Most Popular Posts of 2018
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These weren't created in 2018, but were visited the most often of any posts this year.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Friday, October 12, 2018
Story of the World - Revised Version Changes - Volume 1 - Chapter 15-16
I may have missed some, but here are the changes I noticed in Chapter 15-16 of Story of the World, Volume 1. You can find a list of all SOTW Vol 1 changes I've recorded here.
CHAPTER 15
Section 1 - Phoenician Traders
They have a different, better map of the Phoenician empire in the Revised version. Other than that and some small punctuation changes there's no changes to this section.
Section 2 -
Some of the paragraphs were split up and the story of Dido is in indented/outlined section.
Paragraph 3 (Revised):
The revised version mentions that Carthage was first settled around 814 BC/BCE. In the original it says, in a footnote to parents, not in the main text, that it was founded in 850 BC/BCE.
CHAPTER 16
Section 1 - Ashurbanipal's Attack
In paragraph 4 of the revised version, it added the date that Ashurbanipal became king (668 BC).
In the 8th paragraph the wording of two sentences changed slightly.
Original: Ashurbanipal wasn't very kind to the cities he conquered.
Revised: Ashurbanipal was cruel and ruthless to the cities he conquered.
Original: Most cities were too frightened to resist Ashurbanipal!
Revised: Most cities were too frightened to resist Ashurbanipal for long.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Fact Checking Columbus
WARNING: This post contains some graphic descriptions of historical violence which are not appropriate for young children.
Did Columbus Commit Atrocities Against Native Americans?
The answer to this is probably yes, though he didn't commit all the atrocities that have been attributed to him.
One of the most inaccurate (and sadly, often quoted) articles I came across about Columbus was the The Huffington post article "Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery." Here is a sample from that article where it talks about various atrocities it attributes to Columbus...
Bartolomé de las Casas spent his life speaking out against the atrocities committed against the native peoples of South America by Spanish settlers and conquistadors. But he never worked for Columbus, and only arrived in the new world after Columbus had been stripped of the Governership of Hispaniola (the settlement Columbus had founded in what is now Haiti). It was years after that when de las Casas became a priest, and even later when he came to the conviction that what was being done to the native peoples was wrong and started what would be a life long quest to end their oppression.
The atrocities mentioned in the quote above are real, but those specific examples were not committed by nor ordered by Columbus. De las Casas told how it was under Governor Bobadilla (the governor after Columbus, who had previously arrested Columbus and sent him back to Spain) that Spanish colonists would cut "slices off [Indians] to test the sharpness of their blades" (History of the Indies, Book 2, Chapter 1, Collard translation). The massacre where Indian children's legs were cut off as they fled happened under Nicolás de Ovando, the third governor of Hispaniola, not Columbus (History of the Indies, Book 2, Chapter 9, Collard translation). And anything that de las Casas "saw with his own eyes" would not have happened under Columbus, since de las Casas was not in the New World when Columbus governed there.
De las Casas did compile a history of Columbus' time in the new world using other's accounts though (including things he heard from people he knew personally during his time in the Americas). In it he paints a picture of a man who started with noble aspirations and who initially treated the native people he encountered with some level of respect...but things changed over time.
One of Columbus’ men, Bartolome De Las Casas, was so mortified by Columbus’ brutal atrocities against the native peoples, that he quit working for Columbus and became a Catholic priest. He described how the Spaniards under Columbus’ command cut off the legs of children who ran from them, to test the sharpness of their blades. According to De Las Casas, the men made bets as to who, with one sweep of his sword, could cut a person in half. He says that Columbus’ men poured people full of boiling soap. In a single day, De Las Casas was an eye witness as the Spanish soldiers dismembered, beheaded, or raped 3000 native people. “Such inhumanities and barbarisms were committed in my sight as no age can parallel,” De Las Casas wrote. “My eyes have seen these acts so foreign to human nature that now I tremble as I write.”
~ From "Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery." by Eric Kasum, published October 11, 2010
Bartolomé de las Casas spent his life speaking out against the atrocities committed against the native peoples of South America by Spanish settlers and conquistadors. But he never worked for Columbus, and only arrived in the new world after Columbus had been stripped of the Governership of Hispaniola (the settlement Columbus had founded in what is now Haiti). It was years after that when de las Casas became a priest, and even later when he came to the conviction that what was being done to the native peoples was wrong and started what would be a life long quest to end their oppression.
The atrocities mentioned in the quote above are real, but those specific examples were not committed by nor ordered by Columbus. De las Casas told how it was under Governor Bobadilla (the governor after Columbus, who had previously arrested Columbus and sent him back to Spain) that Spanish colonists would cut "slices off [Indians] to test the sharpness of their blades" (History of the Indies, Book 2, Chapter 1, Collard translation). The massacre where Indian children's legs were cut off as they fled happened under Nicolás de Ovando, the third governor of Hispaniola, not Columbus (History of the Indies, Book 2, Chapter 9, Collard translation). And anything that de las Casas "saw with his own eyes" would not have happened under Columbus, since de las Casas was not in the New World when Columbus governed there.
De las Casas did compile a history of Columbus' time in the new world using other's accounts though (including things he heard from people he knew personally during his time in the Americas). In it he paints a picture of a man who started with noble aspirations and who initially treated the native people he encountered with some level of respect...but things changed over time.
After Columbus' first encounter with the inhabitants of the New World he wrote...
That quote is indeed by Columbus, and if it sends chills down your spine and turns your stomach...well, I'm right there with you. But Columbus was not praising this practice. Though he was not against slavery, as discussed earlier, here he was talking about what other men have done as a way to distinguish himself from them. The letter, as a whole, is written to the woman who nursed queen Isabella's son, as a way to win favor and counter accusations made by some of the colonists against him. Considering his audience and the purpose of the letter, the idea that is he is encouraging selling women and young children for sex in this context makes little sense.
In another letter, Columbus wrote...
