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An essay explaining the life and exploration of christopher columbus
An essay explaining the life and exploration of christopher columbus
Background about christopher columbus
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Over 500 years ago, one man traveled over an entire ocean to fail an original goal, only to build something even greater. Christopher Columbus is a well known European explorer born in Genoa, Italy, and one of the most controversial of all time. He was a young merchant on a ship up until 1470 when the boat was destroyed. Columbus managed to float to Lisbon, Portugal where he studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography, and navigation. Closer to the end of the fifteenth century, it had become increasingly difficult to reach Asia from Europe by land, and it was even harder to go around Africa. Columbus had a new idea ,however. He thought if the Earth was round, why not sail east to Asia? Christopher Columbus undeniably took a risk by proposing …show more content…
a new idea and taking a journey that could easily be futile. While he never found quite what he was looking for, he is the cause of the colonization of North America and the Bahamas and influenced the exploration of other countries in the east. Columbus’ biggest accomplishment is arguably the cause of the colonization of North America and the Bahamas. “his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation on the American continents.” Columbus was the first European to think that the east was worth exploring, and other countries later followed suit. “Columbus has been credited for opening up the Americas to European colonization”At the time, the Europeans weren’t aware of North America’s existence until Columbus explored it. New discoveries also meant more chances of more land and more profit, and not only limited to Spain. Columbus also make a change in the countries of Europe’s economies by influencing the exploration of other countries in the east.
“Other European countries were thus galvanized to send out their own expeditions to explore and start colonies in the New World. This led, of course, to the British and the French establishing colonial outposts in the New World.” Other countries saw Spain’s quick growth and were keen on imitating the voyage, in hope’s to better themselves as well. “Europe benefited from the abundant natural resources of the new continent, and cultural thought and the European sense of cultural superiority were impacted by contact with what were considered more primitive cultures.” A new continent was a huge discovery and had new options for an unknown amount of land, new culture, and new resources to invest in and sell. While exploration is good all around, someone else might have found North America before Columbus …show more content…
did. Almost five hundred years before Columbus was even born, Leif Eriksson and a group of other Vikings went to search for new land.
“The Norsemen then voyaged south to a timber-rich location they called Markland (Forestland), most likely in present-day Labrador, before finally setting up a base camp likely on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland.” Leif Eriksson might have gotten to North America first, but he settled in Newfoundland and Canada and didn’t work for the prosperity of a country that could benefit from the expedition, only for themselves. As clearly stated above, Leif Eriksson might have found North America, however, Columbus had an evidently greater impact on the
continent. Today we can thank Columbus for his contributions to all of North America. While some may argue he will always be remembered for the colonization of the continent, and influencing other countries to explore the east as well. In the words of Edmund Arthur Helps, “Columbus had all the spirit of a crusader, and, at the same time, the investigating nature of a modern man of science.” Works Cited Biography.com Editors. “Christopher Columbus.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 1 Aug. 2017, www.biography.com/people/christopher-columbus-9254209. History.com Staff. “Christopher Columbus.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus. “How Did Christopher Columbus' Voyages Affect Europe?” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, 11 Sept. 2016, www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-did-christopher-columbus-voyages-affect-europe-200885. Klein, Christopher. “The Viking Explorer Who Beat Columbus to America.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 8 Oct. 2013, www.history.com/news/the-viking-explorer-who-beat-columbus-to-america.
After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the powerful Old World scrambled to colonize it. The three major nations involved in this were Spain, France, and England. Spain took more to the south in the Central American and Mexico areas while France went north in the Canada region. The English came to America and settled in both the New England and Chesapeake area. Although the people in these regions originated from the same area, the regions as a whole evolved into different societies because of the settlers’ purpose for coming to America and the obstacles faced in both nature and with the natives.
Some of the problems when studying history are the texts and documents that have been discovered are only from perspective. Furthermore, on occasion that one perspective is all there may be for historians to study. A good example of this textual imbalance can be found from the texts about the discovery of the New World; more specifically, the letters of Christopher Columbus and Pêro Vaz de Caminha during their voyages to the New World. Plenty of the text from this time is written from the perspective of the Europeans, as the Indigenous population did not have any written text. What this means is that it provided only one perspective, which can drastically hinder how history is interpreted. Columbus’s letter of his first voyage to the Caribbean
In 1492, Christopher Columbus came across North America accidentally during his voyage to the East Indies. Columbus’s discovery marked the beginning of a new era; with it the Europeans became aware of the opportunities the New World offered. This encouraged others to set out and explore the North and South America in the 1500s. Although colonial America was governed under the British rule, it developed differently than Britain. Since Colonial America was diversified, it offered new opportunities, different religions, and different political views than Britain.
Christopher Columbus was a famous navigator and explorer who was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. Columbus wanted to claim land for Spain so he could be rich and spread religion. He originally set out to find the East Indies for many reasons. One was that he hoped to establish trade routes and colonies in order to gain wealth. Another was that there were now bigger guns that could be strapped on ships so he felt that his voyage had more of a chance of being successful. The main reasons for his exploration was that he wanted to find a western route to Asia to find the riches that Marco Polo talked about in his book. So basically he was not courageous, he was just greedy. He intended on arriving in Japan on his first voyage, but instead, he arrived at the Bahamas archipelago. He ended up making numerous voyages and claiming the lands he visited for the Spanish Empire. Columbus continued voyages creating the first lasting European conta...
All heroes have flaws, but if those flaws include murder, rape, and kidnapping, that person is really a villain disguised as a hero. Most people look fondly on Christopher Columbus since he traveled to the unknown and started the colonization of America that lead to the countries that we know today. Columbus is not a hero, however, since he did not discover the Americas, he treated the Native Americans inhumanly, and even in his own time, Columbus was a criminal.
