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Essay on Christopher Columbus
Essay on Christopher Columbus
Christopher columbus background
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During the 16th century there was a huge amount of men who were considered conquistadors because they managed to take over large amounts of North America through force. The two most influential men for this journey were Cristopher Columbus and Hernan Cortes, who were in control of what we know now as the United States of America. In 1492 Columbus set out on his first voyage for a trade to Asia by going through the west. There to find land instead of Asia, surprised by this because he had just found a new state. After returning to Spain he proceeds to tell the king all that he had found, thus leading up to a gold rush. This continuing on for the next few years. While in the middle of the Gold rush, Hernan Cortes set sail for his voyage with …show more content…
Cortes wasn’t concerned about the governor on his butt because he had his eye on the prize. Both Cortes and Columbus did what they thought would greatly benefit their country, right or wrong.
Born in Italy in Genoa, Columbus became a sailor on the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean considering himself as a navigator and map maker. After Columbus “persuaded Spanish king Ferdinand and queen Isabella to fun the expedition” (p.1921) he and the following explorers secured Spanish control over Cuba and other islands in the Caribbean, a wave of freelance adventurers (conquistadores) left Castile and crossed the ocean seeking to gain fortune for themselves and greater glory for their king and religion.
Cortés was born in the Spanish town of Medellin in approximately 1484. His father, Martín Cortés de Monroy, was a minor aristocrat
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Ignoring Velázquez's orders to confine his activities to exploration and trade, Cortés set out to conquer the powerful Aztec empire. After making an alliance with the Tlaxcalans, traditional enemies of the Aztecs, Cortés proceeded to the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, where he was received as an emissary of Charles V by the Aztec leader Montezuma II. Cortés took Montezuma prisoner and for some time was able to rule through him. During an Aztec uprising in 1520, however, Montezuma was slain, either by the Spanish or by his own people, and Cortés and his men were forced out of the city with heavy losses. During this the city was virtually razed, Cortés finally defeated the Aztecs in 1521. The next year the emperor named him governor of Mexico, or "new Spain." Following an abortive expedition into Honduras, Cortés was suspended from the office of governor in 1526. Two years later he returned to Spain to seek redress from the Emperor. Although the Emperor conferred on him the title of Marquis and confirmed his claim to the considerable wealth he had acquired in the New World, Cortés was not reappointed governor. He returned to Mexico that year, but never again exercised political power. In 1540 he retired to Spain, where he died in
Admittedly, these men are responsible for much of the exploration of the America’s, but to focus on so few of the explorers ignores how reactive their actions were, and the larger narrative of the world at that time (4). For example, Columbus is praised and idolized for discovering the America’s, however it was only by luck that he arrived on those shores. Moreover, there were many other explorers at the time who could have reached the America’s if Columbus had not done so first (9). Another man who is seen as the key figure in the actual Conquest is Cortes. Cortes’ campaign in the America’s is commonly viewed as the standard to strive for, yet it is also the exception to a typical conquest (19). He is viewed as some above-it-all conquistador idol, when in all actuality he merely followed the standard protocol of the Conquest (19). This does not mean that Cortes’ actions were any less inspirational, merely that they were not uncharacteristic acts that he created (19). Both Columbus and Cortes were merely following standard procedure of the time, yet they are written about as if they were heroes of their time, bravely going and doing what none had done before. And in some sense, they were the first to discover and conquer, but it is foolish to assume that just because they were the first to be in the America’s
Columbus and de las Casas were both explorers of the new world. They both encountered Native Americans and their treatment of them was both similar and different. Columbus viewed the Native American as subhumans. He did not have much respect for the people of the land and treated them as such. In his letter to Luis de Santangel, Columbus says how he took possession of the native’s highnesses by proclamation. He also discloses how no one fought back which then made native Americans seem weak. He also states how he already took Indians aboard with him.At one instance Columbus had a dispute with Spainards and decided to give up Indians as a peace offering. Which he states in the letter to that tey were not his to give
Hernan Cortes was born at Medellin in Spain in the year 1485 and eventually became one of the great Governors of Mexico City. It all started in 1518 when the Governor of Cuba (Diego Velazquez) placed him in charge of an expedition to explore Mexico for colonization. In February, 1519, Cortes was about to set sail when Velazquez changed his mind at tried to replace him; however Cortes in an act of mutiny pushed forward anyway. In March of 1519, Cortes claimed the land for the Spanish Crown (Charles V). Because of this great victory and the gold that Cortes sent back to Spain, he was named Governor and Captain General of Mexico in 1523.
Reading both passages of the two explorers, Christopher Columbus and Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, gives a great description of how the world was back in the 1500s. Now, although both were Spaniard explorers, each had different experiences and discoveries. One of the differences is how they approached exploring the new world. For instance, Columbus went to find new land in the west, while Cabeza de Vaca went as an expedition to already found lands. In addition, Columbus had a lot of success, while Cabeza de Vaca since the beginning, because of Narváez, “endured many disasters” (Baym, et al., 2013, p. 28). Furthermore, Christopher Columbus considered most important to find more land, and especially the route to reach Asia.