I can't tell from this passage whether Columbus was concerned for the women or just concerned about the spiritual state of his men. But what is clear from these passages is that the native women were being sexually exploited, that Columbus didn't approve of the practice, but felt unable to stop it.
It seemed this was a perpetual problem. On his final journey to the New World when Columbus and his crew were shipwrecked in Jamaica and the indigenous people came out to trade with them, Columbus ordered all but two of the crew to stay on the ship. One crew member, don Hernando, wrote that Columbus did this because "no manner or order or punishment could prevent our men from stealing and molesting women if they went ashore, and this would greatly endanger our friendly relations with the Indians." (History of the Indies, Book 2, Chapter 30, pg 133, Collard translation)
This suggest that Columbus had attempted to prevent the rape of the native women through some manner of punishment in the past, but had been unsuccessful. Regardless, Columbus was not just culpable as governor for not preventing their abuse: he was responsible for enslaving native women and therefor putting them in a situation where sexual exploitation almost always follows.
Furthermore, Columbus bears fault for who he chose to bring to the New World. He wanted the King and Queen to send men and women to help establish trading colonies there...but knowing that the monarchs were concerned about the financial burdens of supporting these colonies, he suggested that in stead of recruiting men and women who would have to be paid a wage, that the King grant pardons to criminals in exchange for a few years service in Hispaniola. So, Columbus was directly responsible for the recruit of many of the "turbulent persons" who accompanied his 3rd voyage.
Though not all of the men involved in the abuse were pardoned criminals. A chilling account of rape and sexual slavery is found in a letter by Columbus' childhood friend, Michele da Cuneo ...
After Columbus
I have seen many claim that Columbus was worse than other of his time. The history shows that those who replaced him, however, did not do any better.
Discovery is a loaded term because it has been used to justify conquest. It is certainly true that Columbus was not the first human to "discover" the Americas, as there were many already there who had discovered it long before. Nor was he the first European to make his way to American shores. Lief Erickson discovered a route to North America hundreds of years before Columbus. But Leif Ericson's discovery resulted only in a short lived settlement that was soon abandoned, and it's affect on world history was small. Columbus' journeys, on the other hand, resulted in the lasting collision of two worlds long separated. Whether you consider this a positive or negative development, it created an exchange of ideas, technologies, resources (and sadly, disease), that would change civilizations around the world, and is considered by many to be one of the most important events of history.
And it was still an achievement even if he wasn't the first. To quote again from Bartolome de las Casas....
"I want the natives to develop a friendly attitude toward us because I know they are a people who can be converted to our Holy Faith more by love than by force."
(This was significant, as the different orders of Catholic priests in the New World would later be bitterly divided over whether the native people's were "rational beings" who should be brought to the faith peacefully, or people incapable of choosing for themselves who must be forcefully converted).
On this first journey Columbus forbid his men from stealing or harming any of the tribes they met that were peaceful (though even at this early stage he took captives in order to teach them Spanish...with the intent to use them as guides and translators). And when, on his second journey, he discovered that the men he left behind had been killed, he resisted the initial calls for vengeance on the local tribe, who claimed innocence.
But as time went on Columbus' treatment of the natives began to change. Life in the new world was not easy, and the colonists began to rely more and more on native help. This was, at first, voluntary (goods were given in trade, and other help was possibly in hopes of making beneficial alliances). But this changed during Columbus' 2nd voyage.
After Columubus had set up conlonies and outposts on Hispaniola, he left to explore Cuba. But
when he left he ordered a large amount of men to "journey the length and
breadth of the island, enforcing Spanish control and bringing all the
people under the Spanish yoke." ( Las Casas on Columbus: Background and the Second and Fourth Voyages pg 118). These men, in his absence, raped women, took men
captive to be servants, and stole from the indigenous people, leading the tribe members to kill some Spanish soldiers, including burning down a building where 40 men were recovering from illness. When Columbus returned he retaliated by ordering a raid of the tribe that did this, killing many and enslaving a number of them. Soon, the four primary leaders of the Arawak people in Hispaniola were
gathering for war to try to drive the Spanish from the Island.
Columbus gathered a large number of troops, and joined with one tribal chief that allied with
him, met them in battle. In spite of the Spanish being greatly outnumbered, due to the superior Spanish weapons, the four tribes were routed.
After this...
"The admiral [Columbus] made his way across much of the island over the course of the next nine or ten months, waging cruel war on all the rulers and people who did not come to accept his authority over them, as he himself explains in a number of letters he wrote to the king and queen and to others. These days and months saw devastation across a wide swathe of the country, with huge massacres, and the extermination of whole villages... But every day saw yet more butchery as they were killed in the cruelest and most inhuman of ways, easily overtaken by horses and...run through with a lance, or cut to shreds by a sword, or sliced clean through and then eaten and torn to pieces by dogs, with many of them being burned alive or subjected to merciless and brutal torture of all kinds. "
Las Casas on Columbus: Background and the Second and Fourth Voyages pg 148
According to Las Casas, this continued until tribes surrendered and agreed to pay tribute or were driven to the mountains or other remote parts of the island.
Here I need to address another myth...there is no evidence that Columbus had the hands cut off of Taino who did not deliver tribute. He did require a hawks bell of gold for each man of a certain age, among other goods required as tribute, and this was something the natives had trouble delivering (so much so that the caciques tried to barter large amounts of land to get Columbus to remove this...and he did eventually reduce it to a lesser amount). But the punishment remains unnamed, and was described as "light." There's another excellent article that deals with this issue more fully, including exploring how this myth started.
Was Columbus a Slaver?
In the mindset of both Columbus and the Spanish monarchs, providing the "tribute" described above was not the same as "slavery." This was a common practice at the time when one nation overthrew another. But many of those captured during the conflict, before surrender, were directly enslaved and given to Spanish soldiers, and 600 of these prisoners of war were sent back to Spain to be sold as slaves. Some were dying on the ships before they even left port. So yes, Columbus was absolutely involved in enslaving native peoples.
