Christopher Columbus History


Early Life

Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, Spain. Columbus developed an interest in the sea and began to sail at an early age. He was not content to sail as a mere deck hand for he had greater aspirations to command sea exploration.


Flat World?

In the time of Columbus, there was still a common belief among civilized nations that the world was flat. This belief led to substantial fear among sailors about sailing too far into unexplored seas. Many feared that sailing a ship far enough into new waters would eventually doom the crew to the fate of falling off the edge of the earth.

Columbus did not fear the sea, for he was certain that the earth was round. By the late 15th century Europeans had well established and profitable trade with lands of the Far East including India. At the time, maintaining this trade required the investment of significant time and resources to sail south around Africa and east to the trade lands. For this reason a new trade route to the Indies was highly desirable in Europe.


A Reason to Sail

Because Columbus believed the world was round, he reasoned that a shorter and more direct route to the Indies could be found by sailing west across the sea. This was a revolutionary idea at the time because it meant venturing farther into open seas than any other sailors dared to at that time. It had not yet been proven that the world was round, so those who would fund Columbus’ journey perceived it to be a tremendous risk to their money and resources. It was difficult to convince anyone to invest in a cause that was likely to fall off of the earth—never to be seen again.

In 1484, Columbus brought his idea before King John II of Portugal who had little interest in taking such a risk. Columbus was undeterred. In 1485 he moved to Spain to present his idea to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He convinced them that the benefits of a new route to the Indies would be worth the risk of investment. Columbus finally had the backing he needed for his voyage.


Braving the Atlantic

Columbus set sail on August 3, 1492. His small fleet consisted of three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. After a brief stop for supplies and repairs in the Canary Islands, Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic.

The New World

At two o’clock in the morning on October 12, 1492, the outline of land was spotted. Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas. He referred to the natives as “Indians,” because he was convinced that he had arrived in the Indies according to plan. Columbus did not know that he had arrived in a whole new world. Although his logic for reaching the Indies by heading west had been sound, he had no idea how large the world actually was, or that a whole continent stood in his way.

Columbus continued his exploration and reached Cuba on October 29, 1492. Under the false impression that he had reached Japan, all of the signs led him to believe that he had in fact found a new path to the Far East. Columbus was thrilled with his findings and excited to return to Spain to share the news.


A Rough Ride Home

The voyage home was fraught with misfortune for Columbus. His ship struck a rock near the island of Hispaniola and sank on Christmas Day of 1492. Columbus was forced to board one of the remaining two smaller ships (the Nina) to complete the voyage home. He had no choice but to leave 39 members of his crew behind until he could return to rescue them.


Significance of the Voyage

Columbus’ discoveries were of great interest to Spain. He made three additional expeditions to the new world, which eventually led to the colonization of the islands and eventually the mainland of America.

Although Columbus is not credited for discovering America, his discoveries of the islands nearby led to European colonization. In this regard, Columbus’ voyages aroused Europe to a degree of curiosity that eventually led to British colonization. Columbus had not found the Indies, but what he had found led our forefathers to this land. What Columbus can be credited for is proving that the world is round, and for creating an interest in the new that led to the colonization of what is now the United States of America.


Columbus Day In History

From 1937 to 1967, Columbus Day was celebrated on October 12, to commemorate the day that Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas in 1492. The day of celebration was changed to be on the second Monday of October, as it became a federal holiday.

- History of Columbus Day Article by Wes Fessler

Sources:

1. Pickering, Keith A,  “A Christopher Columbus Timeline”
http://www.columbusnavigation.com/cctl.shtml  [Accessed 2 July 2007]

2. internetfamilyfun.com,  “Columbus Day Facts”
http://www.internetfamilyfun.com/holidays/columbusday/columbusdayfacts.htm 
[Accessed 2 July 2007]

3. stemnet.nf.ca,  “Who Was Columbus”
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/excolumbus.htm [Accessed 2 July 2007]

4. Wilson, Jerry  “Columbus Day – A History”
http://wilstar.com/holidays/columbus.htm  [Accessed 2 July 2007]