or did not add to it does not make centuries of exploitation any less real. History isn't built by a few men, it merely blames them.

[@johnny4president145]

+Chandler Hull Seeing this kind of comments is just frustrating, I will copy and paste a comment i just made to not repeat the same shit again: DO NOT BELIEVE THIS SHIT IT IS AL PURE BULLSHIT! Colombus didn't do any of the atrocities mentioned above, in fact you are quoting something he said in 1508, colombus actually died in 1506. This is a huge misinformation. The conquest of America began after his death, colombus didn't even know he had found a new continent. Americo Vespuccio was actually the one to realize that what columbus had discovered was actually another continent. Also he didn't search for a new route because it was faster, in fact, going to america was far more slower. The trade route to eastern asia was blocked, therefore countries tried to go through new routes in order to get to eastern asia, for example portuguese went south, to south africa and then north again going through the indic ocean. Columbus decided to go around the globe. All the atrocities and deaths you mention weren't columbus fault, he just spread the word that there was a new way to get to asia, in fact, he traded gold with the natives, he didn't stole anything or used natives as slaves. Invasions started in 1511 so i don't know how bartolome de las casas wrote in 1494 about slavery mines and all that stuff. In latin america we call it "dia de la rasa" not because colombus is a jerk, but because colombus arrival represents the first mixture between different races. However, after his death, conquerors DID all those atrocities mentioned, but colombus had nothing to do, and if your argument is something like "Because he (notice the inverted commas) "discovered" America, the conquerors knew about america and killed many natives" well then that is like saying that Hitlers grandmother is responsible for the holocaust. Damn that fucking granny is responsible for us getting in this shit

[@popc5245]

+U PC Bro? cultural marxism and sjw, trump!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@thexdude]

Hypothesis: Columbus explored what we now call the Caribbean and Central/South America. His voyages landed him in Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and places just north of Panama. He also explored the northernmost type of South America. Most people tried to take the natives as slaves anyway, since slavery was a very big business in 1492 and was used to make money from harvesting crops. Perhaps Columbus was just a normal guy who made a big deal of his journeys and made WIDESPREAD knowledge of the New World.

[@kingofgamez_9695]

Well your are half correct he popularized his findings for throughout europe but the rest of the world already knew of americas existence

[@thexdude]

@@kingofgamez_9695 I suppose so. There were plenty of Canadian settlements, and several Mayan and tribal cities all over the mainland. I suppose perhaps he made the knowledge of Cuba and the Bahamas possible? I don't know for sure :P

[@alexandredesouza3692]

"A hero in one era might become a villain in the next" He was already considered a villain in his era. To be fair, Columbus Day was created by Italian Americans in order to combat discrimination against them by other Euro-Americans, since saying "Columbus discovered America" made Italians seem more american by proxy. So, even if you want to keep celebrating "Columbus Day", you can appreciate the struggle against discrimination instead of the genesis of it.

[@addictionsucks8848]

Not quite, it was established by Harrison after the lynching of 5 (I think it was 5) Italian Americans in New Orleans. In order to help the relationship between America, Italy, and the immigrants from Italy, they named they day after Columbus. Of course, Columbus wasn't actually from Italy. He was technically born In Genoa, which at the time was independent. It only became part of Italy well after his death. I'm still with you though about it being against discrimination ironically.

[@thadsul]

Italian-americans not being euro-americans... everytime I think Im understanding how people in the US classify themselves, I hear something new

[@alexandredesouza3692]

@@thadsul I said "by Other Euro-Americans". Pay attention.

[@thadsul]

@@alexandredesouza3692 you are right. I read it twice and missed it. My bad

[@alexandredesouza3692]

@@thadsul It's cool.

[@humbleinfinity1502]

"Wait, am I even supposed to be at work today?" Man, I can relate to that judge.

[@BeaverChainsaw]

Me in 2018:am i ev3n supposed to be in school today?

[@pisces2569]

humbleinfinity he's the real victim here

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Me too

[@JustMe-xp6pl]

@@BeaverChainsaw Me in 2022: Am I even supposed to be alive at this point?

[@juanignaciodecarlofadu6304]

0:06 when you are trying to teach things about colombus but your mom is sleeping next door

[@louis-philippegirard7608]

Haha

[@malachirasheed]

Bots.

[@spidergoblin.]

I don't get it

[@xsenate1737]

@@spidergoblin. Because he is speaking low tone voice so he won’t wake up her mom , I believe so?

[@user-fk1nw5qb4f]

true

[@pizzahut9835]

was he a bad person: yes should he be forgotten: no

[@pangaeaproximap.p4408]

Should there be statue$ of him: no

[@grassytramtracks]

and the bad things about him are precisely why he should be remembered, both great and terrible people in history should be remembered

[@Storifiedyt]

That pretty much summed it up

[@murph_mustela]

@@pangaeaproximap.p4408 I think there can be, just in certain contexts. For example, in a museum. But not ones celebrating him as an individual to admire or look up to. Because he was not.

[@sonofsanto]

@@pangaeaproximap.p4408 yes*

[@amalantonywilson4599]

''You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"

[@laurabrand6167]

Colombo was never a hero to begin with, he lived bad and after he died got worse

[@maximmichailov5081]

@@laurabrand6167 I guess you're an Indian then

[@lascellesellis5293]

He died a villain, then he was made a hero post-humous in the 20th century out of convenience then those darn primary sources came back and yeeted him back into villain status..... where he belongs.

[@Plainsburner]

@@lascellesellis5293 Was actually late 1800s that the holiday was started, after a very public mass lynching of Italians, became a source of pride for the Italian Americans of the time. The sources on Columbus also vary, as most of the sources used nowadays were from his political opponents of the time. So its like learning about Hillary Clinton from a book written by Trump.

[@mikepjersey]

@@lascellesellis5293 primary sources? You mean by his political opponents?

[@987jof]

Columbus convinced the Queen of Castille, not the King of Spain as Spain didn't politically exist yet.

[@NotRealName]

Mac McJof 1

[@melodyclark1944]

He was sent in the name of the Crown of Castile, Isabel's kingdom. Spain was a de facto nation under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, but it wasn't a de jure nation until 16 January 1716 with the last of the Nueva Planta decrees.

[@franznarf]

Welcome to KZbin culture

[@desireepetitdemurat8660]

With that statement they were just portraying what they used to teach at schools which was incorrect, just as most of the other concepts about Columbus.

