During the Crusades, Europeans first savored the delicious food and exotic charm of the outside world. Following the publication of Marco Polo’s journey in Asia, Western Europe sought to expand trading routes across the Atlantic. Portugal became the first country to overcome the natural obstacles of the sea with technological developments such as the compass and astrolabe. Soon, the Portuguese had developed a network of trading posts to fully control the trading route along the African shore. In order to compete with the neighboring Portuguese, Spain outfitted Christopher Columbus, an experienced Italian seafarer, with orders to find a shorter and more direct water route connecting Asia and Europe. Columbus initially aimed for India; however, he accidentally landed on the “New World” in 1492. Returning to Spain with gold, spices, and captives, Columbus received the highest honor from the court. Recognizing only a glimpse of the new treasures from the “New World”, the Spanish King and Queen decided to sponsor Columbus. His subsequent voyages, as a result,  was the catalyst for the Columbian Exchange, a system of exchange between the old and new worlds which brought both positive and negative consequences. Recently, there has been controversy regarding whether people should celebrate or condemn Columbus’ legacy. Some people regard Columbus as a hero for his contribution to globalization, while others depreciate him for contributing to the genocide of Native American peoples. In most societies, heroes are celebrated only they create benefits for a group of people without causing harm, while a person, acting selfishly and inflicting misery on others, should be vilified. Columbus brought no long-term benefits to people except the Europeans. More specifically, Columbus indirectly promoted the destruction of the Native Americans. His positive deeds paled in comparison with millions of deaths he caused Native Americans. Taking into account the long-term effects of his exploration, it is justifiable to say that Columbus should be vilified.

First, the discovery of the “New World” by Columbus initiated severe annihilation of the native people who had lived in America for thousands of years. During the Great Ice Age, a group of nomadic people migrated across the land bridge connecting Eurasia with North America, slowly peopling the top of North America to the bottom of South America. By the time Columbus first landed on the continent in 1492, the estimated number of indigenous people was over 10 million. With the arrival of Europeans, however, this number was reduced to less than 300 thousand by 1900. The massive death toll was due to the rapid transmission of several lethal diseases which spread from Europe to America through the Columbian Exchange. The spread of European diseases to which the indigenous population had no resistance to was a major factor which brought about the mass extinction of Native American peoples. After Columbus successfully opened up a new profitable trading route for the Europeans, merchants continuously sent capital, labor, and animals to exploit the raw materials in America. Raw materials such as gold and silver were located and collected for the mass manufacturing of goods to be bought and sold across the Atlantic. The long-distance travel between the two continents provided a direct and rapid route of transmission for the microbes, who latched onto both people and animals coming to the new world. These diseases, such as chickenpox, mumps, and smallpox, had less of an effect on Europeans due to biological immunity built up from generations of exposure to these diseases. Contrastingly, the Native Americans were never exposed to these kinds of diseases before, meaning their immune systems stood little chance of defense against these ruthless viruses. As long as one Native American was infected, the larger group was soon to be affected almost instantaneously. The consequence of the spread of the diseases was so devastating that nearly 90 percent of the native population was eliminated. In addition to deaths by disease, violent conflicts and wars between the colonizers and the Native Americans also led to a decrease in the native population. In the colonies, the colonizers possessed absolute control and believed they had a divine right to pursue, capture, kill, or destroy the indigenous people. In defense, many Native Americans tried to revolt against them, but their shorter blades could not compete with the guns and cannons of the armed Europeans. For the majority of battles fought against the colonizers, the Native Americans were quickly suppressed by the European armies and faced harsher punishment. Rather than facing this endless cycle of defeat and domination, some Native American tribes turned to more extreme solutions. The Arawaks, an extinct native tribe, for example, committed large-scale suicide after colonization by feeding cassava poisons to their infants. Rather than face a humiliating defeat or further subjugation, the Arawaks to save the next generation from the torture of the Spanish by electing death. While some tribes avoided European defeat, others were not so lucky. For example, the Aztec empire, who warmly welcomed the Spanish upon their initial encounter, was decimated during the Spanish Campaign in 1521, for they could not satisfy the colonizers’ desire for gold.  At the hands of the European colonizers, the outcome for the indigenous people was costly and irreversible that led to the eradication of countless native people and diverse cultures in North and South America. Even though Columbus did not kill the native people entirely by himself, he was considered as the chief culprit as a pioneer and first explorer of the new world. If he did complete his voyage and set foot in North America, the crushing diseases and forced colonization of indigenous peoples would not have been a part of history. It was Columbus who began the chain effect of death and destruction of the native peoples. Thus,  when historians consider the true “contribution” of Columbus, the value of these cultures should never be ignored. Certainly, from the Native American perspective, Columbus deserves to be vilified for his impact on their history and culture.

Although much can be said of his destructive effects, Columbus did change the world in positive ways. For example, thanks to his discovery of the new land, the world experienced a new and expansive degree of globalization. Each part of the world played an indispensable role in the Columbian exchange: Europe provided the markets, capitals, and technology, Africa supplied the labor force, and the Americas offered raw materials and lands. Thousands of different species and goods frequently exchanged between the continents. The New World introduced various foodstuff to the rest of the world, such as maize, corn, potatoes, tobacco, peppers, vanilla, and chocolate. Many staple foods could be planted and thrive in the climate of the New World, which in turn helped solve the problem of food scarcity. Additionally, the complements of new flavors and exotic ingredients enriched the taste of dishes and improved worldwide nutrition. In exchange, Europe introduced domestic animals to the New World, which served as a new mode of transportation, the source of food, and assistance to labor. Some nomadic Native American tribes even benefited from the introduction of horses, becoming more mobile in hunting and gathering. Sugar, which originated in Europe, and ended up flourishing in the New World and producing huge economic benefits to both sides of the world. Moreover, in addition to food and animals introduced in the Colombian exchange, Europeans brought over innovative technologies and ideas. European alphabets and languages enabled the indigenous people to communicate through a common language with the colonizers. Moreover, the advanced farming technology invented by the Europeans, such as the plow, enhanced the efficiency of farming and corn production. Furthermore, the Europeans also introduced political and economic concepts, such as capitalism and commodification, laying the social foundation for the development of modern US. The exchange of living animals, plants, and ideology between continents was crucial in the development of human civilizations. It was Columbus who brought globalization, which efficiently prompted the mutual communication of information and intimately connected the world through commerce and the spreading of ideas. Without Columbus accidentally reaching the Americas, the modern world would not be the same as it is today.

Based on the evidence offered above, the conclusion could be safely drawn that Columbus’ impact on history is complex. Although the world has reaped the benefits of globalization it has also lost a great number of invaluable treasures, including Native American culture. The development of intercontinental communication could never outweigh the importance of millions of lives and the necessity of diverse civilizations. In examining the debate over Columbus day, many who view this explorer’s negative impact on humanity and American society argue that our nation should instead celebrate Indigenous People’s Day, an idea first brought up by California’s government in 1992. Perhaps this change to celebrate Indigenous People's Day instead of Columbus Day is a better decision that recognizes and reflects the earlier existence of the Native Americans on earth and the civilizations they lost due to European colonization.