Thoughts and Reflections on: The Human Story, Chapter 9: We Find Each Other

     Christopher Columbus stands along Margaret Thatcher and Maximilien Robespierre as one of the most controversial figures in history. On the one hand, his actions led to the near-genocide of people indigenous to the Americas. On the other, Columbus's exploits allowed for the colonization of the New World. No matter what moral stance one takes on this issue, it is impossible to say that Columbs is of little historical significance. The argument is often brought up that he didn't discover anything, but rather inadvertently happened upon a new continent. But Columbus's initial intentions are rendered irrelevant by the impact of his findings. His accomplishment was not discovering the Americas, but rather bringing some knowledge of their existence back to Europe.