[@Plainsburner]

@@desireepetitdemurat8660 Not incorrect, just derived from different lights. Columbus' friends often wrote about him being friendly and an advocate of the natives, while his opponents wrote the opposite.

[@oskarrmason1481]

Actually did you know that 398 years after the Norse Vikings and Leif Eriksson's voyage's in 1000 AD, in 1398 Scottish-Norwegian Nobleman, Henry Sinclair lead a Knights Templar sponsored expedition to what is now today Nova Scotia and Massachusetts 94 years before Columbus and the European Colonisation of North America in 1492.

[@jeffreygao3956]

I guess they just never bragged about it.

[@MankindDiary]

And what did it cause? Nothing? Then it was great finding for sure! It's like saying ancient Greeks discovered steam power.

[@ikesteroma]

This video makes a huge mistake in articulating the history of the Spanish conquest. I’m not one to try and defend anything virtuous of how the Europeans handled themselves when they landed on the American continent, but everyone needs to understand that what killed the vast majority of the indigenous people in America was disease. Not conquest. In 1492, nobody really understood germ theory all that well. Prior to this event, the Europeans had dealt with one horrific plague after another, and this lead to a population that was largely immune to many different horrific diseases. By the time the Europeans showed up to America, ANY contact with the native cultures would have led to millions of people dying all over the western hemisphere. This video makes absolutely no mention of this. What a sham.

[@ikesteroma]

***** You would be correct. Explaining this phenomena is interesting. I highly recommend the book Guns, Germs and Steel which goes into great depth on this issue. I don't agree with all the conclusions of the author, but he did hit on some points that were a real eye-opener.

[@brandondriver1377]

+Ike Evans You're right that disease killed most of the natives, but lets not forget where that disease came from. Smallpox, typhus, and other diseases were introduced from Europe. Earlier people dind't have a full understanding of germ theory, but they had a loose understanding of it: person A comes into contact with person B, Person B gets sick. Person A notices that people related to person B get sick when they conact their possessions. Columbus didn't directly kill all these natives, but the people he brought (and spurred to come over) indirectly killed them.

[@ikesteroma]

Brandon Driver Once the Europeans set foot on the New World, they were immediately endangering the lives of almost everyone one the western hemisphere. How was this to ever be avoided?

[@brandondriver1377]

Ike Evans Maybe it was unavoidable. The New World was going to be discovered and exploited eventually. The natives didnt have the technology to fend off the Europeans and neither did the natives that were killed by the future US govt. This futility of outcomes doesnt change my criticism of Columbus. He was the first domino.

[@ikesteroma]

Brandon Driver Isn't it interesting that this video makes absolutely no mention of germ theory? If I were an ignoramous, I would assume that Columus et al. massacred the natives with the edge of their swords by the information presented in this video, like Nazi's on steroids. Yeah, the Spanish were bad, but not THAT bad. Failing to mention that the real tragedy of Columbus was an accident of natural selection is a demonstration of historical revisionism that I suspect is driven by an agenda of white guilt.

[@mahdiskamalipur7258]

Could you please tell me about the sources you used? I've got a presentation for my 13.grade and I need this sources to prepare it. And thank you for the video, I love it. ✨

[@TCM1231]

Source: political rival and man who usurped power from him and got him arrested. A source which Columbus said was viscous libel to the day he died.

[@Arsija_duh]

I will write a class test about that and I haven’t learnt for this class test yet. I’m German and have to write a class test in english, I could cry

[@combatgirl38]

Do not source from here. These are continuations of lies

[@Arsija_duh]

@@combatgirl38 I go a 5+( E+), because I was ill, when I wrote this class test. And I could concentrate.

[@ditasorcullo8680]

First video where I agree with the thin lawyer lol

[@jaded8578]

same

[@opinionatedarsehole6495]

Well it's wrong anyway

[@ryanjapan3113]

Albert _ FKS what about the lenin video?

[@MIloszKluski]

I agree with him every single time.

[@viettungnguyen940]

Same

[@Derpasaurusrex1]

"Equality is important guys! You know, if you can pay for it!" - Americans

[@jonreed7104]

Derpasaurusrex1 haaa

[@mrdorn542]

Derpasaurusrex1 when? because Columbus was Spanish

[@Derpasaurusrex1]

Uh...no he wasn't.

[@mrdorn542]

Derpasaurusrex1 He wasn't?

[@Derpasaurusrex1]

Italian

[@mirandhuhhh33]

I really appreciate the comment at the very end. As always, thank you for the video!

[@gillipop1]

"Actually, he was pretty bad even by old standards." Well, any respect or benefit of the doubt for this man has now disintegrated.

[@Vraptor1]

Why are you so mad at a historical fact? You know Columbus was condemned even by Spanish nobles right?

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

I can think of several other Italians who are far more deserving of celebration than Colombus. Why not celebrate Galileo or da Vinci? Or change it to Amerigo Day for Amerigo Vespucci, since America's name is derived from his.

[@johnny4president145]

+Phil Lewis Seeing this kind of comments is just frustrating, I will copy and paste a comment i just made to not repeat the same shit again: DO NOT BELIEVE THIS SHIT IT IS AL PURE BULLSHIT! Colombus didn't do any of the atrocities mentioned above, in fact you are quoting something he said in 1508, colombus actually died in 1506. This is a huge misinformation. The conquest of America began after his death, colombus didn't even know he had found a new continent. Americo Vespuccio was actually the one to realize that what columbus had discovered was actually another continent. Also he didn't search for a new route because it was faster, in fact, going to america was far more slower. The trade route to eastern asia was blocked, therefore countries tried to go through new routes in order to get to eastern asia, for example portuguese went south, to south africa and then north again going through the indic ocean. Columbus decided to go around the globe. All the atrocities and deaths you mention weren't columbus fault, he just spread the word that there was a new way to get to asia, in fact, he traded gold with the natives, he didn't stole anything or used natives as slaves. Invasions started in 1511 so i don't know how bartolome de las casas wrote in 1494 about slavery mines and all that stuff. In latin america we call it "dia de la rasa" not because colombus is a jerk, but because colombus arrival represents the first mixture between different races. However, after his death, conquerors DID all those atrocities mentioned, but colombus had nothing to do, and if your argument is something like "Because he (notice the inverted commas) "discovered" America, the conquerors knew about america and killed many natives" well then that is like saying that Hitlers grandmother is responsible for the holocaust. Damn that fucking granny is responsible for us getting in this shit

[@Johnny-rx4hs]

johnny4president Hitler's grandmother didn't demand gold from the inhabitants of Hispaniola. Colombus is far from spotless, but you choose to ignore what he actually did on those islands. Go look up "La monteria infernal" for just one example.

