Barbara Ransby penned the first piece, "Columbus and the Making of Historical Myth," in 1992. The major argument of the essay paints Christopher Columbus as a bad guy who shouldn't be honored for the social injustices he brought to the American Indians. The article claims that history textbooks omit the fact that Columbus brought the slave trade to America by compelling natives to labor in his farms and gold mines. (Barbara, 1992). He also started transporting captives to Spain for use as mineworkers. The indigenous population declined significantly, as the brutality of Columbus and his people increased including rape of women, there were disease outbreaks and displacement from their homes.
The second article is by The Denver Post ‘Columbus should be celebrated’ published in 2007. David A. Sprecace wrote it. The article’s main ideas are based on the positive qualities of Christopher Columbus and thus placing him as a hero. It acknowledges Columbus achievement for discovering America which has become the most powerful nation on earth and also for recording the expedition to enable others to get to America as well (Sprecace, 2007).
The author of Columbus and the making of historical myth disapprove of the simplistic celebration of Christopher Columbus as a great discoverer of America. This was because the land that was presumably discovered was already home for some indigenous people who had discovered it over 25000 years ago (Mann, 2012). He, therefore, disrupted the lives of the natives in pursuit of his own goals and ambitions and also introduces slavery in America. The Denver Post, on the other hand, celebrates Columbus for his discovery that brought about the rise of a great nation. The Denver Post article is against the accusations made by critics of Columbus by blaming slavery, racism and other repressive policies on him. The article claims that all the allegations are made against Columbus in an attempt to exonerate the real culprits (Columbus, 2012). In comparison, both articles agree to the fact that Columbus played an active role in the American History development.
The techniques used in the article’ Columbus and the making of historical myth’ include the use of the backstory. This was used when the author explains the reasons that led Columbus to discover America. The author also used foreshadowing technique by indicating that in the year 1992, the world will be celebrating Christopher Columbus as a hero despite his transgression on the Native Americans. The evidence presented by the author includes slave trade and oppression of the citizens, while the other author focuses on the greatness of the land that Columbus discovered years ago.
The approaches on both articles are solely based on the extreme ends in both stories. This is because one of the articles chooses to dwell on the positive outcomes and the other article focuses on the negative aspect of the story. They both fail to acknowledge that the story was two-sided and therefore it holds both the positive and negative aspects which all play a significant role in the history of America. Both articles present an evident bias on the subject of Christopher Columbus. The article on Columbus and the making of a historical myth suggests that the Columbus story should be told as it is by including all the afflictions that he brought when he came to America. The article on Columbus should be celebrated seeks to dispute all the afflictions that are being used against Columbus because he did more good than harm and therefore should be celebrated.
References
Barbara, R. (1992).The curse of Columbus. Race & class, v.33, no.3. London: Institute of Race Relations.
Columbus, C. (2012). First Voyage to America: From the Log of the "Santa Maria.". Dover Publications.
Mann, C. C. (2012). 1493: Uncovering the new world Columbus created. New York: Vintage Books.
Sprecace, D. A. (2007). “Columbus Should be Celebrated.” The Denver Post. Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/2007/04/19/columbus-should-be-celebrated/