On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on unknown territory, however, in his perspective of Earth he thought he made a new route to Asia. He travels throughout the lands, soon, he discovers new forms of inhabitant plants, as well as, indigenous people that were native to those lands. Years later he soon unravels that it was all unaccustomed terrain. The monarchy of Spain also discovers Columbus’s new discoveries, then, they send more explorers to conquer the lands. In 1520, Hernan Cortes goes with the order from Spanish royalty to go to the newly discovered lands to conquer them, also, help expand the Spanish empire. Overall, Columbus and Cortes both reported the new lands they recently discovered back to Spain, however, their descriptions
At first, it seemed like the Spanish had total control of the city, but trouble soon broke out. In May 1520, Cortes briefly left the city. Ignorantly, his men, for some odd reason, attacked the Aztec. "Those Idiots!" I bet Cortes would have exclaimed as he came back to find his men being besieged in Moctezuma's palace. Cortes, being quite the intelligent thinker, thought that calming them would be the best way out of the situation.
In the two sources, Columbus’s views majorly contrast to those of Las Casas’, regarding the native inhabitants of the island. For instance, Las Casas, indirectly, praised the natives by explaining that the natives were content without beds, not covetous for materialistic items unlike their slayers, had bright and impartial minds, and free of evil and hatred (Brief Account of Devastation of the Indies). However, Columbus, fueled by the motive to bring his nation riches, writes that he easily could, “conquer the whole of them [native population] with fifty men, and govern them as I pleased” (Christopher Columbus: Extracts from Journal).
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...
Hernan Cortes arrived in Mexico in the year 1519. The Aztecs were living in their outstanding city, Tenochtitlan, and their ruler Moctezuma II was in charge. Cortes caught word of this stunning city from the indigenous people Cortes and his men created alliances with. He took a few men and went to visit Tenochtitlan and Moctezuma II. When they arrived they were given gold and other riches. Cortes said that “This great city contains a large number of temples, or houses...
Christopher Columbus was one of the most legendary sailors and explorers of all time. Christopher Columbus , an italian explorer, was born in the year of 1451 in the Republic of Genoa. Christopher Columbus was a teenager when he first set sail the ocean in 1465. He became a sailor in 1476 and started to travel many places before going on his largest voyage in 1480. In 1492, Christopher Columbus exploration to the New World linked Europe and the Americas. His discoveries enlightened the globe and started a new age of exploration. His standards and morals changed the history of the whole globe. He was known for traveling for all types of reasons for many foreign monarchs. But why would a monarch from one country be interested in employing an explorer from a foreign country to complete such an important task?
Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, sailed for Spain looking for an alternate route to Asia. While looking for Asia, Columbus landed on an island in the Caribbean unknown to Europeans although inhabited by Native Americans. Columbus’s arrival on the island of the Bahamas earned him credit for discovering the New World, or the Americas. Based on an examination of four sources, Christopher Columbus had a positive and encouraging character. In the first source called Journal of the First Voyage to America by Christopher Columbus, Columbus chooses optimism; he sees the beauty in the island rather than the flaws. The second source called “Columbus” by Joaquin Miller portrays Columbus as encouraging and poised; no matter how sick and tired his crew became he never gave up; instead he continued to look forward to the future. Lastly, the source called “Prayer of Columbus” by Walt
In 1518, being inspired by the rumors of gold and the large, sophisticated cities in Mexico, Cortez wanted to set sail for Mexico, but Velázquez, the governor of Cuba, changed his opinion at the last minute and decided to rescind. However, Cortez disregarded the order. With more than five hundred men and eleven ships, he started his expedition to Mexico and reached the Mexican coast in February 1519. On the way to Tenochtitlán, they fought the native people who were forced to pay taxes to the Aztec Empire. However, after knowing that Cortez planned to conquer the Aztec Empire, many of them who hated Aztec rulers later became Cortez’s allies. Cortez and his men marched to the Aztec capital and took Montezuma II, the Aztec emperor, hostage. Learning that Spanish soldiers were coming to arrest him for disregarding the orders of Velázquez, Cortez decided to leave the city.
Using only a fairly small number of soldiers (10,000), Cortes brought down 5 Million Aztecs to their knees and so it made easier for Hernan to take over a country that was in desperate times. The Aztecs drove the Spanish troops from the city, giving Cortes a better chance to try and win over the Aztec empire again. Cortes returned again in 1521, this time putting an end to the Aztec empire by killing the Aztec leader. The same year King Charles I appointed him the governor of New Spain. It was after the war when Cortes changed the name of the country from Tenochtitlan to Mexico City or
Columbus and Champlain were both devoted to the success of their expeditions; however, Columbus had far more selfish intentions. Columbus was an Italian who sought aid for a journey that would travel across the Atlantic Ocean in search for riches in the East. His support did not come easy as he was rejected by the courts of Portugal, France, and England. Ultimately, Columbus was able to gain authorization and funding for a voyage to begin in 1492 by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel. After starting the long awaited expedition in April, Columbus was able to reach the West Indies by October of that year. Upon encountering the New World, Columbus immediately claimed the land along with its natives for his Spanish sovereigns.
Cortés came not to the New World to conquer by force, but by manipulation. Bernal Díaz del Castillo, in the "Conquest of New Spain," describes how Cortés and his soldiers manipulated the Aztec people and their king Montezuma from the time they traveled from Iztapalaopa to the time when Montezuma took Cortés to the top of the great Cue and showed him the whole of Mexico and its countryside, and the three causeways which led into Mexico. Castillo's purpose for recording the mission was to keep an account of the wealth of Montezuma and Mexico, the traditions, and the economic potential that could benefit Cortés' upcoming conquest. However, through these recordings, we are able to see and understand Cortés' strategy in making Mexico "New Spain." He came as a wolf in a sheep's clothing and manipulated Montezuma through his apparent innocence.