Columbus saw enslaving and selling the native people's as a way to make the colonies profitable. In a letter he encouraged the idea of selling natives as slaves on the mainland, saying he could send as many as 4,000 and that they could bring in 20 million profits. He compared them to African slaves, writing that "...one of these is worth three of them, as I see it. When I went to the Cape Verde Islands, where there is a great trade in slaves... I saw that that they demanded for the most decrepit of them eighth thousand maravedis." And he went on to say "Even if at first they die, that will not always be the case, for the same thing happened with the blacks and the Canarians at the beginning. And the Indians even have an advantage over the blacks, for unless one escapes, his owner will not sell him for any amount of money." (History of the Indies, by Bartolome de las Casas, Book 1, Chap 150, translated by Michael Hammer and Blair Sullivan in Las Casas on Columbus, The Third Voyage).
Later, the when a portion of the colonists revolted, he gave in to their demands and allowed them to have native people assigned to them--this became the start of the Encomienda system which Las Casas opposed as being oppressive and unjust (this system was more limited under Columbus than it later became). Columbus also agreed that those colonists who chose to return to Spain could take a certain number of slaves with them. These are the slaves which Queen Isabela objected to him sending, saying she wanted subjects, not slaves (and ordered that all be returned to the new world).
Why did she object to these people being enslaved, but not the others? Well, it's possible she did and it was just not recorded, but also, if she didn't object to the others it may have been because it was considered acceptable at the time to enslave captives in "just war." People made to work on or provide produce from their own land, land that Isabel now considered part of her Kingdom, was also not considered slavery (it was just how things worked in a feudal society). However, removing people from their own land and giving them to individuals who would make them work for them far from their home, that was clearly recognized as slavery even then.
Did Columbus Encourage Sex Trafficking?
Many sites I've visited claimed that Columbus encouraged selling young girls for sex, using this quote....
"A hundred castellanos are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten are now in demand, and for all ages a good price must be paid."
That quote is indeed by Columbus, and if it sends chills down your spine and turns your stomach...well, I'm right there with you. But Columbus was not praising this practice. Though he was not against slavery, as discussed earlier, here he was talking about what other men have done as a way to distinguish himself from them. The letter, as a whole, is written to the woman who nursed queen Isabella's son, as a way to win favor and counter accusations made by some of the colonists against him. Considering his audience and the purpose of the letter, the idea that is he is encouraging selling women and young children for sex in this context makes little sense.
I should know how to remedy all this, and the rest of what has been said and has taken place since I have been in the Indies, if my disposition would allow me to seek my own advantage, and if it seemed honorable to me to do so, but the maintenance of justice and the extension of the dominion of Her Highness has hitherto kept me down. Now that so much gold is found, a dispute arises as to which brings more profit, whether to go about robbing or to go to the mines. A hundred castellanos are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten are now in demand, and for all ages a good price must be paid.
I assert that the violence of the calumny of turbulent persons has injured me more than my services have profited me; which is a bad example for the present and for the future. I take my oath that a number of men have gone to the Indies who did not deserve water in the sight of God and of the world; and now they are returning thither, and leave is granted them.
~Letter from Columbus to Doña Juana de Torres, 1500
In another letter, Columbus wrote...
Our people here are such that there is neither good man nor bad who hasn't two or three Indians to serve him and dogs to hunt for him and, though it perhaps were better not to mention it, women so pretty that one must wonder at it. With the last of these practices I am extremely discontented, for it seems to me a disservice to God, but I can do nothing about it...[nor] other wicked practices that are not good for Christians. For these reasons it would be a great advantage to have some devout friars here, rather to reform the faith in us Christians than to give it to the Indians."
~From a letter by Columbus written to Isabella and Ferdinand in 1894, included in the biography Columbus by Felipe Fernández-Aermesto, pg 133-134 (Online source here)
I can't tell from this passage whether Columbus was concerned for the women or just concerned about the spiritual state of his men. But what is clear from these passages is that the native women were being sexually exploited, that Columbus didn't approve of the practice, but felt unable to stop it.
It seemed this was a perpetual problem. On his final journey to the New World when Columbus and his crew were shipwrecked in Jamaica and the indigenous people came out to trade with them, Columbus ordered all but two of the crew to stay on the ship. One crew member, don Hernando, wrote that Columbus did this because "no manner or order or punishment could prevent our men from stealing and molesting women if they went ashore, and this would greatly endanger our friendly relations with the Indians." (History of the Indies, Book 2, Chapter 30, pg 133, Collard translation)
This suggest that Columbus had attempted to prevent the rape of the native women through some manner of punishment in the past, but had been unsuccessful. Regardless, Columbus was not just culpable as governor for not preventing their abuse: he was responsible for enslaving native women and therefor putting them in a situation where sexual exploitation almost always follows.
Furthermore, Columbus bears fault for who he chose to bring to the New World. He wanted the King and Queen to send men and women to help establish trading colonies there...but knowing that the monarchs were concerned about the financial burdens of supporting these colonies, he suggested that in stead of recruiting men and women who would have to be paid a wage, that the King grant pardons to criminals in exchange for a few years service in Hispaniola. So, Columbus was directly responsible for the recruit of many of the "turbulent persons" who accompanied his 3rd voyage.
Though not all of the men involved in the abuse were pardoned criminals. A chilling account of rape and sexual slavery is found in a letter by Columbus' childhood friend, Michele da Cuneo ...
"...I captured a very beautiful Carib woman, whom the said Lord Admiral gave to me. When I had taken her to my cabin she was naked—as was their custom. I was filled with a desire to take my pleasure with her and attempted to satisfy my desire. She was unwilling, and so treated me with her nails that I wished I had never begun. But—to cut a long story short—I then took a piece of rope and whipped her soundly, and she let forth such incredible screams that you would not have believed your ears. Eventually we came to such terms, I assure you, that you would have thought that she had been brought up in a school for whores."
