Re: Columbus' 1st impressions

[melissa mogauro]

My impression from Colombus' journal was that Colombus seemed to have
all of his attention focused on the Admiral and what he was doing. One
example of how he showed this was when he stated in his September 16
journal entry " The Admiral here says that from this time they
experienced very pleasant weather, and that the mornings were most
delightful, wanting nothing but the melody of the nightingales." With
Colombus mentioning the Admiral throughout his journal entries, it is
evident that he looked up to this man. Also, Colombus seemed to have
his mind on how everything was going with the ship and how his
surroundings looked throughout the voyage. In his September 21st post
Colombus stated "Most of the day calm, afterwards a little wind.
Steered their course day and night, sailing less than thirteen
leagues. In the morning found such abundance of weeds that the ocean
seemed to be covered with them; they came from the west. Saw a
pelican; the sea smooth as a river, and the finest air in the world.
Saw a whale, an indication of land, as they always keep near the coast
(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/columbus1.html)." After reading
this journal entry I then realized that Colombus was not only
concerned with getting to where he was supposed to be, but he was
observant of his surroundings as well.Colombus seemed to be
experienced with living on the water, which must have made a
significant difference in the outcome him and his crew had. With
Colombus and his crew meeting different people that offered their
opinions on where to turn to next, it became clear that the Admiral
had his mindset and wasn't willing to accept anyone else's opinions.
Once Colombus and his crew finally reached land it became clear that
Colombus got alot more credit than what he deserved. The Admiral and
the other crew members all contributed also, and it became clear that
none of them got a decent amount of credit.

[Samantha DiChiara]

My impression of Columbus's mindset is that he truly appreciated the
opportunity to travel. He really loved exploring new areas of which
he knew nothing about. For example "This island even exceeds the
others in beauty and fertility. Groves of lofty and flourishing trees
are abundant, as also large lakes, surrounded and overhung by the
foliage, in a most enchanting manner."(http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/
source/columbus1.html) This quote shows how on this expedition
Columbus saw things that he had never seen before. Columbus makes
many degrading presumptions about the indigenous people he meets. He
thinks that his ways are the best and should be followed by everyone
else, including these indigenous peoples. Columbus writes "They have
no religion, and I believe that they would very readily become
Christians, as they have a good understanding."(http://www.fordham.edu/
halsall/source/columbus1.html) Columbus wanted everyone to have the
same religion as him, as well as speak the same language as him.
Therefore, he also sent some of the people to Spain in order to learn
his language. Basically, Columbus thought the only right way was his
way, and he tried to push his ideas and beliefs on other people. He
also feels that these people are uneducated and that they know nothing
about the way society works. For example " The natives are an
inoffensive people, and so desirous to possess anything they saw with
us, that they kept swimming off to the ships with whatever they could
find, and readily bartered for any article we saw fit to give them,
even such as broken platters, and fragments of glass." (http://
www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/columbus1.html) He perceives the
natives as naive and needy, which according to Columbus is far below
him as far as social ranks go. My impression of Columbus's
presumptions is that he made some poor pesumptions about the
indigenous peoples.

On Sep 14, 9:13 am, "Mr. Gill" <ryanpg...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Read the entries for Columbus' journal from October 11th through
> October 21st - Columbus' first 11 days with the Arawaks.  Give your
> impressions concerning the mindset of Columbus and the presumptions he
> makes concerning the indigenous people he and his crew meets.

[william rochon]

My impression of the mindset of Columbus is that he is glad to have
finally arrived at the new land and that there are other civilizations
which already inhabit the land. In the days leading up to the arrival
on the land Columbus and his crew were filled with confidence after
seeing signs of trees and cane in the water. Columbus speaks of how
the indigenous people of the land welcome his ships. Columbus
describes, "Presently we discovered two or three villages, and the
people all came down to the shore, calling out to us, and giving
thanks to God. Some brought us water, and others victuals: others
seeing that I was not disposed to land, plunged into the sea and swam
out to us, and we perceived that they interrogated us if we had come
from heaven." (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/columbus1.html)
Although the people of the new land are willing to make friends and
trade with the crew, Columbus presumes that they are not as important
his people. Columbus seems to look down upon the indigenous people
because they don't share a religion or dress the same as his people.
An example, "Some paint themselves with black, which makes them appear
like those of the Canaries, neither black nor white; others with
white, others with red, and others with such colors as they can find.
Some paint the face, and some the whole body; others only the eyes,
and others the nose" (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/
columbus1.html) Columbus does not see this as normal and he always
talks about the color of their skin. Overall Columbus' journal gives
the impression that he is glad to see the new land but is not used to
the ways of the indigenous people.

