Christopher Columbus Failure Essay

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Originally named Christopher Colombo, Columbus will be forever remembered as the man that brought Europe to the new world. However, there are plenty of smaller details mainstreams history neglects to mention, that Columbus experienced on his historic journey. For one Columbus discovered the New World totally by accident, he originally set out from Spain to find a faster way to Asia, Where the European powers went to trade for valuable commodities such as silk and spices. In fact, the original destination Columbus was traveling to was Japan; instead the voyager landed on in island in what is now called the Bahamas. While nowadays it is widely noted that Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the New World, or even the first explorer to …show more content…

Columbus comes into the picture when he proposes that traveling across the Atlantic sea westward, would land him on the opposite side of the continent in Asia. Originally the idea to sail west was the idea of an astronomer named Paolo Dal Pozzo Toscanelli, his proposal however was rejected. Instead Columbus and his brother had heard of Toscanelli’s idea and decided to pursue it themselves. Columbus himself actually took the idea to King John II of Portugal twice in order to gain financial support, however, both times the king denied Columbus. Eventually his endeavor gained the attention of the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, who granted Columbus the not only a fleet of ships but royalties from and land he discovered. He was also promised the rank of “Grand Admiral of the Ocean” should he prove his theory correct. While Columbus did not prove westward travel into Asia was possible he did discover a new continent rich with resources, perfect for the imperialistic European powers desiring for anyway to make their economies even

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