~Quote found via Wikipedia, cited from Cohen, J.M. (1969). The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus. NY: Penguin. p. 139. Also found here in a separate translation.
After Columbus
I have seen many claim that Columbus was worse than other of his time. The history shows that those who replaced him, however, did not do any better.
While it is certain that Columbus' practices in governing the colonies had dire consequences for the native populations, the condition of the native peoples under those those who came immediately after him seemed, according what I've read, to be worse. In fact, in his section on Hispaniola in "Brief Account" de las Casas writes that not much of the devastation of the Islands, or unjust wars, happened before Queen Isabella's death (which also covers all the time that Columbus was governing there).
While, Columbus failed to restrain his men from abuses, Bobadillo allowed a free-for all. This is how de las Casas describes life for the native peoples under Bobadillo and compares it to the time under Columbus...
While, Columbus failed to restrain his men from abuses, Bobadillo allowed a free-for all. This is how de las Casas describes life for the native peoples under Bobadillo and compares it to the time under Columbus...
[Bobadillo] assigned Indian tribes to them, making them very happy. You should have seen those hoodlums, exiles from Castile for homicide with crimes yet to be accounted for, served by native kings and their vassals doing the meanest chores! These chiefs had daughters, wives, and other close relations whom the Spaniards took for concubines either with their own consent or by force. Thus, those 300 hidalgos lived for several years in a continuous state of sin, not counting those other sins they committed daily by oppressing and tyrannizing Indians....The comendador [Bobadillo] didn't give a straw for all this: at least he took no measures to remedy or avoid the situation. He would frequently tell them take as many advantages as you can since you don't know how long this will last"; he cared even less for the hardships, afflictions and deaths of the Indians. The Spaniards loved and adored him in exchange for such favors, help and advice, because they knew how much freer they were now than under Columbus.
The admiral [Columbus], it is true, was as blind as those who came after him, and he was so anxious to please the King that he committed irreparable crimes against the Indians. However, if he did not report the harm that certain Spaniards caused them, and if he assigned a tribe of Indians...and a few others to do work for them or find gold, it seems the occasions were very, very rare, and he acted as if forced to it by his own men, on account of past rebellions.
~History of the Indies, Book 2, Chapter 1, by Bartolome de Las Casas (translated by Andree M. Collard)
Under Bobadillo the conditions changed from exploitation, to something worse. Under his watch murder and abuse for sport took place...cutting off slices of Indians and beheading young boys for fun. These were not actions that took place during wartime, but to native people who were complying with the demands of the Spanish.
And while the next governor, Nicolás de Ovando, according to Las Casas was better at controlling the colonists, under his command there were massacres where native people were burned alive and children cut down as they tried to run away.
Later, under future leaders and Conquistadors, the atrocities continued....people were not just slaughtered but tortured (men burned alive, boiled, eaten by dogs. etc.).I believe that many of the errors I've pointed out in this article stem not just from poor researching or understandable mistakes, but from a human tendency to want to simplify history. Many times in history the actions of many are combined into a tale of one legendary hero or villain, and it feels like that is taking place here. But the history of the mistreatment of the Native Americans by Europeon colonists is larger and longer than just what happened under Columbus, and to quote a member of the Osage Nation...
Did Columbus Really Discover America?
"...by blaming Columbus for five centuries of history, we ignore the majority of that history, and risk repeating it."
-Patrick T. Mason
Did Columbus Really Discover America?
Discovery is a loaded term because it has been used to justify conquest. It is certainly true that Columbus was not the first human to "discover" the Americas, as there were many already there who had discovered it long before. Nor was he the first European to make his way to American shores. Lief Erickson discovered a route to North America hundreds of years before Columbus. But Leif Ericson's discovery resulted only in a short lived settlement that was soon abandoned, and it's affect on world history was small. Columbus' journeys, on the other hand, resulted in the lasting collision of two worlds long separated. Whether you consider this a positive or negative development, it created an exchange of ideas, technologies, resources (and sadly, disease), that would change civilizations around the world, and is considered by many to be one of the most important events of history.
And it was still an achievement even if he wasn't the first. To quote again from Bartolome de las Casas....
"Is there anything on earth comparable to opening the tightly shut doors of an ocean that no one dared enter before? And supposing someone in the most remote past did enter, the feat was so utterly forgotten as to make Columbus's discovery as arduous as if it it had been the first time."
~History of the Indies, by Bartolome de Las Casas (translated by Andree M. Collard) - Book 1, Chapter 76, pg 35
Many have tried to trivialize Columbus accomplishment by pointing out how he was wrong about the size of the earth, or that he didn't realize he had found a new continent and thought that he had discovered a route to Asia. But even considering these things, the journey he took across the Atlantic took skill and courage, and was a great feat in spite of the errors he made along the way.
I think as humans we have trouble holding two disparate things about a person in our mind. Its easier for us to create one dimensional heroes and villains than to hold the truth that a person in one lifetime can do both horrible and admirable things, or that even admirable accomplishments can have negative effects.
De las Casas, the same man I quoted who heaped high praise on Columbus for his discovery, also acknowledged how Columbus' feat was tainted by the actions that
followed it. He wrote....
"...he would have done great things and produced inestimable benefit
in this land if he had realized that these people did not owe anything
to him or to any other person in the world just because they had been
discovered."
~History of the Indies, Book 2, Chap 154.9, from Las Casas on Columubs: The Third Voyage" translated by Michael Hammer and Blair Sullivan
~History of the Indies, Book 2, Chap 154.9, from Las Casas on Columubs: The Third Voyage" translated by Michael Hammer and Blair Sullivan
That type of balanced view can be hard to come to. Sometimes it's easy to just leave out the things, good or bad, that do not neatly fit into a simple caricature. But to teach history well, it is important to try to teach history as it was, even with it's messy complex characters...not just to go the easy route of turning complex historical figures into simplified heroes and villains.
How Do We Teach This History?