[Kerriann Macdonald]

My first impression of Columbus' first eleven days with the Arawaks is
that he was very impressed with the land, as well as with the Arawaks
themselves. Upon arriving and throughout the eleven days, Columbus
mentioned how fascianted he was with the different types of trees that
there were the in the Indies, as well as the different species of
animals. He loved how diverse the Indies seemed to be when it came to
species of plants and animals, and he knew that the fertile land would
be beneficial to his people who had landed there. It was also obvious
from one of his first journal entries, that he was impressed with the
Arawaks because of how lean they all were and because they were all so
eager to work for Columbus and his people.

However, I think the most important impression that Columbus got from
the Arawaks was that he knew from the beginning that he could turn
them into his slaves. Due to their fit bodies and their willingness to
work with Columbus, Columbus knew that he could take advantage of
them. The Arawaks had told Columbus of how other people from Europe
had tried to take over their group, and instead of taking over the
Arawaks by force, Columbus decided to trick with them with niceties.
He also knew from the beginning that the Arawaks were going to be easy
to manipulate when it came to converting their religion to
Christianity, as long as Columbus went about doing so with kindness.
Columbus also knew from the beginning that the Indies provided a lot
of fertile land that would benefit the Spaniards in farming, but he
also noticed that the Indies were filled with riches due to the
Arawaks' jewlery, which was mostly why Columbus had decided to travel
to begin with. In my opinion, Columbus' fascination with the Arawaks
and their land is really only due to the fact that mostly everything
within the Arawaks' territory can be used to make money, and I think
that was what really kept Columbus' spirit in the Indies going--The
fact that he could mainpulate the Arawaks to bring him gold and make
him rich and well-known throughout Spain.

[Rachel Poli]

My impression of Columbus with the Arawaks was that he liked the way
they were. He seemed to enjoy his surroundings. After being with the
Arawaks for a little while, he knew how they acted, how they did
certain things, and basically just how they lived. However, because
of this, Columbus figured out a way that he could only use the Arawaks
for himself. The Arawaks seemed to be impressed with Columbus and his
crew and wanted to be apart of that and help them out. Columbus
seemed to have taken advantage of that and decided to use them for his
own personal gain. The Arawaks didn't know what they were doing.
They were fascinated with the way Columbus and his crew seemed to work
and do things. Columbus seemed fascinated with the Arawaks, as well,
but not enough to change himself to be like them. Columbus had
decided to use them to get gold and to he just wanted to be someone
important back in Spain. If Columbus had come back with something
really valuable or had some big news that he had discovered, then
everyone in Spain would praise him. Especially the king and the
queen. Columbus wanted power, which made him greedy and being greedy
made him do this to the Arawaks, who did nothing but be nice to him
and his crew. Although, greedy or not, I don't think Columbus
would've have looked at the Arawaks the same as he would look at one
of his crew members. He probably didn't see them as equals and by
using them as his slaves, he obviously did not see them as his
equals. I think the Arawaks just wanted to be friends with them, but
it didn't turn out to be much of a friendship. Maybe to them it was,
but not to Columbus. The Arawaks seemed to view Columbus and his crew
as friends and Columbus saw them as slaves.

On Sep 16, 4:24 pm, Kerriann Macdonald <kerriannmacdon...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[melissa mogauro]

Colombus also seemed like he knew that he was superior from all the
people he met. Since all the people Colombus and his crew encountered
were foreigners, they were viewed as gods.