[@TheAztecGamer123]

+johnny4president I'll listen to you bullshit when they make a day for fucking Hitler Like I said on another comment you made

[@rogeriopenna9014]

+Phil Lewis because Amerigo never even visited North America. Amerigo Vespucci explored SOUTH AMERICA and in fact, in the first time the continent was named after him, in the Waldsemüller Map, the word AMERICA was written over SOUTH AMERICA.

[@siddhantsharma7728]

+Phil Lewis Da Vinci and Galileo should be celebrated. More importantly Galileo he got tortured and executed just so we could know that Earth revolved around Sun.

[@arjunnarasimhan1558]

"Wait am I supposed to even be at work today?" That put a smile on my face

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Lol I love it

[@mousethatroared1213]

Our government gotta make up reasons for days off, otherwise we wouldn't have any.

[@davidcaaveiro]

Colombus convinced the queen of Castille (there was no Spain yet)

[@josechacon2472]

Well, the dinastic union between Fernando and Isabel, the Catholic Kings, can indeed be considered the very beginnings of the concept of "Spain"

[@Finkiu]

@@josechacon2472 But who funded his trip was Castile, not Spain.

[@suziecreamcheese211]

Or India.

[@Alsahur]

@@josechacon2472 The concept of Spain goes way back to the Visigoths.

[@cclemonb1222]

"Educated people knew the world was round since Aristotle." Me: searching for a flat-earther comment I can't find.

[@imandan1966]

Go to CPAC website

[@sulli1189]

Didn't the people in Spain think that the world was larger than Christopher predicted? Not that it was physically flat? The Greeks knew better than to say the world was flat... I remember this whole thing very differently than you propose so I'm a bit skeptical...

[@MultiDiarmuid]

You have it backwards. Christopher Columbus incorrectly thought the world was more than half the size of what was known at that time. If the Americas did not exist, everyone in his voyage would have likely died at sea.

[@sulli1189]

Columbus was working with the known world map (or old world map) which as both of us said, is less than the predicted size of the Earth by the Spanish officials, so, yes the voyage was predicted to kill the crew. Though I'm wonder why we still teach this version were Columbus is the only person to have thought that the world was round. cX again, the Greeks knew the Earth was round back in the bronze age. Why do we keep bending history around?

[@MultiDiarmuid]

Sulli11 The old world map was actually fairly accurate when it came to the size of the Earth. It was Christopher Columbus who was claiming that the Earth was much smaller than it actually is.

[@sulli1189]

WE SAID THIS FOUR TIMES NOW. cX I can't help but laugh, we are on the same page.

[@MultiDiarmuid]

Sulli11 I think I figured out your comment now. I thought you were claiming the Spanish didn't know the size of the world and that Columbus predicted the right size.

[@theeNappy]

I hate the "you can't judge historical figure X by the standards of today" argument, because you can. You have to understand their motives within their own historical context obviously, but I reject the carte blanche of "they just didn't know any better back then, so that makes it ok" entirely. It's not like the idea that people don't want to be killed or enslaved is radically new or unique to the modern era.

[@TCM1231]

Ignorance must be bliss huh?

[@pawepawlak7066]

Such an amazing series

[@elvinbi1367]

The one problem with this is that the good guy has mostly wrong info and the bad guy has completely correct info. This is why you need reliable sources

[@justtheletterV274]

They're not just bad and good guys they're the prosecutor and the defendant.

[@ExpiditionWild]

How would you even know that

[@jonloder]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX-aomiogt-di5I

[@afreewatermeloneee2395]

Wait.... Cholombus didn't find North America. He only found islands

[@aaron.h6660]

Yeah, he found islands, he didn't find anything in America. History teachers lied to you.

[@gogglez.]

RNG The Islands are part of the Americas

[@cadduceusmapping4962]

Not exactly, in his 3rd voyage he managed to arrive in Belize, so he arrived to mainland Americ

[@georgecross4100]

A free Watermeloneee That’s still the continent of North America

[@baso4029]

Your teacher are brainwashing you

[@blancagomezvazquez7523]

Most people think that the Spanish empire killed all the people or subjected them to slavery. But I need to mention that, though a find it absolutely awful, When America was colonized the kingdom of Castile declared that the people from the Americas were inhabitants of the kingdom of Castile and that they should not be treated as slaves. The kingdom created systems in which the Americans were not exploited and instead they brought Africans (which is awful) for working in the field. Most of the religious communities that settle in America were Jesuists, a religious community that has always brought culture, education. I am not defending the imposition of another culture over other, but that we cannot judge the colonization of 1492 as a colonization or conquest that can happen today, as they did not have the same morale as we have (or we should have) nowadays

[@ccdiez8326]

yes those lovely Jesuits tortured and killed thousands in the conversion process to Christianity, the only culture they brought was Catholicism which still has Latin america fkd up to this day

[@chanceDdog2009]

Of course we should condemn the actions of Spaniards of 1492 with today's morality. Ignorance of morality is not justification to act immoral. If i steal from your home and give it to my children. Your children would have 100% moral grounds to claim what was taken from you. Regardless if my children knew of what i did . Regardless if my children claim that i was a man of my time. People like Columbus definitely change history but we should make it clear the ends do not justify the means. He was a horrible human being. Historians need to stop being offended by that...

[@chanceDdog2009]

And yes i read the part where you say you are not defending Spaniards. But your entire first paragraph says otherwise.

[@LadialecticaLadialectica]

Chance Whistler Nobody in Spain have “all that gold from Americas”... in fact at the end of the XIX century there were countries in latinamerica richer than Spain. That typical latin american mentality is irrational.

[@prigual2901]

@@ccdiez8326 Have you not seen the movied The Mision ? the Jesuits were quiete good and opened many universities in Hispanic-America. Then, your sentence is not right

[@lbsummer7921]

He discovered and documented the route. Christopher Columbus is a hero. This video is pretty deceptive.

