Abstract
Christopher Columbus was looking for a shorter route to Asia when he stumbled upon the land, which would later be known as the new world. He thought that he could reach India if he traveled west. By this time, it was clear that the world was round and Columbus had the idea that he could travel the west to reach the east. No one had attempted to do this before and he did not have any maps to rely on. He referred to the Asian region as India. At this time, India was known for its spices and jewels, and many people wanted to trade there. They also wanted to open up to other countries of Asia. Many people believed that there was an abundance of textiles, manufactured goods, spices and inventions in the east. Columbus also wanted to bring Christianity to the Asian countries, which he referred to as heathen nations. Columbus was a very religious man and he wanted to extend his faith wherever he went.
Christopher Columbus’s Discovery of the New World and Voyages
Columbus needed somebody to finance his voyage but he could not get help from the Italians since they were not interested in big expeditions. Columbus then approached Portugal but they were of no help either because they were working on other explorations around Africa. The Portuguese looked for passageways to China and other eastern countries through the coast of Africa. He approached other kings but none of them gave him the ships he needed to make his journey. The three ships were Santa Maria, Pinta and Nina. He did not give up but he sought help from Spain. In 1486, Columbus petitioned King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to support his voyage. In April 1492, Christopher Columbus received the consent he needed from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to begin his expedition and in August 1492, he began his voyage.
The sovereigns also made several provisions for Columbus. He was to have the office of the admiral in all lands and continents during his life, and his heirs were to succeed him forever. He was given the position of viceroy and governor-general and he could nominate three government candidates in each island or province. Columbus could retain a tenth of all the pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices and all other articles and merchandise regardless of whether he found them, bought, bartered them or gained them. He was to contribute an eighth part of the expenses in fitting vessels and receive an eighth of the profits (Irving, 2008).
He set sail from Saltes and steered towards the Canary Islands where he intended to go west. His crew was tired and they had started to complain. Columbus kept two journal entries, one showing fake entries of the distance they had covered and the other showing the real distance they had to cover. He showed his crewmembers the fake entries so that he could boost their morale and he kept the other journal in secret. In October the same year, after they had spent about seventy days in the sea, Columbus and his men reached the land in the morning of October 12 and they planted a flag there. They claimed the land, which, the natives called Guanahane and named it San Salvador. He then required of all that were with him to take the oath of obedience to him as the admiral and viceroy representing the persons of the sovereigns (Irving, 2007).
Columbus gave the natives gifts of caps and glass beads and exchanged with those who had rings of gold. Columbus named different islands as he saw them, giving them names with which he was familiar. Wherever they went, they were received with wonder and the natives seemed to worship them. The natives treated them well and gave them gifts such as foods and ornaments. On fourth of January 1493, Columbus departed from La Navidad on his return journey to Spain (Irving, 2007). He returned to Spain in March 1493 with a few of the natives, who he had called Indians because he believed that he had reached India. In December the same year, he established the settlement of Isabella in Hispaniola (Berne, 2008). Columbus went to Cuba in October 18 and to Haiti, which was known as Santo Domingo, on December 6. It was while in Cuba that Columbus saw the natives smoking a kind of weed, which they called tobacco. It was the first time that the Spaniards were encountering something like this. They saw many different plants, fruits and different species of birds and ducks (Irving, 2007).
In 1493, Columbus went on another voyage and he landed on the islands of Dominica, Antigua and Guadalupe. This was the second voyage and it lasted until 1496. He left CadizSpain in September 1493 with seventeen ships and more than one thousand crewmembers. The ship left the Canary Islands in October and sailed south. Unlike the first expedition where they had had to travel for many days before sighting land, the second expedition took a relatively short time. They sighted land in November and they named the island Dominica. They named several islands while they were there. He returned to Hispaniola where he had left some of his men to act as colonists. Unfortunately, they had not maintained the peace that he had tried to establish but had fought with the natives and they had been killed. He established a short-lived settlement on the northern coast of Hispaniola, which he named Isabella. He explored the interior in search of gold and he set a small fort there (Cummins, 2003).