[jennifer booker]

My impressions concerning Columbus and the Arawaks is that he had
never experienced anything like what he was seeing before his eyes. He
was very discriptive when noting what the natives looked like.
Clearly, he had never witnessed such type of people in his life time.
He writes about the color and appearance of these strange creatures,
also about the "metal" hanging from their noses. When Columbus and the
Admiral realize that these creatures are treating them with the
respect for a god, they take advantage of it. Columbus notes that the
natives "think" that they are the gods of their religion, so he and
his crew begin to act like superiors. I feel as if Columbus's mindset
changed once he reached these native islands. He and his crew had no
idea what type of people they might possibly come across on this
voyage to what was suppose to be India. Once he realized these people
were willing to treat him and his crew with ultimate respect, he
wanted to treat them like slaves. Columbus is extremely fond of new
landscape. He is amazed with the different types of agriculture and
different species of the animals he saw. Overall, Columbus seems to be
very presumptious about the new cultures he has come in contact with
and also inquisitive about the new land.

[Bobby Smith]

Columbus' impressions of the Arawaks are that they are very friendly
people. He feels would make great servants as he learned that they are
clever and imaginitive. The kindness shown by the natives eventually
leads to Columbus becoming greedy and begins to use them as his
slaves. Being treated like gods can easy get to someone like Columbus
who upon his arrival thought the Arawaks were less educated and
civilized than himself. Throughout his stay at the islands Columbus
only concentrated on trying to succeed in his mission which was to
find anything of high value mainly gold and return to Spain. Columbus
was impressed with the men as the were big and strongly built.
Although Columbus and his crew were treated with nothing but respect
from the Arawaks he still felt as if he was superior and took
advantage of the civilization for his benefits during his travel, he
used them for food, supplies, and direction. During his travels
Columbus became convinced that the natives he had taken with him were
becoming increasingly deceptive and were looking for any form of
escape. His overall idea of the natives is that they are extremely
poor and his search for gold they have told him about is actually a
very little amount to him but a great amount to them.

[Nick Busa]

My impressions of Columbus' mindset are that Columbus truly
wished to be on the journey, and wishes to take every single
opportunity to make the best of the trip. Columbus is constantly
thinking of getting as much information about the area as possible.
Columbus and his crew had some unique opinions and thoughts
about the indigenous people in the area. Columbus always took
whatever the natives had to offer, yet only trading them items that
are of little worth. Columbus completely took advantage of how nice
the natives were, yet the native people had no idea. Columbus viewed
the natives as not being a well developed society from the poverty and
the lack of clothing worn, even though cloth was in an abundance.
Although Columbus viewed the natives as a beautiful group of people he
did not treat them as if they were.

[Brandon McGrath]

Throughout Columbus's voyage his olny concern is finding the largest
island which he belives is the one with all the gold on it. he
constantly mentions that people that wear gold on their arms and
legs. Columbus's impression of the indigenous people is that they are
primitive. Even the women wear no clothes and they are amazed by the
worthless gifts he gives them. the people give Columbus what they see
as an extravagant gift in return he gives them something of little to
no value and when they go back to shore they draw a crowd. Their
weapons also make him think they are primitive, they use no metal olny
wood and some bone.

[Danielle Dyer]

From reading Colombus' journal entries, I presumed that Colombus had a
sincere interest in the Arawaks and the islands they dwelled on.
Although Colombus was kind to the indigenous people, he saw them as
inferior. He claims that "It appears to me, that the people are
ingenious, and would be good servants" (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/
source/columbus1.html). Colombus and his crew members were firm with
the Arawaks. They were very demanding, and used the tribes for their
own personal gain. The Arawaks considered Colombus to be a god sent
from the heavens, showering him and his crew mates with gifts. They
acquired a variety of things throughout the islands by the indigenous,
such as water, cotton, and exotic fruit. Colombus continued to search
the neighboring island, comprimising with the Arawaks he met
throughout his travels. Despite his superiority complex, he succeeded
in learning about the foreign land he had set sail to, and managed to
collect helpful information for his future travels.

[larry wood]

when columbus met the arawaks, i think he viewed them and their
culture as primitive and not very civilized. i think by the way he
speaks of the indians' culture like an adult speaks of a small child's
artwork; its not complex, but its the best they can do given its
immaturity. colubus also feels that he is superior to them becuase of
thier lack of advanded weapons, lack of traditional clothing, lack of
industrialism, and thier lack major organised religion. He also feels
that can coax them into becoming christian, and manipulate them out of
their gold.

