E 270 Lecture Notes - Coriander, Names Of Japan, Nutmeg
Document Summary
Sends letter to king henry ii of england. Says yes, but answer doesn"t get to columbus until after acceptance from. Eventually shipwrecks, sent to hispaniola, then to spain in chains. First documented, publicized contact of europe with north america. Came to the conclusion that he could not support this slavery. Black legend english/protestant idea, spanish are human demons, atrocious. African bodies better suited to labor and climate. Columbus vs. de las casas on indians de las casas victims, child-like, nonhuman. Indians are cast as women and children while showing that they need protection. Columbus though the world was smaller than others did. Others thought the voyage to india would take too long due to the size of the earth. Temperate zones fine, frigid and torrid zones too extreme. People at same latitude (africa and americas) look different different skin color.
