Not long after that, he sailed the Atlantic. Leif and his crew traveled from Greenland to Norway in 999 AD, where he converted to Christianity. Discovery and expansion ran through their blood, as Leif went on to travel much farther: to America. Erik the Red founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland. Leif Erikson, the son of Erik the Red, was a Norse explorer from Iceland - a Viking. Sure, Columbus made America known to the Europeans who ultimately conquered it, but he didn’t discover it by any means. American Vikings Viking ships found America one thousand years ago. Columbus became rich beyond his wildest dreams: he was given 10% of all the removable assets of the newly discovered lands, including gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones, and the trade therein was to be a crown monopoly under his control.Ĭolumbus paved the way for all of this… is this really the person we want to celebrate for discovering America? After all, other explorers visited America centuries before him. For the Europeans of the time, it was a quick way to get incredibly rich and conquer new territories - which they did to the best of their ability.Įven conservative estimates suggest that in less than a decade, the population of the Island of Hispaniola plunged from 500,000 to less than 100,000, either from sickness or conflict with colonists. What happened later is well-known history. “I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased.” If it pleases our Lord, I will take six of them to Your Highnesses when I depart, in order that they may learn our language.”Ĭolumbus was also pleased to note that they didn’t seem to have any weapons or army. I think they can very easily be made Christians, for they seem to have no religion. “They ought to make good and skilled servants, for they repeat very quickly whatever we say to them. Columbus noticed the natives were wearing gold bracelets and necklaces, so in true colonial fashion, he took six of them as slaves without hesitation.
![christopher columbus arriving in america christopher columbus arriving in america](https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/109/590x/COLUMBUS-720066.jpg)
They encountered peaceful natives, who welcomed them peacefully.