I had to write an obituary for Christopher Columbus for my Sophomore Honors US History class. It's not my best work, but I left it open, and I figured I would share it with you guys. I had to write it from a negative stand point. The subject was, was Columbus a hero or villain?


DeAndre Green
1-14-2010
SHUSH

Christopher Columbus. Was he the man who set the foundation for the country we live in now? Or was he a pompus villan that no one liked? I’d have to assume the latter.
I’m glad he’s dead. Yes, that seems a bit crude, but he did things that tarnish his seeming perfect image. For starters, he took credit for first claiming that the world was round. False. Either the Persians or the Greeks first claimed that, some 3000 years ago. Columbus is looked at as a leader, a pioneer? What leader, would take credit for someone else’s work? That’s just not ethical. Next. He was overly cocky. He was a self proclaimed “providential agent”, a “divinly elected messenger”. Come on. Are you kidding me? What type of self-respecting man, claims himself as a “providential agent?” To me, that says that you are a bit full of yourself. Also, when he was in trouble, he played the role of the victim VERY well. He was apparently known for this. He wasn’t able to take responsibility when he needed to. He was always the wronged one. Would you want a cowardly leader? One who can’t stand up and just say when he’s wrong? Im sure, if at 15, I can do that, then a grown man could have as well. In addition, he also abused his powers. He way exceded his powers in enforcing his authority. What does that mean? That means that he took his power for granted. He felt that since he COULD do the things he could, he DID. Not good. Just because a judge can throw a man in jail, doesn’t mean he always does. That’s called being responsible with your power. Something Columbus wasn’t. This man even took it far enough to defy laws, to satisfy his own lust for control. In specific, he didn’t give those condemmed a chance to plead their case. He just assumed them all guilty, and punished them as he saw fit. On the other hand, he did something “right”, but is morally wrong. He favored his family and friends. A true leader is supposed to be unbiased. This was obviously a virtue that Christopher lacked. Lastly, this man did something that is still even a problem in today’s society. He lined his pockets, at the expense of the people. There is absolutely no legitimate reason for doing such a thing. Our politicians are being thrown in jail these days for pulling crap like that. What would have happened to Columbus? Probably would have gotten his head lopped off, exactly what needed to happen. Given these facts, Columbus was nothing but a pretentious, patronizing, plagerizer. He took credit for other’s work, was cocky, was a coward, abused his power, and used the people’s money for his own profit! Good for nothing I tell you, good for nothing.