It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory voyage from King John II of Portugal, but he was refused. In 1485, Columbus took his son Diego and went to Spain to get some help.
Many people think that Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot in America, but this conventional belief is wrong; Leif Erikson, a Norse explorer set foot in Newfoundland almost 500 years before Columbus was even born. This paper will cover everything about Leif Erikson’s life including his grandfather’s banishment from Norway, and Leif’s father’s exile from Iceland. Leif Erikson’s early life, his family, and his visit to Norway to serve under the king. The first recorded European to see North America, Bjarni Herjólfsson, and Leif Erikson’s voyage to America. This paper is also going to talk about Leif Erikson’s brother, Thorvald Erikson’s voyage to Vinland because his tale is interesting. Near the end of this research paper, it will have a paragraph on Leif Erikson’s later life. Finally at the end of this paper it is going to talk about the unknown reason why no other Europeans sailed to Vinland, and Leif’s impact on modern day North America.
Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World in 1492 sparked an era known as the Columbian Exchange, in which the exchange of plants, animals, technology, ideas, and diseases occurred. It also marked the migration of many European settlers into the Americas, where they implemented their Eurocentric ideology on the First Nations who were residing there. A large amount of Latin Native Americans were taken as slaves back to Europe, or forced to commit rigorous labour and chores on sugar and coffee plantations in the Caribbean or South America. European monarchs utilized such resources through a mercantilist policy, giving Europe an economic boost. Based on the profits they were making through colonialism, they decided to set out and go imperialize more territory around the world. These events reinforce the idea that Europe could only flourish through the marginalization of Aboriginal
Rough Draft Throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth century there was a great expansion into the European exploration and colonization of North America. Many Europeans sought to change their lives in the new world. Here, they could start a new life, and live free of the religious persecution occurring in Europe. The British were one of the main European groups who settled and colonized North America.
After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, European Nations competed in a race against one another to claim pieces of the new land. Before Columbus found this land, the sea separating the New World from Europe seemed endless, and mundane. The Europeans were only interested in the land to the East. But with the New World as a new hat thrown into the ring, the Europeans tossed aside their old toy to go play with a new one. This time period of conquest over the New World was known as the Age of Exploration, and by the 1700s, they kept their pickings. A New World meant more land to build homes and plant crops, and more money to be earned by buying out new houses and selling new crops grown in foreign soil. Spain claimed Mexico, and the Southwest portions of what would be known as America. France got their hands on most of present-day Canada, as well as Louisiana. The Dutch set foot on land they called New Amsterdam, however, The English, who had settled their first colony in Jamestown, Virginia, drove the Dutch out and claimed New Amsterdam for themselves, later renaming it New York. The English claimed more land as time passed, and eventually they had formed 13 different colonies in the Eastern part of America. The English Colonies were separated into 3 different regions. The New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire), the Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware), and the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia). The New England Colonies were the earliest of the 3 regions, founded by English Settlers seeking religious freedom. The Middle Colonies were also founded by settlers seeking religious freedom. The Southern Colonies,...
Be not dismayed at all For scandall cannot doe us wrong, God will not let us fall. Let England knowe our willingnesse, For that our work is good; Wee hope to plant a nation Where none before hath stood. (Morison, pg. 89) Originally, when Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of America en route to Asia, he was not interested in discovering new lands. Most Europeans at the time were looking for a way to get at the oldest part of the Old World, the East Indies.
The most posing problems with the set routes to Asia, which went around the Cape of Good Hope and along the coast of Africa, were that it was very dangerous due to enemy colonies along the route and was also very long. These problems made some people, including Christopher Columbus, decide to turn to the west to find safer and faster routes to the riches of Asia. What they found was the Americas. Believing that he would reach Asia, Columbus accidentally found a new continent, full of new riches and unclaimed lands. All of this occurred near the end of the Renaissance, beginning with the founding of America in 1492, near the end of the 15th century.
Before the most famous historic voyage to the Americas Christopher Columbus had no support to go on his expedition. Christopher Columbus tried to get support from the King of Portugal John II, but he was turned down. Spain finally agreed to sponsor his voyage in 1492 across the Atlantic Ocean. By agreeing to sponsor Christopher Columbus voyage they believed they would have gained leverage in what they were trying to do in Spain. The Reconquista made the Spaniards very powerful. By Christopher Columbus finding new land with people and gold it convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to continue to support his voyages. Even though the king and queen believed that allowing him to go on the voyages benefited them it actually allowed Christopher
The discovery of the new world brought the Europeans resources, money, and people. Discovery of the new was such an impact on the European exploration because of land. Countries would now have more land in their name with lots of resources. Discovery the new world made the European come up with the ideal of slavery. This was a negative for the people who lived on the land because they were either killed, brought into slavery, or kicked off the island (3). Crops and resources was another reason why the discovery of the new world was important. Exploring the world gave the Europeans resources that were very convenience. Gold was the greatest convenience resources found during the European exploration (3). When the Europeans were traveling across they weren’t just looking for land and money. They also learned from the Indians and others about their culture (3). Learning about another culture made the explorers bring back some of their culture and share it with the old world. The explorers found lots of resources and crops that they didn’t have, they also found out that the Indians didn’t have things they had, and this is what lead to the Columbian
People say that sailing is easy, well it’s not it’s dangerous, and frightening. Everyone exploring is just a fight for gold, you obviously get paid by the country for finding gold. Also, it’s a rivalry between countries to see who has more power over everyone else. Christopher Columbus was the first to travel in the direction that we did. He was also sponsored by Spain like my crew and I, but he thought he sailed to the Indies but really ended up in some place called the Caribbean/Americas. In order to be a successful sailor, you must overcome obstacles, avoid disease, and hope to find new people and lands.