So, how do we teach this complex and often brutal history...to children? This is something I've struggled with myself. In some sense, we simply can't. When I first tackled the history of American exploration my son was only 6. There was no way I was going to expose my son to descriptions of rape and torture and brutality.
But Columbus was an important figure who affected history in profound ways...so I couldn't just ignore his story (though I now think it would have been wiser to put off teaching it until my child was a little older). I didn't want to build up Columbus as a hero, but neither did I want to set him up as merely a villain, as the truth seemed to lie somewhere in between.
I thought even at 6 my child could handle and, to some extent, understand, the concept of slavery. So, I found and read him a short children's book on Columbus that did at least spend some time talking about that, as well as talking about Columbus' life and voyages. After we read the book my son looked up with questioning eyes...
"So, Columbus was a hero?"
"No, not exactly." I replied, pointing him back to that page on how Columbus took slaves.
His brow knotted, and after a moment he looked up at me again.
"So, he was a bad guy?"
And there it was. I always thought that it was teachers who taught children to see the world in terms of heroes and villains. But even though I had gone out of my way to do the opposite, my child still saw it that way. I had tried to show him shades of gray, but he wanted black and white. Maybe that is just the way it is when we are young. Sometimes it's hard to break from that when we're older too.
But shades of gray are important. The ability to see both the good and the bad in an individual is necessary for so many reasons...not least of these because it's important for us to also see that in ourselves. If we look through history and only see heroes and villains it colors our view of the people who are making history now. Kids need to know that sometimes even people who seem like "good guys" can cause harm, and even people who seem to be "bad guys" sometimes still do some good things.
SUGGESTED HOMESCHOOL
RESOURCES ON COLUMBUS
More will be added later...
CORRECTIONS & THINGS I'M STILL FACT CHECKING:
- Earlier I included this sentence above: "He pushed them to mine for gold, even cutting off the hands of some
natives who did not bring him what he thought a sufficient amount
(though, this was not particularly worse than the punishment he at times
implemented on the Spanish colonists)." Someone knowledgeable about Columbus has contacted me about this, saying that he's found no proof that this punishment that this happened (hands were cut off for other reasons under Ovando, not Columbus, and Columbus did require gold as a tribute from some natives in an area near the mines, but I haven't found any original sources saying that he cut off hands of natives as punishment). I've since found a full article on this, debunking this myth and showing how it started.
MORE ON THIS: What I did find was the original reference to Columbus ordering a tribute of a hawksbill of gold in History of the Indies, on his 2nd voyage...this was after a number of tribes joined together to try to oust the Spanish, and the Spanish won that battle and then went and started attacking towns. The tribes then surrendered and as part of that surrender agreed to tribute (a hawksbill of gold per man of a certain age who lived near the mines, and a certain amount of cotton per person who lived away from the mines...at regular intervals). They did not say what the punishment for not bringing this was, only that it was "light" (in quotes, so it might have been Las Casas being sarcastic, but I'm not sure if the quotes were in the original or just the translation, which I should check). The amount was hard to get and the chiefs tried to convince Columbus to take land in stead. Eventually Columbus reduced the amount to a half hawks-bell. There is no mention of hands being cut off as punishment, which, seeing how this is las Casas writing this, would be an odd omission if this actually happened, as he usually records those types of details.
- I originally said Columbus brought pardoned criminals on his 2nd Voyage but it was actually his 3rd voyage.
- I wanted to clarify that while de las Casas was not in the New World when Columbus was governing there, there time in the New World did overlap slightly, but they only had opportunity to see each other during one brief period of time. Las Casas arrived in the New World in the fleet that also carried Nicolas de Ovando, who would be Hispaniola's new governor. Columbus, on his 4th and final voyage, arrived in the the carribean shortly after Ovando had started governing there, but de Ovando denied him port (wouldn't let him land on the island). Soon afterwards, while exploring Columbus shipwrecked on what today is Jamaica and spend nearly all of the rest of that voyage there, until he was finally able to send word and get rescued. This time, de Ovando allowed him only Hispaniola briefly, and de las Casas was briefly able to meet him (he had also met him as a child in Spain...maybe on several occasions). These are the meetings in person I am aware of between the two. But de las Casas never personally witnessed Columbus in a governing roll, nor was he ever under Columbus' command.
- I have amended this article to better deal with Columbus use of slavery, including portions of a letter by Columbus I did not have when this article was first written.
- I have amended this article to add more details about the war the the 5 Taino tribes on the 2nd journey, content that was missing from the first, abridged, version of History of the Indies which I read, but which I found in a more complete version (at least regarding the Columbus voyages), in VII of the Repertorium Columbianum, Las Casas on Columbus: Background and the Second and Fourth Journeys.
SOURCES (Some additional sources are listed in the Text Above):
History of the Indies, by Bartolomé de Las Casas, translated by Andree M. Collard. (heavily abridged translation)
Las Casas on Columbus, The Third Voyage (book containing the full translation of De las Casas' account of Columbus 3rd voyage from History of the Indies), Edited by Geoffrey Symcox and Jesus Carillo, and translated by Michael Hammer and Blair Sullivan, published by BREPOLS (Belgium) under the auspices of the UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Las Casas on Columbus: Background and the Second and Fourth Voyages, (book containing the full translation of De las Casas' account of Columbus 2nd and 4th voyages from History of the Indies), translated and edited by Nigel Griffin, published by BREPOLS (Belgium) under the auspices of the UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
Historia de las Indias
I am currently going through and reading some of the untranslated chapters, with the help of Google translate (my Spanish being rather intermediate).
A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de las Casas (translated to English)
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de las Casas
- this is another translation of the work above. It is a little more readable, but each section is on another page making it harder to do a text search of.
Journals of the 1st Voyage of Columbus
This free online translation is searchable and has more content than some others. There were 3 versions of Columbus journal we still have. One by his son and two other versions transcribed by Bartolomé de las Casas, one of which had more content than the others (and which was discovered later). This translation seems to take from all 3 versions.