[@craigtucker6969]

Do you stan twice

[@lbsummer7921]

@@craigtucker6969 not sure I know what ya mean homie.

[@craigtucker6969]

I mean the girl group called twice you should check out their new song talk that talk

[@someperson7635]

2:34 Columbus didn't write in his journal about enslaving the natives. It says that in the English transcription, however it wasn't translated perfectly from Spanish. In the Italian transcript of Columbus's journal, he says that the natives would be good servants of God rather than slaves.

[@TheConarai]

...who he enslaved.

[@Plainsburner]

@@TheConarai Not personally, he advocated in fair trade with the natives, which probably includes slaves. Native tribes of that era did have their own slaves, but the trade wasn't as pronounced back then. The biggest omission of this video is that the statements in 3:46 were made by his political opponents to try and get his governorship removed. The guy who wrote it ended up taking the position.

[@georgefaseemo3254]

The arguments to Columbus's side were sounding like they came straight from Donald trump.

[@accountofhumanity9747]

+George Faseemo I like the fries

[@Ajax1984]

+George Faseemo Something makes me think Trump and Columbus would be great pals.

[@georgefaseemo3254]

***** Lol

[@noveseth2863]

This made my day

[@stefanosgro2067]

+George Faseemo well, "he was a man of his time" is pretty much as good as it gets, but you can't really be too pissed at a sailor because he was an awful governor

[@RandolfLycan]

It's not quite accurate to use the "a hero in one era may become a villain in the next" metaphor for Columbus, not because they were ok with what he did. It's because they were unaware. What he did was bad for any era.

[@imheretojest2826]

Well, yeah. That’s the point. The quote isn’t saying he was an actual hero, it’s pointing out that he was VIEWED as one

[@fairyblu6929]

It actually is accurate casuw the whole point if that statement is to show how different perspectives from different eras affect major historical figures. Someone who could have been genuinely good for the world will be viewed as a villain due to inaccurate and biased statements and someone who is all around horrible would've been viewed as a hero because of the mindset if the people during the era they were alive. Which is pretty much what happened with Christopher. He was a villain in all eras. But that doesn't mean he was VIEWED as a villain in all eras.

[@travian821]

He wasnt bad

[@rodster811]

Correction Columbus by definition did discover. Also saying that some people knew the earth wasn't flat. Doesn't negate that there were still people who believed otherwise.

[@yourroyalchungusness]

Judge: "am i supposed to be at work today?" Prosecutor: " yes your honor" Idk if prosecutor can forced the judge to go to work

[@OktoberStorm]

Hang on, no-one believed the world was flat in the 1400s.

[@khanzheng647]

Except for Christian

[@franzluggin398]

No, they didn't. It was a stereotype that came up during the Renaissance and later eras, but research implies it was nothing more than people trying to call other people stupid. Like saying "Americans think Belgium is a city." as a European. Actually, Christian Scholast Thomas Aquinus who was a very influential theologian in the 13th century used the Earth being round as a fact that everyone can agree on as a metaphor in his works. You just usually do not write down what you think everybody already knows if writing is so expensive per page.

[@Atlas-pn6jv]

The ancient Greeks thought the earth was disk-shaped. There was a body of water that constituted the middle (the Mediterranean), a disk of land surrounding that body of water (Europe, the Near East, and Africa), and more water surrounding the land.

[@franzluggin398]

+Atlas Broadshoulder It was an early Greek belief that can be seen in works like Homer's, but as early as the 6th century BC Pythagoras' circle of mystics claimed otherwise, with Aristotle finally making these discoveries more widely accepted in the 4th c. BC. Classical Greece embraced the theory of a spherical Earth.

[@mainestategop]

Hardly anyone believed that except pagans and the very uneducated. Only one theologian surmised it was flat, a Greek monk named Cosmas who was never taken seriously. The issue was that it was bigger than Columbus said it would and the trip would take too long.

[@Zsnakeoo]

awwwww, you forgot to say he was using babies to feed dogs. :(

[@andyfoster8011]

pretty much watch Ramsay Snow and then you have how Columbus probably behaved

[@yotamkaspi8508]

Have any sources for that? Because that sounds like an exaggerated demonization

[@June28July]

The link provided by that Huffington Post article says nothing about babies being used to feed dogs.

[@Zsnakeoo]

Ctrl+F is your friend man.

[@June28July]

Ludovic Pasqualini I know and I didn't find it.

[@maapauu4282]

'Our grandparents and great-grandparents the chance to move here and start a better life' me, a kiwi: Huh?

[@maapauu4282]

@@zahste1442 I meant Kiwi as in New Zealander, not Kiwifruit, oh well though!

[@cclipxd]

Thanks for this very helpful for my schoolwork.

[@MonachusRex]

"he found something better than India". LOL

[@harmanjotsingh4230]

@S K on the contrary seems you are the one triggered Get a joke and a life

[@scrubs3050]

@S K How is he triggered? He just laughed at the joke.

[@svstudios6196]

@S K he wasn't triggered he was just joking

[@km-1867]

@@harmanjotsingh4230 crazy deluded guy he is🤦‍♂️

[@diprajitdas9749]

@Sleep Walker why coz they're smarter than you?😂

[@dangernoodle8207]

I had to come back & watch this video as people are destroying his statues.

[@dangernoodle8207]

omnivore gains I don’t disagree, id like to point out both sides of his history should be taught. What he achieved was impressive especially for the time, but also he did a lot of horrible things. That should also be condemned. You can’t erase history but instead you should learn from it. In regards of the statues. I have no problem seeing them come down, I would like to see it voted on or partitioned etc. However what’s happening whether I like the statues or not, is a felony & criminal. Kowtowing to the mob only emboldens them. And I cannot get behind that, even if I do agree with why it’s being torn down.

[@gussguss3059]

HAHAHAHHAH Lack of reading!

[@vonndevera]

Danger Noodle they should keep them in museums for historical purposes and not in the streets.

[@dangernoodle8207]

Vonn De Vera I could agree to that.

[@matthewcollins4764]

Yes when people say preserve history they can read several well written books and in twenty years looks at the remains of statues in museums

[@snakecharmer109]

This dude's voice gives me life

[@henrytims4745]

It’s worth noting that a vast amount of the accusation against Columbus were levied against him by his successor. It’s possible it was exaggerated for political gain.

