The pioneering exploration of the Caribbean Islands, by Christopher Columbus led to the first European contact of the Taino Indians in that region. This encounter resulted in the Taino Indians being traded, yet opened the South Atlantic and Caribbean for future exploration and eventual colonization.
The first voyage of Christopher Columbus’ kicked off his legacy of being an explorer. The hardest part of starting Columbus’ voyage trying to find funds. “Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west across the Atlantic instead of around the massive African continent? The young navigator’s logic was sound, but his math was faulty. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his contemporaries believed
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He presented his plan to officials in Portugal and England, but it was not until 1491 that he found a sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile” (History). “Columbus wanted fame and fortune. Ferdinand and Isabella wanted the same, along with the opportunity to export Catholicism to lands across the globe. (Columbus, a devout Catholic, was equally enthusiastic about this possibility.) Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of whatever riches he found, along with a noble title and the governorship of any lands he should encounter” (History).
When Christopher Columbus found all the funds for the voyage they were ready to set sail on the Atlantic. “Columbus sailed for King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain. On his first trip, Columbus led an expedition with three ships, the Niña (captained by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón), the Pinta (owned and captained by Martin Alonzo Pinzon), and the Santa Maria (captained by Columbus), and about 90 crew members. They set sail on Aug. 3, 1492 from Palos, Spain” (EnchantedLearning). “Once underway, Columbus benefited from
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“Christopher Columbus did not “discover” the Americas, nor was he even the first European to visit the “New World.”. However, his journey kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation on the American continents. The consequences of his explorations were severe for the native populations of the areas he and the conquistadores conquered” (History). “Disease and environmental changes resulted in the destruction of the majority of the native population over time, while Europeans continued to extract natural resources from these territories. Today, Columbus has a mixed legacy—he is remembered as a daring and path-breaking explorer who transformed the New World, yet his actions also unleashed changes that would eventually devastate the native populations he and his fellow explorers encountered” (History). “The second Monday of October is Columbus Day, celebrated as a federal holiday in the U.S. since 1971. This day marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus 's 1492 landing in the Americas, his "discovery of the New World" for the benefit of the Spanish monarchy”
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.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus was a self-made man who worked his way up to being the Captain of a merchant vessel. He gained the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, for an expedition to the Indies. With the support of the Spanish monarchy, he set off to find a new and faster trade route to the Indies. Upon the arrival of his first voyage, Columbus wrote a letter to Luis de Santangel, a “royal official and an early supporter of his venture,” in February 1493 (35). The epistle, letter, entitled “Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage” was copied and then distributed in Spain before being translated and spread throughout Europe. The Letter is held in such regard with the people as it is considered the first printed description of the new world. Through his description of the nature of the islands, Columbus decided the future fate of the islands. His description of the vast beauty of the nature around him, declares both the economic and nationalistic motivations for colonizing the new world.
His financing came from the hope that he would find a lucrative new trade route. He did nothing of the sort: the people he met had little to trade”. (Excerpt 8). Columbus had not found a trade route he found America. But, he was determined to please the king so he brings gold along with some of the slaves to prove of his
In some respects, we can attribute the founding of America and all its subsequent impacts to Christopher Columbus. Columbus a hero in the United States, has his own holiday and we view as the one who paved the way for America to be colonized. However, people tend to forget the other side of Columbus, the side that lusted after gold and resources that often belonged to the native inhabitants he came across in his exploration. In his insatiable greed, he and his crew committed countless atrocities, such as torture and killing of defenseless natives. Columbus’s discovery of these new lands contributes profound and negative effects as future colonists arrived. “Zinn estimates that perhaps 3 million people perished in the Caribbean alone from raids, forced labor and disease” (Zinn, 1980). Columbus was seen as a cruel man, who saw the peaceful inhabitants as right for the conquering and lead to the devastation of the native population, yet is celebrated every October.
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.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. However, even after centuries later, little is truly known of the mysterious voyage and findings of the new world.1 By examining “Letter from Columbus to Luis Santangel”, one can further contextualize the events of Columbus' exploration of the New World. The letter uncovers Columbus' subtle hints of his true intentions and exposes his exaggerated tone that catered to his lavish demands with Spain. Likewise, The Columbian Voyage Map read in accordance with the letter helps the reader track Columbus' first, second, third, and fourth voyage to the New World carefully and conveniently. Thus, the letter and map's rarity and description render invaluable insight into Columbus' intentionality of the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.