Journals of the 1st Voyage of Columbus (another version)
This translation seems to have less content than the one above, probably just taking from the two versions of his journal and not from the 3rd that was found later (see note on Journal above). Footnotes are also somewhat different...not more or less, just different.
Journals of the 1st Voyage of Columbus (another version)
This is similar to those above and I'm not sure what version it is, but just including it in case any of the above are taken down.
I, Columbus: My Journal, edited by Peter and Connie Roop, translated by Robert H. Fuson (Great book for kids but very much abridged)
Columbus by Felipe Fernández-Aermesto
Christopher Columbus (History.com)
Why Columbus Day Courts Controversy (History.com)
Columbus - Wikipedia*
Lost Document Reveals Columbus as Tyrant of the Carribean
~Letter from Columbus to Doña Juana de Torres, 1500
Letter from Columbus to Luis de St. Angel on his first Voyage to America
This was written while in the Canary Islands on the way to America on his 2nd voyage, 15th of February, 1493, with a postscript on March 14th.
Bartolome de las Casas - Encyclopedia Britanica
Bartolome de las Casas: The Only Way (introduction) by Helen Rand Parish
Bartolome de Las Casas : Great Prophet of the Americas by Paul S. Vickery
Forced Native Labor in 17th Century America
Lief Erickson - New World Encyclopedia
In tearing down Columbus, we ignore real violence against Indians, editorial in the Chicago Sun Times by Patrick T. Mason Oct 6, 2017, 6:26pm CDT
GRAPHICS (From Header)
Section of Le Retour de Christophe Colomb (1892)
Public domain in the United States
*While I tried to avoid using anything on Wikipedia that could not be verified elsewhere, it was a starting place for some research, and I did use one quote directly from there simply because it was the most complete version of the quote, in the most easy to read translation I could find online (and was sourced from a book which I didn't have access to but seemed a reputable source.)
OTHER ARTICLES FACT CHECKING THESE ISSUES
So, since writing this I've noticed a few others also tackling these errors. I'm sharing links to some of them below.
Snopes Was Wrong About Columbus
Shared on Throwback Thursday.
Last Updated July 7, 2024
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Seasons of a Tree Artwork
This is a craft I found on pinterest that we did five years ago during our first year of homeschooling (we actually did it TODAY, October 3rd!). It was simple and fun and my son loved it. I did it with him and enjoyed it too.
We did two versions, as you can see above...one with green leaves and another with fall colors. In central Texas, where we lived at the time, the leaves had not yet changed, so it made sense to start with the green leaves and then do a version that showed how they would change...as October folded into November and the leaves changed from green to orange I got to ask my son which of the trees on the fridge the leaves were looking more like now. (You could also do a spring version with shades of pink blossoms).
SUPPLIES NEEDED
Paper (I suggest cardstock or painting paper)
Compass or round bowl or lid
Pencil and eraser
Q-tips
Paint (various shades)*
Paint pallet (can be plastic or just a paper plate...or use paper cups)
*For the green tree you really only need one shade of darker green, and yellow to mix in to get various other shades. For the fall colors, red and yellow, mixed to get various shades of orange, will do. You will also need brown for the trunk.
DIRECTIONS
1. On a piece of paper trace a round circle using a lid (or draw one using a compass) in pencil.
2. Mix colors to make various shades of paint (shades of green for a green tree, or shades of red, orange and yellow for a fall tree), and brown for the trunk. Since yellow and blue make green, and red and yellow make orange, you can try different quantities of these to learn about colors while you're mixing. For brown, if you don't have that color pre-mixed, yellow, red and a small amount of black mixed can make brown.
3. Draw a brown trunk with Q-tips (or paint brush)...you can draw branches into the circle or just a straight line up to the circle.
4. With Q-tip, make dots in different colors inside the circle. Use a different Q-tip for each color.
5. Let dry, then erase circle (I didn't get pics of our tree after doing this).
We did two versions, as you can see above...one with green leaves and another with fall colors. In central Texas, where we lived at the time, the leaves had not yet changed, so it made sense to start with the green leaves and then do a version that showed how they would change...as October folded into November and the leaves changed from green to orange I got to ask my son which of the trees on the fridge the leaves were looking more like now. (You could also do a spring version with shades of pink blossoms).
SUPPLIES NEEDED
Paper (I suggest cardstock or painting paper)
Compass or round bowl or lid
Pencil and eraser
Q-tips
Paint (various shades)*
Paint pallet (can be plastic or just a paper plate...or use paper cups)
*For the green tree you really only need one shade of darker green, and yellow to mix in to get various other shades. For the fall colors, red and yellow, mixed to get various shades of orange, will do. You will also need brown for the trunk.
DIRECTIONS
1. On a piece of paper trace a round circle using a lid (or draw one using a compass) in pencil.
2. Mix colors to make various shades of paint (shades of green for a green tree, or shades of red, orange and yellow for a fall tree), and brown for the trunk. Since yellow and blue make green, and red and yellow make orange, you can try different quantities of these to learn about colors while you're mixing. For brown, if you don't have that color pre-mixed, yellow, red and a small amount of black mixed can make brown.
3. Draw a brown trunk with Q-tips (or paint brush)...you can draw branches into the circle or just a straight line up to the circle.
4. With Q-tip, make dots in different colors inside the circle. Use a different Q-tip for each color.
5. Let dry, then erase circle (I didn't get pics of our tree after doing this).
Shared On
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Story of the World Ancient Times - Chap 13 - The General and the Woman Pharoah
This post contains some Amazon affiliate links through which I can earn commission.
The picture above shows Thutmose III and Hatshepsut. Thutmose III was co-regent for a time with Hatshepsut (his stepmother and aunt). I originally thought this was Thutmose I and Hatshepsut, but decided to leave it as the chapter intro anyways. I'm not sure which one is which.