[@Shottamanrambo]

It was also recorded by a Pope who was a first hand witness lol

[@barnyal]

@@Shottamanrambo Please give references. I don't recall ever hearing of a pope hanging out with Columbus

[@OttoMattak]

The pope? Lmao. Please elaborate.

[@valentins.2637]

"Knowing better" did an awesome job at covering this topic!

[@redwallzyl]

Actually they did a terrible job. Why uses google translate on 15th century Spanish? It's all badly researched apologism.

[@hbadge22]

How can you watch both videos and this this one is more convincing? My children are be brainwashed at school because of people like you. They are learning about the 58 genders in science AND english class...

[@redwallzyl]

@@hbadge22 Might be because I have a friend that can natively read Spanish and has read the original documents and is an expert on the history of the Americas. Might also be my university education on the subjects.

[@mgoblueapk]

@@redwallzyl Where did you get your degree from ITT tech? Because Columbus original journal does not exist. All that there is are copies based on Bartolome de Las Casas translation.

[@franciscoabreu4893]

Strategos Redwald I’m a native Spanish speaker and I love history, Knowing Better did well at translating what actually was said.

[@barrydalton4743]

Never cared much for Colombus day, now I care even less.

[@billyjohns2113]

He is a hero

[@luigigaudelli6435]

@@billyjohns2113 i don't think after watch this video i don't think christopher columbus was an hero

[@SleepDaMouse-xd8dn]

Luigi Gaudelli which part exactly? :3

[@Javier-lw7ts]

You should care. It is one of the most important moments of human history.

[@luigigaudelli6435]

@@SleepDaMouse-xd8dn the title of this video is "History vs Christopher Columbus"after i watch this video look i like Christopher Columbus but after this video i doubt about that

[@The88Cheat]

"Tribal warfare was sporadic and limited." I highly doubt that. Humans have always fought each other. Why would anyone think that North and South American natives were any different?

[@joseluisnietoenriquez6122]

The verb "discover" comes from latin, and it means "to uncover what's covered". So Columbus did discover the americas from the point of view of the europeans, because they didn't know it existed. You don't have to be the first to know about an infidelity, to actually discover an infidelity. Secondly, a lot of natives died of diseases, which was an unintentional effect, because people didn't know about diseases as much as we now know. I'm mexican, and I don't keep any grudges towards Columbus or the spaniards. If they wouldn't have come, someone else would have eventually: the chinese, the arabs, the vikings, the british... anyone else...

[@reachandler3655]

You do realise that Vikings were from Europe...

[@MrMirville]

Even from a strictly European point of view he didn't disclose anything. He failed to recognized the islands he toured and pillaged as part of a continent, and moreover that must be insisted upon the Basque fishers had been using the shores of Newfoundland for their fishing expeditions for centuries : they knew the place better but they were tied by corporate secret. There were a few voyages occurring now and then between Europe and Mexico (called also Merico) but you were not supposed to break the professional secret. Columbus was an ignoramus among most of his contemporaries. He had the gold to do it and he did it without knowing what he was doing except for the prospect of bringing back more gold.

[@joseluisnietoenriquez6122]

@@MrMirville Despise all of what you're saying it's correct to say he discovered The Americas, at least, when speaking spanish. Because that was the language he spoke with the kings in Spain, also latin. Maybe it sounds weird in english, but it's correct in spanish. And yeah, he was a shady character with a lot of bad stuff in his life, but it's correct to say in spanish that he discovered The Americas for the people in Spain. English speaking people just got lost in translation, and in the new hate you people have for him. Maybe a better translation for you would be: He found some land despise not being the first, and he told the people in Spain, which eventually led to uncover what it was and eventually got named The Americas... But that's not as catchy, and it's redundant in spanish.

[@lolilla85]

He didn't convince the King of Spain, he convinced the Queen of Castile. The video is not accurate at all. Indigenous people were put into reservations by English settlers in North América, not in SA. They were not enslaved. Spaniards married indigenous women.

[@ButIamAStick]

In Colombus time yes, but Queen Isabel was so horroriside about it that imprision him and her grandchild King Carlos I/V make the encomienda to teach them.

[@episdosas9949]

The Spanish did enslave natives. And Brazil was one of the last nations to end legal slavery. All the European colonialist are war criminals.

[@atencioatotselsestupids9063]

Valmar Hispaniae Brazil was,under the Spanish Kings such as Filipe II,Filipe III and Filipe IV when they controlled Portugal

[@samuelmeek8728]

@@episdosas9949 Wasn't Brazil a Portuguese colony?

[@PlainShane00]

caRCH yeah queen Isabel technically had most of the power. King Ferdinand of course still had some power but the queen controlled diplomacy and the economy. And something else too. She held the real power. Also I think the defendant was terrible at providing his argument

[@PanzerMan332]

Actually, Christopher Columbus didn't say the natives would make good slaves. The full quote says that the natives would make good Christians and servants. With this context, you can easily make the connection that he meant good servants of Christ, not himself. And he didn't write about how he could easily conquer and enslave them, he wrote about how easily he could hold the island under Spanish control while he left to return for Spain. He never mentions slavery. You're thinking about subjugation, which is different from slavery. Under subjugation, they would be under Spanish rule and brought into the feudal system. Yes, they would be forced to work for the crown, but they would still be free men and women. Nobody would own them. Nor could they be bought or sold. And he also tortured and mutilated his own Spaniards for not bringing in enough gold. And he didn't sell women into slavery, he only commented about the practice in one of his letters. In fact, he looked down on it, hence why he tortured Spaniards who were doing it. And most importantly of all, all the information we have about Columbus is from a transcribed journal that has been translated into English. Everything Columbus "says" in that journal is not 1:1 exactly what he said. You should take everything that someone cites from his journal with a grain of salt, because he likely didn't say it like that. Including me. Make your own conclusions and don't be a mindless twit.

[@readingnerd1]

Yuck

[@lady_phantom_]

You speak well and I agree with you but Christopher was actually Portuguese so he couldn't return there since he lived in Portugual, Lisbon

[@babart7342]

he was italian actually, he was born in genoa italy , and died in valladoid spain

[@parad4034]

What sources did you get this information from. You too Mufasa if you read this I just want to compare them.

