Christopher Columbus: A Voyager with Impact
Christopher Columbus made his mark in history in the year 1492 when he founded the Americas, or the new world. Christopher Columbus made a plan to sail west, across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain to India; all with a motive to seek a quick and easy sea route to Asia. As they were on their voyage, Columbus and his crew did not reach India but the Americas. However, Columbus mistook the natives for Indians, because he had thought he had reached India. They made several voyages to the new world exchanging new goods, and interacting with the Indians. His later voyages brought a new European interest of exploration, to come and claim all this glory and gold on this new land, which ended well for the Europeans but not so well for the natives. The voyages of Christopher Columbus had a lasting impact on the new world and paved the way for European exploration with his discovery of the new land on his first voyage, receiving praise from royalty and recognition for bringing back new and different goods on the subsequent voyages, which ultimately sparked colonization but also lead to the spread of disease.
The first voyage of Christopher Columbus, when he made the initial discovery of the new world, created one of the largest impacts of the four explorations. Christopher Columbus and his crew were overjoyed when they reached land, after more than a month of sailing. They were later astonished by how much land they had reached (Obstfeld 65). The Europeans explored parts of the Bahama Islands, Cuba, and Hispaniola, which is where Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located today (Matthews 20). One of the very first islands they landed on, Columbus named San Salvador, or Holy Savior (McNeese 95). T...
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...and food. Columbus describes his astonishing discoveries in his journal when searching through these newly discovered lands. “Richness and flavor must be shown to the people of Europe, since there is so much gold on this island and so much good land and so much spice” (Fuson 170). They specifically brought back small amounts of gold, tropical plants, and native birds to show the king and queen (DiGiovanni 163). Overall, the new goods Columbus brought with him from his excursion impacted the world by opening new doors of medicine and cuisine for the Europeans. It is clear, that Columbus made a bigger impact on the world by finding even more discoveries and was greatly rewarded by the Spanish Royalty. Not only does his achievement in the second and third voyages contribute his impact on the exploration of the world, but also his last voyage also sparked colonization.
Christopher Columbus is a mythical hero or in other words, not a true hero. The story of Christopher Columbus is part of the many myths of Western civilization. Also the story of Christopher Columbus represents the power of those that are privileged and in most cases white European men that have written this mythical history. Zinn (2009 exposes the truth about Columbus through eyes of the people who were there when he had arrived which were the Native Indians (p.481). Columbus had kept a personal journal for his voyage to describe the people and the journey. What was evident throughout his journal was the Native Americans were very nice, gentle and kind hearted people (Zinn, 2009, 481). As Zinn suggests Columbus spoke of the Native Americans as” they are the best people in the world and
Christopher Columbus was an Italian sailor and explorer who travelled across the Atlantic Ocean in 1942, in search of a quick route to India Spice trading, which was at the time the largest industry in the world. Columbus made a total of 4 trips between 1492 - 1504 Columbus throughout time has been revered to as a hero, and the reason that many of us are even settled on this land, but there are many dark truths that will be touched upon throughout this report.
It should no longer come as any great surprise that Columbus was not the first to discover the Americas--Carthaginians, Vikings, and even St. Brendan may have set foot on the Western Hemisphere long before Columbus crossed the Atlantic. But none of these incidental contacts made the impact that Columbus did. Columbus and company were bound to bring more than the benefits of Christianity and double entry bookkeeping to America. His voyages started the Columbian Exchange, a hemispherical swap of peoples, plants, animals and diseases that transformed not only the world he had discovered but also the one he had left.
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.
As educators it is important that we analyze the materials that we use in our classrooms to provide our students with anti-bias and anti-stereotype curricula. Analyzing our materials so that they are anti-bias and anti-stereotype provides our students with factual historical accounts and teaches our students to see things from multiple perspectives. As a result of this, our students will view the world in a different way, as well as think critically about things. One historical account that is often portrayed from one perspective is Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of the new world.
In 1484, Christopher Columbus attempted to interest King John II of Portugal in his voyage to explore the West. His attempt was a fail, but that did not make him lose his hope. About eight years later he went to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, attempting his service in leading such an extraordinary voyage. After the death of the last Muslim Spain agreed to finance the voyage and named Columbus as the admiral and governor of any lands he should find. In 1492 Columbus received his approval; he started his voyage to explode the west on August 3, 1492. Columbus first landing was in the Bahamas, later he discovered the Northeast coast of Cuba, eastward to the islands of Hispaniola, which now is known as Haiti and Dominican Republic. When discovering the eastward islands of Hispaniola, Columbus lost his flagship name Santa Maria, one of his famous three shi...