The first section of this chapter in Story of the World is about two great Pharaohs: Thutmose I, and his daughter, Hatshepsut, one of the few women Pharaohs in Egypt's history. Whether you're using this curriculum or another, I hope you find these resources to supplement your history lessons useful (I have a lot more on Hatshepset below that could be used apart from SOTW)!
Thutmose I
From British Museum - Shared by Capmondo
Apart from looking at some pictures like the one above, we didn't do much the supplement the section on Thutmose I. Below is a map which would also be useful...it shows Egyptian territory during his reign.
Map of Egypt in 1450 BC
Shared by Andrei nacu at English Wikipedia
Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic licenses
Hatshepsut
Shared by Postdlf under Creative Commons
I first learned about Hatshepsut reading The Egypt Game as a child, and have been fascinated with her ever since. So, I was very excited to learn that she was covered in SOTW. I thought they covered her well, but there was one oversight about Hatshepsut in this chapter (an understandable one since it's information that has only come out relatively recently).
This chapter in Story of the World said that Hatshepsut didn't fight any wars. But she did. According to the book 'Hatchepust, the Female Pharoah' by Joyce Tyldesley, which came out shortly after the first edition of Story of the World, there is growing evidence of Hatshepsut's "military prowess." During her reign wars were fought against Nubia, the nations of the Upper Nile, against the Ethiopians, and probably also against the Asiatics. However, the book also did say that "Hatchepsut's military policy is perhaps best described as one of unobtrusive control; active defense rather than deliberate offense."
(Foreign names tend to have various spellings in translation. Hatchepsut is just another variation).
Here's a few random facts about Hatshepsut not included in the chapter that also might be fun to share....
- Hatshepsut was actually not the first woman Pharaoh. Sobekneferu ruled 3 centuries before her (though she had a short reign), and other earlier women pharaohs are rumored.
- Hatshepsut had an interest in wild and exotic animals, and during her reign had a collection of live animals, perhaps somewhat like a zoo, that included apes, monkeys, birds, greyhounds, cattle, leopards, cheetahs, rhinoceroses, and giraffes.
All text and works on About Zoos, unless stated otherwise are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
See also copyright notice. It will be much appreciated when you at least refer to >> Source: About Zoos- http://aboutzoos.info
- Hatshepsut died at the age of 50. Scientists believe she may have been killed by gradual exposure to toxins in a cream she used for a skin condition.
WOMEN IN EGYPT
In this chapter of SOTW it says that the only jobs women in Egypt were allowed to do was to be a wife and mother, priestess, or dancer. This was somewhat true for upper class women (though they could also be musicians or professional mourners, and even being a wife involved managing the servants of the household, so it was more than just taking care of and teaching children). But among the lower and middle classes there were many other jobs done by women. Women could also be musicians, weavers, servants, cooks, perfumers, and even doctors. Farmer's wives worked alongside their husbands in the fields, and women were sometimes
known to manage farms or businesses in the absence of their husbands or
sons.
This TedEd video is about an ancient Egyptian doctor (who just happens to be a woman).
ACTIVITIES
VIDEO
TedEd - The Hidden History of Hatshepsut
I love this short video by TedEd which tells more interesting details about this ruler.
TOUR HATSHEPSUT'S MORTUARY TEMPLE
The entrance to Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, one of her many building projects. (There used to be a whole tour through multiple buildings but that's been taken down, unfortunately)
MAKE a PHARAOH COSTUME
There are printable Pharoah Headress here that would make a fun craft for this unit. If you also wanted to make a fake beard, there's a picture of a toilet paper roll one here that wouldn't be hard to follow (sorry, just a picture, not instructions). (Alternate printable idea with mask and collar here, but using a shirt for the headdress, that also has a good printable beard)
Shared on The Bookshelf and Throwback Thursday
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Reading Guide for Magic Tree House and Story of the World
This post contains some affiliate links through which I can earn commission.
My middle kiddo LOVED the Magic Tree House books, and they're a great way to get kids interested in history. I decided to see how much it was possible to line up the Magic Tree House Stories to Story of the World. I knew it wouldn't be possible to have everything line up because Magic Tree House books don't go in chronological order, and they do have story arcs (sub-series within the greater series) that go together and are nice to read in order.
I came up with several schedules to align with Volumes 1 and 2 of SOTW. For Volume 1 I made one schedule including ALL the books, excluding the Merlin Missions (though 13 of the books you would read after finishing that SOTW volume, and only one of those left aligned with Volume II). I did another schedule that just included the story arcs that had books which directly related to SOTW. I did the same for Volume II, but didn't try to fit in all the books that time, and also did a separate schedule for Merlin Missions since more of those books related to that time period. You can find the printable schedules at the links below.... (you can only access these by computer, not via most phones).
Magic Tree House
Reading Schedules
Reading Schedules
More Magic Treehouse Resources
at Living, Loving, and Learning as We Go
Friday, June 8, 2018
Field Trip: La Jolla Tide Pools, San Diego
My son is fascinated by sea life. Right now he says he wants to be a Marine Biologist. (Of course, earlier this year he wanted to be a chef, so we'll see if this one sticks.) But regardless, living so close to the ocean there's plenty of opportunities to feed his interest.
We recently took a trip to the La Jolla tidepools, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.
Before and after the trip we read the passages about tidepools in One Small Square: Seashore by Donald Silver. The "One Small Square books are some of my favorite for learning about different habitats. They include activities, but we didn't do any this time because we were meeting with some other homeschoolers and I wanted my son to be free to play and explore without direction. But the book built up ideas for the trip and gave us some great ways to talk about it and learn from what he'd seen.
(DISCLOSURE: Above are affiliate links through which I can earn commission.)
If you're in the San Diego area and want to visit this particular spot on the beach, it's at 321 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA.
Shared on Love to Learn Link-up, Homeschool Review Crew, and Camera Critters
We recently took a trip to the La Jolla tidepools, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.
The day was a little clowdy, but he didn't mind. The spot was nice...plenty of deep tidepools, but also adjacent to some sandy beach areas that were better for swimming (no nearby bathrooms though).