[@THE-MAD-TECHIE]

Actually he does in a direct quote from a letter he wrote to Luis De Sant Angel he says that if the King and Queen wish he can send them "as many slaves as they choose to send for, all heathens." Earlier in the letter it is clear the heathens are the native population. He later even gets in trouble with the Queen for selling Indians into slavery without her permission.

[@weredrgn]

Christopher Colombus day is no longer holiday in Costa Rica. As the video stated, we attempted to use alternate names to change the concept, like "día de la raza" (race day), "día de encuentro de culturas" (culture encounter day), but didn't work, because it still meant the same concept of a group dominating and a group being dominated and/or imply some racial concept. At the end, the holiday was officially removed. No big loss there. As bonus, the same year when Colombus day was removed, a new holiday was added to celebrate "día de la abolición del ejército" (day of army abolishment), as Costa Rica has no standing army since 1948. Still, this holiday has some criticism, as many scholars question who really proposed the idea of the army abolishment and what was the real motive behind approving it. Some may even insist that the police is some form of army.

[@CriticalMaster95]

Wait does that mean an extra day of school?

[@weredrgn]

@@CriticalMaster95 Yes it is, but because a new holiday was added, it also meant one day less, somewhere else in the calendar.

[@bvillafuerte765]

@@weredrgnOne of the worst things a country can do is not have a permanent army because at any moment they can be attacked and your allies will not be ready to protect you. In addition, the festival of October 12 is called World Reunification Day because it marked the meeting between two worlds (Old World [Afrieurasia] and New World [America])

[@weredrgn]

@@bvillafuerte765 I have no idea where is "World Reunification Day" celebrated. I cannot find any match (even in spanish). Perhaps it is only regionally accepted. About not having an army as "worst thing", because "any moment they can be attacked", yes it is true, but the trick is to prevent being attacked with a strong diplomatic front that dissuades the ambition of others. Of course, it is hard if your neighbor is Russia, but possible with other neighbours. In the case of Costa Rica, Nicaragua is the hostile neighbor as Ortega likes to claim territories around him from time to time, so it doesn't mean everything is love and peace in the region. Also, the experience in many countries with standing armies (for example, Latin America in general), is that the army is the source of frequent coups. If the leader of a country does not give good benefits to the army, they will likely depose him. Instead of investing in armies, better invest in education. I do acknowledge, that it is not possible to just any country to just drop their army, but they should thrive to create the conditions where an standing army may no longer be required.

[@colahankids6097]

1:40 I love the emphasis on "educated"

[@dokjastopsimp2370]

Lawyer: Who cares what a bunch of Vikings did half a century ago? Me: Fight me

[@bethesdagamer7971]

Bogdan Efros Half a millennia*

[@hptk3560]

Vikings didn't "discover" America. They settled there yeah, but did they bring chocolate, tomatoes and tobacco back to Europe? People are just trying to take away credit from the Spanish for some reason. Columbus actually discovered, as in took the cover off of America, Vikings didn't do anything but dock their boats there for a little.

[@dokjastopsimp2370]

@@bethesdagamer7971 oooops😅

[@sirsteam181]

@@hptk3560 No Vikings discovered it but the Spanish were more influential don't take credit from where credit is due the Vikings found it , The Spanish brought back Valuables

[@hptk3560]

@@sirsteam181 Yea I guess that's what I'm tryna say. Thanks

[@DrWongburger]

I appreciate that they gave the defense character non serious arguments to make the prosecution look more valid. Wonderful.

[@dkol3250]

Nor do they say what their sources are, they probably only acknowledge Francisco Bobadilla...Columbus political rival. Real reputable....not.

[@DrWongburger]

We sure do place a lot of trust in our digital communication outlets don't we? That will certainly be our downfall as free citizens of the world.

[@jimmydeanismydadcharlieisf4119]

@@DrWongburger sad thing is that most things said were debunked like how he thought he was a king and thought they would make good servants he was taken out of context and he was trying to say servants as in servant to god because he would right after the servant part that the had no religious backgrounds

[@DrWongburger]

@Aine Rogers About as dramatic as making a video factually incorrect meant to 'educate?' Talk about a multigenerational cope. Y'all silly.

[@DrWongburger]

@Aine Rogers That is perhaps the most depressing thing I have ever read, and I study history for a living. Good luck with life, something tells me you're gonna need luck. I hope these words weren't too big, I do try and stick to a fifth-grade reading level when communicating online. ☮️

[@sudhanshurastogi1502]

To this, I agree... Festivals are important...reason to enjoy meet people live... And to some extent, everyone was involved...Food was rare and hard... Things are nice lets, understand we all came from the same tribe crossing paths in the journey through time!

[@nayonikasuravaram2954]

It’s true, Columbus didn’t “discover America “

[@thelordoftime803]

He did discover it, for everyone that was living in Europe during that time. If native americans found Europe around that time and came back to America, they would tell anyone that they discovered a new land.

[@deepstariaenigmatica2601]

@@thelordoftime803 nope, people already knew of the New World existence before him.

[@dariusalexandru9536]

@@deepstariaenigmatica2601 that s impossible

[@cclemonb1222]

@@thelordoftime803 Every time I travel to a new country, I discover it. Yeah I know people live there, but whatever, it was new to me. There, put my name on a textbook B)

[@catfood1788]

@@cclemonb1222 discover: find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search.

[@danisbz3933]

Not the king of spain but the queen.

[@milan190291]

True Isabella of Aragon was so shocked when she heard what he had done with the natives he was thrown in jail for a short time

[@SantoRedentor]

Isabel was not "of Aragon", she was the "Castilla" part of the marriage in fact. So either of Spain (Castilla+Aragón) or just Castilla. In the Hispanic world she is most known as Isabel the Catholic, though.

[@milan190291]

Oh yes you are right, thanks for the correction :)

[@dimonjack208]

I knew this day would come... We’ve been taught to praise a mass murderer

[@dimonjack208]

Slevin *laughs at ignorance*

[@jaimef.m8344]

Sorry but you have a historical misconception. Christopher Columbus didn't convince the king of Spain to send him to find a new trading route. He convinced the queen Isabel I or "La Católica" (the catholic) of Castilla, not of Spain because Spain didn't exist until the unification of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castilla during the reign of Carlos I, grandson of Isabel I. Hope you will correct it and I really love your videos

[@sayo911k]

Christopher Columbus (English)　　 Cristoforo Colombo (Italiano) Cristobal Colon (Spanish)　　　　　Christophorus Columbus (Lingua Latina) W　H　Y

[@metalinyourhead3604]

You’re in Canada we learn about people like Jacque Cartier in Samuel Champlain settling Canada. From early on though we were taught that the natives were there from beginning, and were told what Jacque Cartier did to the local natives.

