Christopher Columbus: Letter to Ferdinand and Isabella by Christian Myrick

 Christopher Columbus, a Spanish explorer and colonizer, wrote a letter lamenting over his tarnished legacy to Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella on July 7, 1503. Columbus believed his legacy had been tarnished because the authority he had attained due to the egregious acts of colonization that he committed caused by the other Europeans, who were in competition with him to colonize land in the West Indies, to file charges against him in rebellion to his authority. This act committed by the other Europeans ultimately landed Columbus in prison, which triggered his interest in leaving the New World which caused him to compose this letter. This piece is important because it paints a picture of the beginnings of European colonization in the Americas, which globally dominated every area of people activity such as labor, law, and politics after it first occurred in the 1400s and still dominates even now in modern day as a result of neo imperialism. This piece also gives us insight to the white supremacist belief system and psychology that society can credit discrimination and hatred against Native Americans as Columbus refers to the Natives as savages, “Alone in my trouble, sick, in daily expectation of death, and encompassed about by a million savages” (38). Within this letter, the audience receives a firsthand view of the contradictory mentality of Columbus. After Columbus, who is the victimizer and as a result invaded these different lands, killed Native Americans, stole their land from them, he victimizes himself after all of this by saying, “I was made a prisoner and with my two brothers was thrown into a ship, laden with fetters, stripped to the skin, very ill-treated, and without being tried or condemned” (37). Columbus states in his letter:

I came to serve at the age of twenty-eight years, and now I have not a hair on my body that is not gray, and my body is infirm, and whatever remained to me from those years of service has been spent and taken away from me and sold, from my brothers, down to my very coat, without my being heard or seen, to my great dishonor. It must be believed that this was not done by your royal command. The restitution of my honor, the reparation of my losses, and the punishment of him who did this, will spread abroad the fame of your nobility. (37)

Columbus’ mentality is one that believes if he steals something by force from someone else or coerces them into giving it to them, it belongs to him and his perceived justification for him stealing the particular item that he stole is the people, which in this case is the Natives, he stole it from were not strong enough to defend their property.   Columbus believes that if they attempt to steal something and the persons either doesn’t put up a fight or cannot, then they must not have an issue with their certain item being stolen. As a result of Columbus possessing this contradictory and hypocritical mentality, he believes he is experiencing injustice since he has been punished for what he has done by being placed in prison. He believes that no matter the method or stipulations in which he attained “his” land, it belongs to him. Columbus believes he has built a legacy off of the basis of theft and he feels he is being wronged to have his legacy stripped from him.  This mentality is evident in this statement, “The same punishment is due to him who robbed me of the pearls, and to him who infringed my rights as an admiral” (37)   He labels his destruction, “service,” as if he is actually providing services to improve the quality of life of all people. “The pure devotion which I have ever borne to the service of Your Highness to pardon me” (38). 

This text is about Columbus, his mentality of perceiving himself as the victim although he is clearly the victimizer, and why he deserves justice. He is begging the monarchs to please come and rescue him from all of this turmoil, which is the purpose of him writing this letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Columbus wants them to save him because they essentially support what he did and he assumes that they will look out for him and protect him. The tone Columbus uses in this piece is very submissive, which is very important and ironic. The person who is calling other people savages and looking down on them has to ask a higher power for assistance in getting him out of a situation. He must swallow his pride, his arrogance, humble himself to the extent of lying by saying he does not lie, and plead for help. Columbus states: I came to Your Highness with true devotion and with ready zeal, and I do not lie. I humbly pray Your Highnesses that if it please God to bring me forth from this place, that you will be pleased to permit me to go to Rome and to other places of pilgrimage. (38) 

 Columbus’ letter translates to modern day because the exact same mentality is still running rampant in white Americans and Europeans in general. Whenever colonization against people of color, is criticized in a public forum, Europeans will always defend it by making statements such as, “My ancestors conquered the land and the Africans or the Natives did not possess the wherewithal or strength to defend it.”  I see these kinds of comments posted all over social media and I even hear them being made publicly by newscasters and politicians who are held to high standards. Also whenever oppression and discrimination against people of color is publicly criticized, such as police killings of unarmed black and brown people, economic deprivation, or unequal opportunity to obtain work, many will attempt to make themselves out to be the victim by making statements such as, “There is affirmative action, which is discriminatory against whites.” The exact same mentality that Columbus possessed in the late 15^th century is still running amok in white American society, which is the reason oppression of Natives, black Americans, and other people of color is still in existence.