[jackie damato]

Columbus seemed excited at first to discover new land. He seemed
interested in the new land he was discovering and the indigenous
people. Columbus was impressed by the new land and animals that he
saw. At first they were learning about the people and learning about
how they live. He noticed that they live simpler lives than them. The
admiral noted that they would make good servants. Once they start
treating Columbus and his crew like they were sent from the heavens,
Columbus treated them differently. The people Columbus met gave them
gifts and Columbus realized he could take advantage of them. He used
the new people he met for the gifts they were giving him. Columbus was
always looking for objects to bring home to show the King and Queen.
After a while he seemed only interested in discovering gold, he wasn't
interested in the new people or landscape.

[Alaina Schiano]

I think that Columbus considered people's looks as a big factor in
what he thought of the person. The way they acted such as their
reaction when Columbus and crew first arrive on the shores make him
look at them differently. He believes their body type would make for a
good servant. He is ignorant that these are the people that helped
make the land that Columbus admires so much the way it is. He sort of
takes it for granted that they may have more knowledge than he does
about some things. Columbus has gold on his mind a lot and treasure is
the real prize to him. Maybe he didn't understand what the gift of
cotton meant to the Native Americans. Coming from higher more
sophisticated places, I think that the importance of this offer was
overlooked. I think that Columbus knew that these men were good and
honest but he didn't know how to respond to such difference in culture
and actions. But he did know he could take advantage of their honesty
and trust for him. They thought of him as if he were god and knowing
that, Columbus could easily take advantage of them and change the ways
they thought religiously.

[Aline Chaprazian]

During Columbus' first 11 days with the Arawaks, my impression of him
was he was eager to find what he came for, which was gold, spices,
etc. Throughout these days he was making sure the land was in good
condition, and looking for more expansion. He observed the Arawaks and
their behavior. He noticed that they were very friendly and pleased to
serve him and his crew. Columbus took this all in a more business like
way. He was out on a mission and if he had to he would take over the
Arawaks. He came there to do one thing and that was his goal. He
didn't necessarily explore every crevice of the land, he payed
attention to the Arawaks, and how they acted with them. He noticed
their looks, their strength, and their willingness to serve Columbus.
Once he realized this, he began planning on taking over the Arawaks. I
think Columbus just wanted to stick to his plan and "earn" his reward.
The Arawaks had their own riches as well and he was prepared to do
anything to take it.

[melissa woloski]

My impressions about Columbus's mindset was that he was very
interested in going to new land but he didn't really know what to
expect. This was an oppurtunity of a life time to travel to all of
these different countries to learn about native people and their
surroundings. He takes in every detail and aspect that the Arawaks
have. He was surprised that the people on all of the different islands
spoke the same language and had no set religion. When Columbus first
arrived he thought of himself as more educated and more civilized than
the Arawaks.He ends up taking advantage of them and using them as
slaves. He also took advantage of them when they gave him gifts so
that he could bring them back as gifts for the King and Queen. Even
though the Arawaks never did anything to disrespect or hurt Columbus,
they were always seen as slaves to him.

[Courtney Connors]

The mindset of Columbus was basically that he was "determined
to stay at sea". He was always ready to set sail and he based when
they anchored and set sail around the time of day, morning or night.
My impressions of Columbus' crew was that they thought they waere
better then the indigenous people. The Admiral mentioned how these
people were poor and although he did mention how nice and welcoming
these people were, he seemed to think that they were stupid and naive.
He said "would be good servants and I am of opinion that they would
very readily become Christians". Columbus also mentions that the
indigenous people "would very readily become Christians". Admiral and
Columbus thought that he could talk them into whatever he wanted
because they would go along with it. The indigenous people seemed to
be strong and defend themselves, even had scars that the Admiral
noticed. Columbus on the other hand seemed to really obsereve the
indigenous people. He noticed how apreciative the people were of him
and his crew. Columbus saw how beautiful the are was such as the
mountains, the streams, trees, the odor of flowers, and the fish.
Columbus then starts taking advantage of the people and stating that
"they take great pleasure in serving us". The Arawks were welcoming
Columbus and being nice while he thought he could treat them as
slaves. Although Columbus did feed the crew and give them a place to
sleep when back on the ship, he took advantage of them and had them do
a lot of work like he did with the indigenous people.