[@osmankanat336]

Colombus didn't find America, there were always people

[@aidanquinlan8372]

Not always. There was a land bridge between Asia and North American, which allowed the first people to come to the Americas.

[@cadduceusmapping4962]

And he discovered for Europeans, who didn't know there was a whole continent out there.

[@aidanquinlan8372]

Neo Roman-Italian Mapper Yes. That’s the thing that no one talks about.

[@JoelCastro5206]

He found it for the educated world, and if you live in the U.S. or the americas its because of columbus youre alive if not for him you wouldnt be here

[@aidanquinlan8372]

Joel Castro Unless you are 100% Native American, which I’m sure is pretty rare. So, you do bring up a good point

[@andrewchance7791]

This seemed pretty one-sided. I am surprised that these arguments met quality standards.

[@natalieschmidt2115]

Well, there's not a whole lot of evidence suggesting other than the opinionated response.

[@brakapepo]

@@natalieschmidt2115 thats exactly what this is, an opinionated animation piece. See Knowing Better's video on this fully explaining what really happened in depth showing factual sources instead of a cringy animation.

[@francopoker666]

The whole video is an embarrassing exemplification.

[@ineslapastora3308]

@@natalieschmidt2115 not really, there are thousands of official Spanish documents from the era supporting this "oppinionated" side.

[@Plainsburner]

2:37 More context is needed, that's called cherrypicking. It's important to note that he didn't enslave them to crown himself king or for fun, he was ordered by the Spanish crown to do it. 2:52 The vast majority of the natives died of disease, not because of Columbus. 3:46 This is from documents written by Francisco de Bobadilla, his chief political rival who later replaced him as governor. So it should be taken with a grain of salt. 4:07 That very same Bartolome de las Casas who was called the "Protector of the Indians" defended and remained a fan of Columbus til his death. And when Columbus spoke of the death toll, no where in that sentence did he say it was his doing. This is what the defense should have done, but apparently didn't do his research.

[@RhubarbEnjoyer]

I think Loazi had a pretty good point In any good, there is bad In any bad, there is good

[@StuartMedinaMiltimore]

The reason why we say that Columbus discovered America is that, until then, all previous visitors had no notion of cosmography and didn’t understand where they had arrived. The Vikings might have arrived in New Foundland & further but they didn’t understand that was another continent nor did they reveal their finding to the rest of the World. Before you jump in to say that Columbus confused America with Asia you should be aware that it was his cartographer, Juan de la Cosa (sorry, not Vespucci, he learned this from de la Cosa) who realized that the new lands were indeed another continent, a fact that Columbus had to grudgingly accept in the end because all his promises he had made to the Crown and investors could not be honored.

[@snakey934Snakeybakey]

3:47 it's funny, because these accusations come from a letter Columbus wrote to his Spanish employers complaining that these deeds were being done by other Lord's in the colonies, not doing them himself.

[@paavohirn3728]

Uhm. He was the governor. He was in charge. His letters also show what an avid slaver he was. Back then ofc more of a problem was his tyrannical actions as a governor towards his subjects rather than the horrors he crafted for slaves.

[@snakey934Snakeybakey]

@@paavohirn3728 "avid slaver" the man lived in the 15th century, calling him an "avid slaver" is pretty vague

[@paavohirn3728]

@@snakey934Snakeybakey Avid could here mean that he did his best to sell his superiors the Spanish royals on receiving as many native slaves as possible. He also did his best to transport as many native slaves as he could over the Atlantic. On top he created the foundations of native slavery both as chattel slaves and via the encomienda system he developed.

[@snakey934Snakeybakey]

@@paavohirn3728 good for him. I'm tired of this chronological snobbery where we judge 15th century men by 20th and 21th century standards.

[@paavohirn3728]

@@snakey934Snakeybakey He doesn't have to be judged by modern standards as he was judged a tyrant who tortured, murdered and enslaved in a partucularly heinous degree during his own time. But you're right, by the standards of his time he seems to have been judged mostly for torturing, maiming and otherwise mistreating his own subjects. But he was also seen as particularly murderous and cruel towards the natives. People did have empathy even back in his day.

[@godofwar0678]

am I the only one who's been binge watching these videos?

[@esteph0812]

godofwar0678 I am! 👋🏻 I feel like I'm learning SO much 🙂

[@CorvetteEnthusiast]

No

[@auggiesmith334]

godofwar0678 yes

[@the.jacksons.family3581]

Nopeee

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Me too

[@danhtungnguyen8097]

Bro it is the first time I visit this channel just searching for information but I realize it's soooooo good.

[@TCM1231]

It’s all lies

[@hauntedhaunter6148]

A lot of this misses some important details that could change how you can view the scenario. Some of it is flat out wrong, but it does get the basics down.

[@andrescontador20]

Nowadays we judge people in the past with our point of view, most of the times avoiding the fact that context was incredibly different for them, really nice videos!

[@russki_dabb872]

Bryan Jiménez uhm, no. So what is history? Basically racism was gud. Okay.

[@grassytramtracks]

while historical context is a consideration when passing judgement, it's easy to forget that it's not the past anymore and modern standards shouldn't just be brushed under the rug and should dictate who we hail as a hero and who we consider a villain, even if they lived hundreds of years ago

[@hullie7529]

@@grassytramtracks Then nobody is a hero, we're obviously better then everyone else that preceded us and nothing should be celebrated, which in turn will make us the villains for the future generations with different sensibilities. What an entitled way to look at history.

[@PigeonHoledByYT]

The world, in its history, has gone through multiple ice ages, mass extinctions, etc. Some may look at climate change as inevitable, however the concern isn't so much that there is climate change, rather the concern is the rapid rate in which changes are occurring. On a similar vein; the internet has brought about social change. Just like the climate, social change naturally occurs over time. It's not simply a concern over social change, rather its the rate of social change that is concerning. This ever increasing rate of social change has forced society to rethink our histories, and in an increasing amount of cases, delete, or at least modify, those histories. In many cases, such as with Columbus, those histories are modified as a means to vilify an individual and pin the blame of centuries of atrocities on him. By all means, drop Columbus day, however do so under the pretense that it's just an outdated benign holiday. Don't butcher the historical importance based off shoddy research and a tendency to point fingers.

