The Role of Continuity and Change in Colombian Voyages - Assignment Example

The role of continuity and change in Colombian voyages The of Genoa in which Columbus was born was a of trade facing the sea (Symcox and Sullivan, 44). Hence Christopher Columbus was never born a typical villager with an agricultural background and he had this impulse for voyages and commerce. City of Genoa thus might have inspired him a lot being a commercial hub of Western Mediterranean (Symcox and Sullivan, 44). He was not a meek villager who did farming for his livelihood and waited with patience for the climate and seasons to bring good fortune. Instead he was nourished with the spirit of aggression, victory and merchandise by the trade city of Genoa. This was the continuity that he inherited. This historical background shaped his attitudes which initially made him a hero and then evoked sharp criticisms of being an inhumane colonizer. This small example from history itself is proof of how continuity and change can play with human history and life. The Genoese and Portuguese were known for their typical way of going in search of merchandise opportunities and trade adventures (Symcox and Sullivan, 43-44). This is also viewed by historians as a continuation of the “Reconquista” which was the period when Christian Kingdoms re-conquered the Iberian peninsula form the Muslim rulers. Exploring alien lands and conquering them after calling the people of those lands barbarians, had become a historical custom of sorts. It was on the riches that looted from those alien lands that European kingdoms prospered to rule the world. It can be logically concluded that Columbus and his voyages were the products of all these influences. There is also another less moronic aspect to the Columbian voyages in history. The celebration of Columbian voyages became an occasion of festivity in Europe and America for many decades because it was part of the expansion of horizon for humanity’s understanding of the world. All the injustices attached to these voyages were hidden beneath the bright picture of the culmination of an exploratory tradition that humanity had started centuries back. This exploration was legendary indeed. Hence, the Columbian voyages also had rightful credit to a part of the legacy. The Columbian voyages were a continuation of that great human history itself. In that sense, its lineage can be traced back even to the primitive ages when Homo sapiens migrated from Africa to the American continents. Columbian voyages also had a link of continuity with the maritime history of the world which expanded human knowledge and prosperity. Apart from these continuity elements, there were departures from history and known technologies as well, that stimulated these voyages. They were historical, scientific, cultural and economic. No doubt the voyages of Columbus had their roots in the past of Spanish crusades. Gunpowder and printing were two technological achievements of the modern world which had far reaching consequences and which helped Europe to move forward to become the eternal colonizers. So, on the one hand the continuity of history was visible in the crusading instinct but on the other, changes that brought in new technologies were taking over the entire scenario. It was by way of iron weapons and gun powder that the Spanish and other settlers were able to wipe out the opposing indigenous tribes of America. Thus the taking over of America from the indigenous people by Europeans presents a contradictory picture. With the use of new technologies, Europeans established the very same old world in the New World that they had found. Columbus and his people went on a killing spree of indigenous people to establish their superiority over the new land which was very much in the tradition of the crusades ((Symcox and Sullivan, 93). The judgment that Columbus formed regarding the culture of indigenous people of America was based on the ideas he got from Marco Polo’s travel literature. Initially Columbus was friendly with them but the turn of history and European economics made him their worst persecutor. It was a time when Europe was on the threshold of an agricultural revolution and was facing labor shortage. As Columbus could not find instant riches in his American colonies, he decided to tap the human resources available there and started sending indigenous people as slave laborers to Spain (Symcox and Sullivan, 96). This was also part of his attempt to economically sustain the colonies. And this was in conformity with the laws of Spain which allowed making slaves out of prisoners of wars. Thus the craving for economic gain which underlined all Columbian voyages was satisfied. When Columbus was about to set out on his voyages, Spain had already commanded the Jews inside the country either to convert to Christianity or leave the country (Symcox and Sullivan, 66). This decision taken by Fernando and Isabel, the rulers of Spain, was part of an effort to achieve stability and unity inside the kingdom and thereby make their positions safer as rulers in those volatile periods (Symcox and Sullivan, 54). The same impulse of Spain played its part in the colonies as well. There were attempts to convert people into Christianity and persecution of those who declined (Symcox and Sullivan, 66). This was another attitude which can be viewed as a continuation of Spanish history. Also the Catholic king and queen had just been over with their wars in the Iberian peninsula with European nations and was desperately trying to a competitive edge over them (Symcox and Sullivan, 54). The colonists were given permission to rule the natives and use them as slave laborers only under one condition that they should teach them to become faithful to Christianity ((Symcox and Sullivan, 122). Thus religion became an excuse for exploitation which was again a characteristic of the crusading era. But it was the religious ethics of Christianity itself that brought to light the atrocities committed on indigenous people by the Columbian voyagers to the attention of the world (Symcox and Sullivan, 46-47). Priests like Las Casas recorded that brutal history and raised their voices against them (Symcox and Sullivan, 46-47). This way, religious tradition of the settlers became a reason for persecution as well as the savior from persecution for the local population. But the voices that were raised on behalf of ethics were few and Christianity could not save the indigenous tribes from annihilation at the hands of the Christian people themselves. The science of navigation was an evolving branch at the time of Columbus (Symcox and Sullivan, 49). Columbus was a beneficiary to this change and through his voyages contributed to the growth of this branch of science as well. The European understanding of the geography of the world was also changing and Columbian voyages added momentum to that process. Europe was also slowly becoming the pivotal nation of an evolving world market. One change that was driving the second and consecutive voyages of Columbus was the new attitude of creating settlements rather than simple colonization of the New World (Symcox and Sullivan, 103). The second voyage had taken farmers and priests to the colonies (Symcox and Sullivan, 102). Conversion of natives thus also became a major agenda for the settlers (Symcox and Sullivan, 66). The farming tradition of rural Europe was thus transplanted into the New World. Instead of the agricultural activities which were practiced by the tribes for food purposes alone, a new agricultural attitude got implanted into the soil-the practice of commercial agriculture. It was by mid-century that Europeans started to include sugar in their food and finding new lands to establish sugar and also tobacco, cocoa and cotton plantations was an economic need which was prompted by the growing demand for these produces. America was the ideal place for such plantations and this factor also created a huge demand for African slaves to be shipped in (Symcox and Sullivan, 102). It can be thus proven that the changing agrarian and food habits of Europe had their influence on the colonies. What the colonists tried was to establish a Spanish township with its all socio-cultural ramifications in Hispaniola (Symcox and Sullivan, 82). Symcox and Sullivan had aptly described, the expectation of the colonists was to “find a lot of gold and a place where a town could be established” (Symcox and Sullivan, 82). The bureaucratic governing system was also introduced from Europe to the colonies. Thus the colonies were extensions of Europe and were seen as continuations of European history and culture. But there were certain very evident departures from European social life as well, in these colonies. The civil right of citizens which was ensured in Europe to an extent was not even heard of when it came to the indigenous population of America. Thus the still existing contradiction in western civilization was playing up in the colonies in all its colours and hues. It was a civilized people doing uncivilized things to an uncivilized people, which was not justifiable under any European law of civil rights that existed in that period. Any moment in history is a combination of change and continuity. The Columbian voyages also present the same patterns in their context and fabric. It has a continuity element which it inherited from all the basic vices of human beings like greed, violence, and the wish to rule. It also has been surrounded by changes that have happened in human thought, like democracy, freedom, equality and compassion which have made us a better civilization. Works Cited Symcox, Geoffrey and Sullivan, Blair, "Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies", New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005. Read More