[Lauren Graham]

I disagree with what Nick Busa said in his first paragraph, I
don't think Columbus wanted to make the most of his trip, but rather
get the most material goods and money that he could. He didn't just
travel to "India" to go on a boat ride; he went to obtain wealth,
valuables, and to try to convert more people to Christianity.
When Columbus arrived at the new world, he saw the people there
as just another object to be had. Rather than appreciating their
intelligence and innovations, he recognized their strength and
willingness to work, and decided to use that to his advantage.
Noting
the strong build of the natives, their immediate friendliness, and
their eagerness to learn, Columbus wanted to take them back home as
servants. He did not respect these people as natives, but rather saw
them as just one more thing to take back home.

[Brian Stahlinski]

Columbus is more concerned with attaining wealth than learning about
these indigenous people. He wants to use their hospitality and
ignorance to take advantage of them and make them slaves. However, he
is amazed at their physical appearance (fitness, stature, nakedness,
the gold they wear in their nose). He is excited by how fertile and
diverse the islands are, and how nice the climate is and often
compares it to the Canaries and different regions in Spain. Columbus
and his men act like bigots because they have organized religion and
colorful tights. His ego is stoked by the fact that the Arawaks think
he and his men are from the heavens, so he decides to play this to his
advantage.

[nicole deane]

My first impressions of Christopher Columbus’ journal entries seemed
like he was somewhat ignorant and closed-minded toward the Arawaks.
He thought his way was the best and only way. Everyone should be
Christian and speak his language. He gave off the impression that he
was smarter than they were, not making a fair trade with them. He was
constantly in search for gold. Columbus also says he is continuing
his exploration for the gold and spices only. In addition he was
planning to take advantage of them, stating that they would make great
slaves. Also, he mentioned numerous times that he was sure that he
could easily convert them to Christians.

On the other hand, there were times when he would arrive on an island
they would greet him with gifts and drinks; he would in return reward
them by calling them up to his ship, give them molasses, and honor
them with gifts also.

Columbus seemed to find it slightly bizarre that the Arawaks painted
their faces and their bodies. He was oblivious to there culture. He
was enthralled by the fact that the trees and the fish were so
different from what he knew. He believed that the land and soil was
the most fertile and temperate of all continents.

There were many times he did not seem to know where or how to get to
where he was going, he looked up to the captains of the other ships
and also the admiral quite a few times

[nicole deane]

[danielle perkins]

My impressions concerning Columbus and the Arawaks is that he had

never experienced anything outside of his crew and the people he had
been associated with back home. I also noticed that Columbus was not
interested in learning more about the new culture but more interested
in becoming wealthy. I agree with Lauren Graham. Columbus was not
looking for India itself, but looking for spices and other goods that
would make him popular and rich that happened to be located in India.
He was also trying to carry over the Christianity religion to what he
thought was India. And not only did Columbus use the Arawaks, but he
and his crew also put the natives at a disadvantage and a very high
risk by carrying diseases over to the newly discovered land.

[meaghan moore]

My impression of Columbus is that his main focus while bartering at
each island is to obtain items that he feels will please the
Highnesses.I agree that he was not interested in learning about the
culture and people in India but just in the voyage to make a name for
himself back home. Apon reaching each island,
Columbus seems to judge the natives by how they dress, their hair,
and
their body paint. It seemed as though all the natives were very
welcoming to Columbus and his fleet. Columbus definitly took
advantage
of their friendlyness by obtaining what he needed at each stop at an
island. His main search was gold and the natives he took along board
helped guide Columbus to the island where he could most likely find
it. He developed a trust within some of the natives. At some
instances, it seemed like Columbus took advantage and looked down
upon
the natives who were not clothed. He controled the bartaring for the
most part. It was said that when Columbus arrived at a certain
island,
he found no inhabitance but a house that was fully furnished and
looked like it had just been abandoned recently. This in a way
suggests that some natives actually grew fearful of Columbus and his
fleet. When he encounters an indian with a piece of gold on his nose
and is unwilling to trade Columbus for it, Columbus quickly forms the
judgement that these indians are in fact poor and this little piece
of
gold is of high value to them. Columbus knows he is out at sea for a
reason. It is to find gold and spices in abundace for the Highnesses.
Until he fufills this task, he will remain out at see. He is a very
determined man and I think that his actions and orderly schedule can
compliment that.