The first voyage to the New World was met with success and the beginnings of Spanish colonization. Landing on Hispaniola and meeting a local tribe that greeted him with friendship, Columbus sought wealth,
Christopher Columbus was an Italian navigator who sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in search for the all-water route to Asia, but instead achieved fame for making landfall in the Caribbean Sea. Columbus' plan was based in part on two major miscalculations. First, he underestimated the circumference of the world by about 25 per cent. Columbus also mistakenly believed that most of the world consisted of land rather than water. This mistake led him to conclude that Asia extended much farther east than it actually did. In 1492, Columbus embarked on his first voyage. Queen Isabella of Spain ordered that the port of Palos supply him with three ships the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria. A total of about 90 crew members sailed aboard the three ships. In addition to the officers and sailors, the expedition included a translator, three physicians, a servant for each captain, a secretary, and an accountant. On October 12, 1492, at 2:00 in the morning he spouted a small island, which he called San Salvador. In January, the Santa Maria was wrecked off the coast of Espanola. The Nina, with Columbus in command, along with the Pinta began the homeward voyage in January 1493. The storms drove the ships first to the Azores and then to Lisbon, Columbus arrived in Palos, Spain, in March. He was enthusiastically received by the Spanish Monarchs. Columbus planned immediately for a second expedition, with about 1500 men, which left Spain in September 1493. They landed on the island of Dominica, Gaudeloupe. His stop at Puerto Rico is the closest he came to setting foot on land that would later form part of the United States, the main foundation for the claim that Columbus “discovered America.”
Christopher Columbus, one of the most famous explorers with an extraordinary legacy was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. He was an Italian explorer and navigator and is very well known for his four voyages and his “discovery” of the New World. Columbus began sailing when he was just a teenager in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Later, he moved to Lisbon, Portugal and then Spain, where he spent the rest of his life. Columbus’ purpose was to find a passage to Asia by sailing West, but during his voyage he ended up in the Caribbeans and South America. Columbus’ proposal was turned down by King John of Portugal and the rulers of England and France. After several years of being declined, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella funded Columbus’ voyage
Christopher Columbus was a European explorer who a more fitting title would be a conqueror. He didn't discover anything as the common believe would say, rather he conquered already inhabited land. Christopher Columbus "exploration" had a bunch of direct and indirect effects. The exploration sponsored by the King and Queen of Spain had direct effects such as giving Spain control over new land and giving Christopher Columbus the fame he so desired, furthermore the so-called exploration also had some indirect effects such as allowing other nations to sail West and it also affected the Natives and increased the slave trade.
Christopher Columbus is honored as the man who opened the doors to an Age of Discovery and exploration. Although he may not have been the first European to set foot onto the Americas, he did begin a wave of exploration in a new hemisphere. The time period of the age of discovery follows the end of the Middle Ages, which Columbus himself is a product. If it were not Columbus that brought European settlement to the New World, then it would have been some other explorer who probably started out with the same goals and ideas.
When Columbus landed on the beaches of the Watling Islands of the Bahamas in October, 1492, he had inadvertently opened up a whole new world for the Europeans, Asians, and other countries of the Eastern hemisphere. Although Columbus was not the first man to truly discover the Americas, he can be credited as the man who made their existence known worldwide. The discovery of the Americas launched an era of discovery and exploration, especially in Europe. Many new foods and animals were brought to the Old World from the Americas. This would not have been possible with out Christopher Columbus. In addition, Columbus’s explorations eventually led to a period of economical growth in Europe. It is important that we take time to remember Columbus’s achievements on Columbus Day.
In our personal lives we consider our past forgotten, however in our history everyone affects how they see themselves. "history repeats itself " is gradually long time we know manipulated and deceived us the wrong information, books, learning in school, the "biased" report before the newspaper, radio and television. Let us move on and we just solemn pray for that will prosper in our country. I noticed that there have been distortions in our history. It’s sad because it seems like we have forgotten the sacrifices of those who died during the time of dictatorship. This tragedy cannot continue. We should stand up for someone’s rights today. Times have changed. More sooner than later, they will take power into their hands by all and whatever
Christopher Columbus has a mixed legacy, many know the man to be a ruthless tenacious explorer and master navigator who was the first to discover the new world of Americano, and paved the way for European exploration yet his travels had a multi-century trickle-down effect. A single life that will change history forever by persistence and the will of motivation to explore outside the safe comfort of the banks along Spain. New boundaries were breached and the world will be melodramatically different from actions of a single indusial.
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.