Christopher Columbus was an explorer and navigator from Spain. Columbus made a deal with the King and Queen of Spain which basically stated that if he found new land for them to colonize then he would receive a ton load of money and would be given the title of “Admiral of the Ocean Sea.” He would also become
(Debate.org). Columbus was not the very first person to find the New World, but he is the first person to explore it and tell other people about it. He opened another whole part of the world to not only his people but the people living in other places on the world, and at the time, it was a big deal and it still is. Without Columbus the American history would not have been possible without him. (Debate.org). This is why we have Columbus day, is to reward him for what he found and how he created our history, and possibly without him, nothing would be the same. Some people say it would be a few centuries before America would be found, or it wouldn't have been found at all. He reunited the human history (Debate.org). Debate.org said "He did something that everyone thought that was impossible - to cross the Atlantic". Before this was found, the Europeans believed there were only three continents and one ocean: Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean. With his explorations, he proved them wrong and showed that there was much more land than they
Christopher Columbus Day is a holiday celebrated yearly, every October, around the nation. This day celebrates the anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America. It also remembers the discovery of America, which happened on October 12,1492. Numerous people believe the day should be celebrated, because it was the beginning of the America and it’s history. Others believe that even though Columbus’ arrival was the beginning, the day shouldn’t be celebrated because of his horrible actions. As more information about Columbus was revealed over the years differences about him truly being a hero had arisen. It has been debated among many, whether this should be a holiday that is celebrated, or not. Although there is multiple of controversy,
Christopher Columbus was simply a skilled sailor and navigator, who was also an opportunist. He was born in 1451, in the Republic of Genoa, Italy. After being rejected by the Portuguese king, he took his plan to Genoa first, and then Venice but they rejected the plan also. His last option was to go with the Spanish monarchy of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille, they agreed to finance the expedition. So in August of 1492, Columbus left Spain with three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. He discover America on October 12, 1942. (“Christopher Columbus”).
When Columbus landed in the “New World”, or the America’s, this marked the beginning of World growth and prosperity; at least for the most of Europe. However, for the America’s, it was the beginning of disaster for the country. By discovering the America’s, Columbus ruined not on the lives of many indigenous people, but also the land which they lived.
In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic Ocean, as far as the Iceland and West Africa, his adventures convinced him that the world was round. Thus, the fabled riches of the East spices, silk and gold could be had by sailing in West “, (Leowen, 1995, p.29). As a voyager his journey was motivated by discovering new land but his objectives was to find a Western route to the Indies. This essay will look at the traditional myths about Christopher and his discovery of America (new land). Than discuss how revisionist historians and American Indians activist maintained to object the traditional myths and the discovering of America.
In 1492 Columbus set sail from spain, in 1493 he was the first european to discover the Western Hemisphere. He arrived in the Bahamas or, as he called it, San Salvador. He came across the Arawaks and he was treated with much respect and received gifts, blessings and was seen as a god. Columbus, Pizarro, Cortez and many other Spaniard Commanders accepted the warm welcome all over America, but when the Natives couldn’t provide all the gold, which was their primary goal, the Spaniards needed they were killed, tortured and beaten. Villages, pillaged, ransacked and burned to the ground. Women and children chopped to pieces and the spaniards did not show the slightest bit of mercy. Columbus and his fellow Spaniards massacred the native population of the Americas; showing no mercy and leaving an everlasting hole in the native population. The voyages destroyed the Western Hemisphere as a whole, by; destroying cultures and populations while the Eastern Hemisphere gained a newfound source of exploitable people and rare resources. Later throughout history Columbus is seen as a hero who lead to creations of new countries, colonies and new cultures, but his intentions were quite the opposite. He was a dark and cynical “explorer” set on murdering and exploiting innocents.
Everyone knows Christopher Columbus as the man who discovered America, one who was very heroic, and led many voyages across the oceans. As a young boy, he showed interest in maps, charts and even began working on ships when he was 14. Christopher Columbus started his life as a sailor around the age of 19 and from then on, he began to create his legacy. Christopher wanted to discover North America and set out this voyage to prove that the Earth was round in 1492. Christopher Columbus made a great change in history because he was the one known to have found the “New World” which later became known as America.
In 1492 Christopher Columbus started on his voyage to find what he thought would be a faster route to the West Indies, but in actuality stumbled upon small islands that we now call the Bahamas. When he left on his voyage, his intent was to find and take the riches that the West Indies had to offer but to his disappointment these things that were intended to pay for his voyage did not exist.