On Sep 16, 10:32 pm, danielle perkins <danielle.perkin...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Steven Prestejohn]

His mindset is clearly one of optimism. His journal was filled with
marvel at the indigenous people and the differences in climate and
other forms of life such as plants and birds. He seemed pleased that
the Native Americans were friendly to him, and were willing to trade.
His prime motivation did not seem to be personal greed, as Kerriann
suggested, but instead was service to God and to the monarchs of
Spain, which was the motivational factor behind the capturing, and
even conquering of these civilizations. He clearly saw the Native
Americans as primitive, albeit at the very least interesting, and
perhaps even beautiful. His main goal was to find where all of the
Arawaks were getting their golden jewelry, which was what he spoke
about in his entries during this time. He does definitely see them as
indecent judging by the way he reacts to their near-nakedness. Other
goals he planned on pursuing was to convert the Arawaks to
Christianity. He inferred that they were without religion, which was
most likely a bad call on his part, for you would be hard pressed to
find a major civilization that does not have a religion (except for
the communists, but they don't count). His motivation for converting
the people of these islands is not exactly clear, it may be in order
to give them reason to declare allegiance to the king and queen and
perhaps make slaves out of them, or he may want to save them from the
fires of hell, I don't really know. Regardless, he was definitely
both impressed and ecstatic with what he was finding on these islands,
and was thrilled with the possibilities that his discoveries would
bring about, even though in retrospect they will be completely evil.

[Patrick Clifford]

After reading the entries in Christopher Columbus' journal, I feel
that Columbus is very optimistic about his journey, hoping to succeed
and to even finds thinngs he did not expect to find, like the Arawaks.
When Columbus and his crew arrivede on the shore, they were
immediately greeted by the kindnes and praise of the Arawaks, who were
the indigeneous people of the island. The Arawaks appeared to even be
praising God when Columbus and his men arrived, and giving thanks for
their presence. Columbus was very pleased to see such hospitality from
the indigeneous people, and immediately started to think that they
would make exceptional slaves. The Arawaks had done nothing but please
Columbus and attempt to accomidate hum and his men on their journey,
but Columbus started to take advantage of their genuine kindness. It
seemed that Columbus had become caught up in the praise he was
receiving, and felt that he could do what he pleased. As Columbus
started to get used to this winderful treatment, he appeared to almost
forget that the Arawaks were only people like himself, but he didn't
want them simply as comrades, but rather as slaves.

[Connor Flynn]

My impression is that Christopher Columbus had taken advantage over
the Arawak people. Christopher Columbus found the New World and the
Arawaks were living there at that time. After decieving the Arawak
people, Columbus had caused a mass genocide against the Arawak people.
His mindest was to go to India for spices and gold, but then made his
way to the Americas. Columbus' first impression on the Arawaks was
that they were going to be easy to manipulate them and make it easier
to have them become their slaves. He thought they would be easily
persuaded into Christianity because they didnt really have a religon.
What made it easier for Columbus to persuade the Arawaks is because
they thought that he was a god. He had given priceless gifts and they
thought that it was extremely generous, so in return they had given
him their prized possesions. On Sep 14, 9:13 am, "Mr. Gill"

[Hannah Magee]

The first thing the Admiral says is that he thinks the Arawaks will be
easily converted to the Chirstianity, which in my opinion shows that
Columbus' crew is mainly looking for control, imediatley upon
arrival. Also when the Spaniards first saw the Arawaks the first
thing they thought of was making the natives their slaves, because of
their built stature and quickness in learning the language. The
impression that I get is that Columbus and his men were very greedy,
from wanting the Arawaks as slaves to hoping they have gold. It seems
as though Columbus' firsts thoughts, before even speaking to the
natives, are how he can manipulate these people to follow him and find
a way to take anything of value from them. It is apparent that the
Arawaks find value in different things than Columbus and his men, like
the Arawaks were intrigued by broken plates and glass. Columbus sees
this, and I think he realizes manipulating them will be easier than he
first suspected. I also think that when the Arawaks start treating
Columbus like a god he finds his plan becoming easier and easier to
carry out. Columbus also did not take all the gifts given to his,
like cotton, he only took what he wanted, which is very rude, and i
think shows how mean he really was. at one point is sounds like
Columbus feels bad for not admiring the land and the people, but then
he claims he is just looking for greed showing his greediness once
again. Columbus seems to only think of how his "Highness" will see him
which makes him come off as a bit of a jerk, because every time he
does anything nice he just wants the natives to tell the other natives
how great Columbus is, he is not doing the good deeds for the natives,
like they are for him, he is doing it for self promotion.

