Columbus and the Indians - Flashcards

A set of QA-style flashcards drawn from the lecture notes on Columbus and the Indians, covering key events, figures, perspectives, and historiography.

What did Columbus observe about the Arawaks' arms?

They did not bear arms and did not know them.

What items did the Arawaks trade with Columbus on first contact?

Parrots, balls of cotton, spears, glass beads, and hawks' bells.

Why did Columbus seize some Arawaks when he arrived in the islands?

To force them to reveal the location of gold.

What rewards did Spain promise Columbus in exchange for gold and spices?

Ten percent of profits, governorship of newly discovered lands, and the title Admiral of the Ocean Sea.

How did Columbus intend to reach Asia?

By sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean.

What belief about the world did Columbus share with educated Europeans of his time?

That the world is round and could be reached by sailing west to Asia.

When and where did Columbus first sight land?

October 12, 1492, on an island in the Bahamas in the Caribbean Sea.

Who was the first person to sight land according to the notes?

Rodrigo (de Triana).

What were the three ships Columbus sailed with on his 1492 voyage?

Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria.

What unique aspect of the Columbus voyage crew is described in the notes?

Many of the sailors were boys; nearly twenty of the ninety sailors were under age; there were pages, gromets, and criados.

What was the role of the pages aboard the ships?

Pages cooked and scrubbed decks, told time with an ampolleta, and learned sixteen prayers for the half-hour shifts.

What was the ampolleta used for on Columbus's ships?

A half-hour hourglass used to measure time and signal the next prayer or duty.

What riches did Columbus promise to return with from the Indies (as described by him)?

Gold and as many slaves as they asked, in addition to spices.

What happened to the fort left at Hispaniola and the crew there?

Columbus built a fort from wreck wood and left 39 crewmen there; many died or were enslaved.

What did Las Casas report about infant mortality?

Infant mortality was severe: 7,000 children died in three months due to mothers' overwork and lack of milk.

What is genocide as defined in the notes?

The deliberate killing of an entire ethnic or cultural group.

How did Morison characterize Columbus in his 1954 book?

As a great seaman; genocide of Indigenous peoples was downplayed or treated as a minor part of the story.

What does the notes say about who writes and reads history?

Historians select which facts to include and how to frame them; history can shape readers' beliefs; perspectives matter.

Which other conquerors are mentioned as destroying civilizations?

Hernán Cortés (Aztecs) and Francisco Pizarro (Incas).

What did Powhatan say about peace and war?

“I know the difference between peace and war… Why will you take by force what you may have quietly by love?”

What happened to Jamestown during the starving time?

Winter 1609-1610; hundreds died; only about 60 of 500 survived; some colonists joined the Indians.

What did the English do to Indian settlements during the conflict with Powhatan?

They destroyed settlements, kidnapped Powhatan's queen, threw her children into the water and shot them, and stabbed the queen.

Who were ‘white Indians’?

English captives who, after being taken by Native Americans, lived in Native communities (e.g., Eunice Williams).

What did Benjamin Franklin say about captives taken by Indians?

That they often preferred Native life and would escape back to the woods, even after ransom.

Approximately how many Indians lived in the Americas before Columbus, and how many languages did they have?

About 75 million people and about two thousand languages.

How did the Iroquois view land ownership?

Land belonged to the entire community; women were respected and power was shared between the sexes.

What question does the text raise about ‘progress’?

Was progress a justifiable reason to decimate Indigenous populations and erase their societies?

What is the overarching message about history in this lesson?

History should include marginalized perspectives (e.g., the Arawaks) and show how the past can guide a more hopeful future.

What is Hispaniola’s modern political division?

Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

How does the text describe the fate of Indigenous populations after contact?

Populations declined rapidly due to disease, warfare, and enslavement; many were decimated within a century.