He was still looking for China and he thought that it was nearby. He set sail from Isabella with three ships and reached Cuba in April. He left the following month sailing along the southern coast and he anchored in Jamaica. Unlike in the Bahamas where they had encountered friendly natives, the Indians in Jamaica did not welcome them warmly. He therefore did not stay in the area for a long time but he continued with his journey of finding mainland China. He returned to Cuba the following day and explored several islands. He returned to Hispaniola on 20 August. They had to go back to Isabella in September because he got seriously ill (Irving, 2007).
Isabella was the largest settlement with more than one thousand Spanish immigrants. The immigrants had several problems. They suffered from ill health and constantly collided with the natives. In addition to this, they were not in favor of their admiral. They also suffered because they did not have enough supplies. In March 1496, Columbus set sail for Spain. He had two ships and he was accompanied by two hundred colonists, an Indian chief and thirty Indian prisoners. He reached CadizSpain in 1496. He petitioned the sovereigns to enslave some of the natives but his request was not granted. This did not stop him and he proceeded to enslave 1600 Arawak. He shipped some of them to Spain while the others died in the sea. Some of the slaves who had arrived in Spain were released and returned home while others remained there as slaves. He came close to Puerto Rico and he surveyed Jamaica (Cummins, 2003).
Columbus went on his third voyage in 1498 and he had six ships. He sent three of the ships to Hispaniola with supplies and he went to explore for more land with the other three ships. This voyage was unlike the others. He experienced a lot of trouble and he did not accomplish muce. In July they sighted land and they named the island Trinidad. They explored the islands and the surrounding lands of Trinidad. They did not stay there for a long time and they had to return to Hispaniola. Many settlers were dissatisfied with Columbus since he did not give them the wealth he had promised. Columbus sent for help from Spain and in 1500, Francisco de Bobadilla arrived and took over as the new leader. He arrived with five hundred men and the natives who had been carried of as slaves. Bobadilla bound Columbus and his brother in chains and sent them back to Spain. The brothers did not stay long in prison and when he was released, he was stripped off the position of governor and viceroy (Irving, 2008). .
In May 1502, Columbus went on his fourth voyage setting sail from CadizSpain. He had four ships and one hundred and forty crewmembers. He was accompanied by his brother and his younger son on the voyage. He arrived in Santa Domingo in June the same year but he was not welcomed by the governor. Many people were against Columbus because they had heard about his poor leadership and his poor treatment of the natives. At the end of July, Columbus arrived in Honduras and spent the next two months exploring the region. He landed in Panama where he found that the natives had many objects made from gold. All this time that Columbus traveled through different islands, he thought that he was traveling in the Far East. This voyage lasted until 1506 and it was the final one for Columbus. Columbus died two years later and his death was largely ignored for a man who had done so much as a navigator and explorer.
Some may regard him as the man who discovered America yet he never set foot in the country. The world would have celebrated the death of someone who managed to find the same islands whenever he went to expeditions without using a compass. He named many islands and rivers and some of them retain their names to this day. His poor leadership may have contributed to the negative perception that people had of him and it is unfortunate that he did not do much to negate some of this thoughts. He died before he could discover the Indies and before he knew that he had not discovered China and India. Today, however, the world celebrates Christopher Columbus. Cities, rivers and days have been named after him. While there are many erroneous beliefs surrounding him, many regard him as the man who opened up the Americas to the rest of the world. Given the circumstances and the time under which he lived, Christopher Columbus did the best that he could. He did a lot for Spain such as conquering land for them and he did a lot for the countries and islands he discovered because he helped to bring civilization. He is therefore a man who is to be celebrated and honored.
References
Berne, C. E. (2008). Christopher Columbus: The Voyage That Changed the World. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc
Cummins, J. (2003). The voyage of Christopher Columbus. Retrieved from http://www.archive.org/details/voyageofchristop005194mbp
Irving, W. (2007). The life and voyages of Christopher Columbus, vol.1. Cosimo, Inc: Cosimo, Inc
Irving, W. (2008). Christopher Columbus. United Kingdom: Wordsworth Editions
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