[Meghan Kimmelman]

Columbus seems very interested in harvesting the natives to guide him
around and eventually bring back to Europe. He was very focused on
searching for the gold on the foreign islands in the area he came
across on his journey to what he thought was India. The natives saw
him as one of their gods or a god-like being so they treated him with
utmost respect. Columbus took this chance as a opportunity to take
control of the people he encountered. Some he brought aboard his ships
and some he looked to as guides. He struck me as a kind person for
treating these foreign people with respect but once he mentions about
how much lower they are than him I looked at him as a nasty,
manipulative person. Even though he used this ironic circumstance for
his own benefit, I still look at him as a monster. Saying that they
were so uncivilized and different just because of their different ways
of religion and culture is in no way great of him. There were good
things about Columbus. He led to the discovery of new places that
eventually led to becoming the United States. He had a way of
describing the lands he ventured to also. The way he described sailing
and the lands he explored put me under the impression that he had been
sailing a lot and maybe even grew up with it. He was wrong to not
except the native people for who they were and knowing that changes a
lot of what I personally have learned about him in the past. We was at
times ungrateful to the natives but also is responsible for our being
here in the present.

[Stephen Dunn]

In my mind Christopher Columbus is extremely arrogant. Columbus could
care less about the indigenous people of the caribbean islands that he
landed. Even though he oddly treated them kindly i got the hint that
Columbus was looking for slaves and gold. I thought Columbus was
showing an odd form of racism towards the Native Americans. I thought
Columbus was extremely judgemental of a people and was very wrong by
exploiting them in bartering. However I do think Columbus did make
some fair judgements and decisions while anchored off of islands.
Refraining his crew and taking a native on board was a very
intelligent desicion. Not only kind but very smart politically and
gave him an even higher status among the Natives.

Columbus was a manipulative, arrogant, European that looked at the
Native Arawaks as an object rather than human beings. And if anyone
disagrees im am totally ready to have an intense argument so bring it.

[Beth]

Columbus is determined to find gold and spices to honor the King and
Queen. He seems eager to see different things on the islands and is
interested in the people, although he believes they are inferior to
him. Columbus is intrigued by the richness of the land and how
different it is from Spain. Columbus is interested in the Arawaks and
what they have to offer him. The Arawaks consider Columbus and his
crew to be like gods so they are willing to do anything to help them.
For the most part Columbus likes the Arawaks, but his main focus is on
finding gold so he will do whatever it takes to find it, even if that
means making them slaves. He says that he plans on taking some of
them back to Spain with him to be slaves or stay on the islands and
work the land for him. He sees that the Arawaks are fit and are
capable to labor, which he needs in order to find the gold he wants to
take back to the King and Queen. Columbus believes he is superior to
them and since they have no religion, he wants to make them believe in
the Catholic faith. He calls them "beautiful people", but at the same
time thinks they can easily be manipulated into helping him get what
he wants because he knows that they think highly of him and his crew.
Basically Columbus sees the Arawaks as worthless slaves rather than a
regular person and he uses that to his advantage.

[Ashley Fuller]

In my own opinion i find Columbus to be very ignorant. All he seemed
to care about was control over the Arawaks and their gold. Columbus
seemed to only care about becoming wealthy and wasn't going to let
anyone stop him. Because the natives were so nice to Columbus and his
crew he took it to his best advantage. Columbus didn't make fair
trades with the natives and treated them like they were lower than
him. All he was looking for was gold and spices. Columbus saw the
natives were openly kind and willing to learn so he wanted to take
them back and have them become servants. He didn't look at them as
kind human beings but as a trophy to bring back home. Columbus stated
that he could take over the island with about fifty of his men and
govern them as he pleased. I may think of Columbus as ignorant but i
also find him to be very ambitious. He is motivated by his goal and is
always determined to get what he is looking for. Even though he
doesn't seem to care how he gets it I give him credit for not giving
up.