[@--------04]

​@@hullie7529 I don't think so. Even if I don't personally like the idea of having a "hero" at all cost, there are a lot of historical people that hold on at the modern standard or at least hold on better then others. For example, there where a lot of activists (for example against slavery) that hold on at the modern standard (especially compared to Colombo). I think Colombo can't be considered a hero because he was not only against our standard, but even against the standard of his society. Plus the discovery of America was an accident, and it America didn't existed he (and the crew) would have died for the thirst because Colombo calculeted the circumference of the Earth wrong (other living in the same time where more close to the right circumference). Sorry if I misspelled something, but English isn't my first language.

[@TheVCRTimeMachine]

Sounds like Columbus was judged guilty before the trial even started.

[@anadd6195]

He was a genocide.

[@TheVCRTimeMachine]

@@anadd6195 I know what you are trying to say, but he did not personally eradicate an entire race of people. He was not a great guy, but he is not personally responsible for everything that came after him.

[@adamantdane3896]

@Haley Hansen if you actually read his journals and scripts youd see him for who actually was and not from the perspective of liberal marxists historians.

[@woohooo7634]

@@adamantdane3896 Did you watch the video? He sold 9 year old girls, started a genocide which wiped out 90% of the population spanning 2 continents, sold natives into slavery, killed them for not giving him enough gold, etc.

[@adamantdane3896]

@@woohooo7634 you take some video on youtube over the actually scripted history? Liberal marxist history at its work. I wont argue with you since the facts arent effected by your feelings. Goodluck cheers.

[@michaellynes3540]

Everyone in Medieval knew the world was round. The Ancient Greeks were the first to discover the world was round.

[@drowningmerman4256]

The Bible itself talks about the world as a globe, and we all know if there was something medieval people took seriously, it was the Bible.

[@cattrickie]

i hate the argument that "it was just that way back then," because it doesn't change the impact of the actions. it doesn't matter if doing a certain thing was considered normal or ok in that time, because it is still just as bad. there's no excuse for slavery or murder

[@dariusalexandru9536]

well then when a homless street kid stealing an apple and eating it like was the firts time he eat that day and the guy who was attacked and in self defense he push the attacker and he hit his head and died where just as guilty as a guy who steals to harm his competion or a guy who murder because it seems fun to him ,I not a genius but even I can understant that context exist and matter .

[@cattrickie]

@@dariusalexandru9536 well yes obviously context matters! but in situations where people excuse slavery because it was considered ok in that time, i dont understand

[@Okuni_]

QUEEN of CASTILLE

[@Monchu00]

Sgt Josh Then it was the queen, Isabel la Católica, and not Fernando el Católico (who was king of Aragon), Columbus' journey was paid by the Crown of Castile

[@syedibrahimibnsyedali7262]

history on the trail my favorite playlist of ted-ed

[@KameronsAnimations]

My great great grandmother on my mother's side immigrated to New York from Italy when she was 12. And my Grandfather's ancestors came to Louisiana from France during the American civil war.

[@stikupartist3698]

So?

[@KameronsAnimations]

@@stikupartist3698 So what?

[@royjonesjr.5123]

The end put it prefect, Villain that is what he was. Goes to show you that history always lies to you for the benefit of the ruling class of the era.

[@Plainsburner]

The intended purpose of Columbus day was to stop racism against Italians. It was declared a holiday after a very public mass lynching of Italian immigrants. That is the history of the holiday and what it represents.

[@lionspride4821]

"You can't judge a guy in ancient times by modern standards" This is so accurate.

[@Jcon4002]

Even then how could they not know that enslaving people and taking all their land didn't seem right?

[@kaiser4883]

@@Jcon4002 and taking lands was the common back then, natives themselves took land from other natives to sujest that natives were a unified entity is to say that Europeans were united peacefully and never killed each other

[@stacymarroquin240]

"you cant judge a guy from canada" yeah chris is actually from canada

[@barkochiromancer8198]

True. Very true infact. That being said...Columbus...yeah he really was a syphilitic bumble f@ck that got lucky and really did kill needlessly, infact to the point that like it would have been too much for anyone not to notice just for the toiling necessary and what not, but that didna stop his syphilis crazed mind not after he got there and found out there was no gold for him to take

[@ineslapastora3308]

@@Jcon4002 you are confusing the Spanish with the English the ones in the US

[@tomaspolich1220]

In Argentina, we don't call it "Dia de la raza" anymore. Instead we call it "Dia de la diversidad cultural" (day of cultural diversity). I don't know the case of the others Latin American countries.

[@savyskunk6683]

Cool

[@maiar2239]

Sí, estoy orgullosa de ello. Al menos nosotros nos dimos cuenta de lo horrible que suena y lo que conlleva la palabra "raza" en este contexto.

[@sdtamarinera]

As a Latin America we studied Columbus as part of history (first Spanish agent to arrive) but not much from that. I am always surprised that the guy is so relevant in US considering that he and Spanish colonies had nothing to do with US. Well maybe that part that used to be Mexico?

[@user-ys4qr2su5p]

​​@@nicoparise-jc5fshy American natives (from USA) hate him?

[@pisces2569]

Blame Italian Americans. They wanted American to recognize Italians’ contributions to the founding of America.

[@fornax5798]

Just going to address a minor misconception which isn't the point of the video. The Europeans never believed during this time the earth was flat. They knew it was spherical for a long time. In fact, I just researched Eratosthenes, around 240 B.C.E, was one of the first to believe the earth was a sphere shape and Greeks absorbed this concept as well. During the Early Middle Ages as the works of classical thinkers were being rediscovered and rethought, both Islamic and European scholars begin understanding the earth was round as well. By the Late Middle Ages, the idea of a flat earth was nonexistent and people knew that already long before Columbus. The significance of his voyage is that he proved another world besides Afro-Eurasia existed. They knew the earth was round but they severely underestimated the size of the western route, so they believed it would be much quicker to get to Asia and collect valuable goods. They also didn't know two continents existed between the route, so when Columbus "discovered" (you can view it either way) them, people got a bit excited.