He brought his goggles and snorkel...a replaced birthday gift (the original one got lost on his FIRST trip to the beach with it. Snorkels and waves do not mix! But it was perfect for tidepool exploring).
Before and after the trip we read the passages about tidepools in One Small Square: Seashore by Donald Silver. The "One Small Square books are some of my favorite for learning about different habitats. They include activities, but we didn't do any this time because we were meeting with some other homeschoolers and I wanted my son to be free to play and explore without direction. But the book built up ideas for the trip and gave us some great ways to talk about it and learn from what he'd seen.(DISCLOSURE: Above are affiliate links through which I can earn commission.)
If you're in the San Diego area and want to visit this particular spot on the beach, it's at 321 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA.
Shared on Love to Learn Link-up, Homeschool Review Crew, and Camera Critters
Friday, May 25, 2018
Snails
Our snail habitat (and temporary pets for a couple days, before we let them loose)...
It was really simple...some dirt and replanted weeds in the bottom of a tupperware bin. Some water in a soda cap so the snails had something to drink, and holes in the lid.
No big lesson plan, no videos on the life cycle of snails, just an afternoon of appreciating the little things...that are really quite marvelous.
It was really simple...some dirt and replanted weeds in the bottom of a tupperware bin. Some water in a soda cap so the snails had something to drink, and holes in the lid.
No big lesson plan, no videos on the life cycle of snails, just an afternoon of appreciating the little things...that are really quite marvelous.
~~~
(If you would like to make a lesson out of this, though,
I suggest reading this great post at "The Barefoot Mom").
I suggest reading this great post at "The Barefoot Mom").
See more cool animal pics on
Camera Critters
Also shared on
Love to Learn Link-up
Throwback Thursday
Camera Critters
Also shared on
Love to Learn Link-up
Throwback Thursday
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Story of the World Ancient Times - Chap 12 - The Hyksos
This post contains some affiliate links through which I can earn commission.
This chapter in Story of the World was about the Hyksos...a group of people that temporarily took over Egypt. The Hyksos, among other things, introduced the chariot to Egypt. Honestly...all we did for this chapter was read it and look at some pictures of Egyptian chariots. If you happen to have a PBS membership, I've been told this video on Egyptian chariots is really cool. And if you scroll down, there are some links to some great chariot crafts you can do if you're looking for something more craftsy.
Museum replica of an Egyptian Chariot
This picture by Einsamer Schütze is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
(Click Picture to Enlarge)
This picture by Einsamer Schütze is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
(Click Picture to Enlarge)
Museum Replica of Tutankhamun’s chariot (See Chapter 13).
This picture by Carston Frenzl is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
ACTIVITY: MAKE A CHARIOT
Chariot Craft (Probably a bit more Roman than Egyptian), pg 48-49
Chariot Snack (Great for the preschool set)
Life Size Chariot (for those who want to go all out)
Or, if you have the book Make It Work: Ancient Egypt in your library, they have a great detailed craft of an Egyptian chariot (which you can see looks a lot like the first chariot pictured above, so pretty authentic)...
CHANGES IN THE REVISED VERSION
Also, you should note that this is one chapter where there is meaningful difference between the original and revised version. The revised version reflects more recent archaeological evidence that shows that the Hyksos didn't suddenly invade...they gradually settled in Egypt in large in numbers, and then rose up and took over. (See more changes here )
This becomes important when you come to the Biblical story of the Exodus (Chap 14). The fear that Pharoah had of the Israelites "becoming too numerous" makes so much sense when we know that another group, the Hyksos, had once entered the land gradually and grown in numbers before taking over.
Friday, May 18, 2018
My Favorite Fruit Salad
My Favorite Fruit Salad
2 small pineapple or one large one.
1 lb (more or less) of strawberries, minus a few to munch on.
1 - 3 Kiwis
(Optional) 1 Banana
(Optional) 1 Orange
(Optional) Raspberries
Start with the strawberries so they have time to create a syrup. Slice strawberries into pieces (whatever size you like). Stir roughly with a spoon to start the syruping process. Chop pineapple into slices or squares. Remove peel from kiwi and slice (I find the best way to peel a kiwi is to chop off both rounded ends so you can slice the skin off straight down the sides of the kiwi). Add kiwi and pineapple. (You can slice up oranges and bananas too to add. If I include bananas I always add them last so they don't get too mushy).
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Story of the World - Revised Version Changes - Volume 1 - Chapter 12
I may have missed some, but here are the changes I noticed in Chapter 12 of Story of the World.
Chapter 12 - The Hyksos Invade Egypt
There was one substantive change, noting that the Hyksos didn't suddenly invade...they gradually settled in large in numbers in Egypt, and then rose up and took over.
There is also some non-substantive wording changes.
Paragraph 3/3-4
(Paragraph 3 is split into two paragraphs in the revised version)
Original:
Paragraph 4/5
Original:
Chapter 12 - The Hyksos Invade Egypt
There was one substantive change, noting that the Hyksos didn't suddenly invade...they gradually settled in large in numbers in Egypt, and then rose up and took over.
There is also some non-substantive wording changes.
Paragraph 3/3-4
(Paragraph 3 is split into two paragraphs in the revised version)
Original:
...Fierce enemies were getting ready to charge down on the Egyptians from the North.Revised:
...Fierce enemies were getting ready to attack Pharoah and take away his Throne.
Paragraph 4/5
Original:
...They had been wandering around Canaan for several years. Now they were ready to move to a new country. And the country they chose was Egypt.
The Hyksos came charging down from Canaan into Egypt. Egypt's weak army wasn't ready for such a vicious attack!Revised:
...They had been wandering around Canaan for several years. A few at a time, the Hyksos had moved down into Egypt and settled. Now a huge number of Hyksos lived in the Nile Delta. There were so many Hyksos they had an entire city all their own.
Now they were ready to rule their new home. They picked up weapons and charged down to attack the pharaoh and his army.
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