[Andrew Kergo]

Christopher Columbus’s mindset was mainly was to put aside the trading
spices in India and get the most wealth he possibly could out of the
indigenous people. Though he was focused on getting wealth he was
very fascinated and by the Arawaks great kindness and generosity. As
well as the beuty of the landscape. Christopher Columbus saw that he
could make a great profit by exploiting the indigenous people and
their resources. So seeing that the Arawaks were poor and had no
religion, Columbus thought they were inferior. Christopher saw that
they would make great slaves. Though he saw the Arawaks with gold and
they claimed their king had a great deal of it, it was not actually a
large amount in reality. Though he never found any gold he was
determined to keep looking and would return another time.

[Tyler Brady]

[Chelcie Claude]

Columbus’s mindset was to find wealth. When arriving at the island he
was shocked by beauties of the land and the Arawaks. Noticing the
beauties he realized that there many valuables that could make him
wealthy. After receiving gifts from Arawaks he begins to take
advantage of them. They were terrified of him and treated him like he
was a god. Columbus saw this as a great opportunity to take these
natives and use them as slaves. He then began taking a couple of them
to help him find other lands with gold and other valuables. He did not
care about the Arawaks, he saw them as a way to make more money in
Spain.

[Carlislle Lima]

My impression from Columbus's journal is that Columbus went on a
voyage not to conquer and claim land for his king and queen but to get
gold and spices for his king and queen. Columbus did not care for the
natives much since he and his crew senselessly killed one with
lances,kept a few against there own will from leaving the
ships,Columbus said they would be good servents which i assume means
slaves, and traded items to the natives that were useles to them like
broken glass a red cap and more useless stuff. Columbus thought most
of the natives were poor since most did not have clothes on. I think
Colmbus was nieve about who the natives actually were and where he was
since he thought he was in india and he thought the natives were poor
when actually they were problably realy wealthy in food and water even
though some wore no clothes. Even though there is alot of bad
qualatues i found Columbus to have he did find the natives hair eyes
body shape and makeup interesting since he mentioned that the natives
hair is like a horses hair that their eyes are big and beautiful.
Overall Columbus cared little about the natives was cheap to them
nieve about who they were but found them sumwhat interesting.

Time 9:58PM

[Anthony Nocella]

I think that Columbus wanted to be on the journey but the real reason
that he was really interested in the new land was so that he could
find the gold and become wealthy. Columbus thinks that the native
people are a primitive group because the lack of clothes and other
things they have. He wants to use their kindness toward him to take
them over so he can get what he wants from them. The native people
are very nice to Columbus and give him gifts and trade with him, but
he takes advantage of them and trades them stuff with no value.
Columbus is able to do more to the Arawaks because they think that he
and his men are from heaven so they let them do what they want to do.

[Tyler Brady]

My thoughts on Columbus was that he took way to much advantage
of the natives. He completely tricked them into thinking that he was
some type of god and it was all part of his plan in order for him to
accomplish his goal of retrieving the gold and valuable items. He
continuously used the Arawaks for their food, supplies, and even
directions on where to go next. Another way he thought he could take
advantage of the civilization was by using the natives as slaves which
was also a very mean thing to do.

[Dan Doherty]

Christopher Columbus is interested in the land and the gold that is
located there. He recognizes that the land has great value, as it is
fertile, temperate, level and beautiful. Columbus is also fascinated
by the indigenous people. He views them as a very different and
inferior people. It is quite clear to Columbus that they can easily be
manipulated. They have no religion and become attracted to Columbus
and the ships. Columbus sees that the Arawaks are in great physical
condition. This makes the people even more appealing to Columbus as
slaves. He gets a sense of power from all of these factors. Columbus
knows he can overtake the people and have great land and valuable
gold. The slaves, gold and land would make Christopher Columbus a
wealthy and powerful man.

[Pamela Holland]

My impression of Columbus' mindset was that he seemed to be very
selfish and vain. When speaking of the natives to each location he
always felt it necessary to speak of their physical characteristics.
He described many of them as handsome looking which to me seemed
irrelevant. Also he felt that each land that he came to find was his
to claim and he felt the natives were his to claim as well, which to
me seems peculiar considering the natives were obviously there first
and should have had right to the land and of course had right over
themselves. Lastly, Columbus seemed very conniving considering he
tried to in a way befriend the natives or gain their trust when really
he was planning the entire time to turn them all into slaves. As you
can see Columbus did not leave me with a very good first impression.