It’s All History, So Give Columbus Credit

Even if the complaints made against Christopher Columbus are true, such as that he was greedy, dishonest and authoritarian and helped father colonialism, this still doesn’t negate the fact that he was a great explorer.

In an age when most people believed that ferocious sea monsters roamed the oceans and that a ship could suddenly plunge off a flat-sided earth, Columbus clearly showed that he was a brave, adventurous and visionary explorer who explored uncharted territory at great peril, traveling long distances in rough waters on archaic ships.

Columbus would be famous even if he made just that one voyage, but let us not forget that he made several such voyages. Therefore, the 500th anniversary of his discovery of America does indeed deserve to be widely and enthusiastically commemorated.

KENNETH L. ZIMMERMAN

Cypress