Christopher Columbus Influence

Columbus’s Letters Shape the Ideas Europe Had of the New World During the fifteenth century Christopher Columbus’s letters influenced the thinking of many individuals concerning the New World. Through his letters he provides a path for others to view the New World and has an impact on their beliefs. Columbus’s letters shape both the ideas that the people have of the natives of the New World and the ideas of riches, prosperity and beauty that is associated with the land. One work that clearly demonstrates how influential Columbus’s letters were, was his own work, “Letter Concerning the First Voyage.” In his work he describes in vivid detail the people of the New World and contributes to the stereotype that these people are uncivilized and …show more content…
By doing this it shows to what degree they believed the land was prosperous and would in exchange bring something in return for them. It was mentioned in “Queen Isabella's Influence in the New World”, that “Queen Isabella was able to see the potential of Columbus, and the New World” (Reporter). His letters had such a great degree of impact that not only did he continued to be sponsored but also his letters earned him recognition and the title of Admiral. Columbus’s letters were dispersed throughout Europe and multiple copies were distributed in different parts. In addition, because of the impact that was made by his letters he was granted “titles, revenues, powers, and privileges to him and his descendants” (Columbus). Prosperity of the land was not only seen by what Columbus received, but also by the way the land was described. For instance, toward the end of his first letter Columbus makes the statement of all the goods he will return including gold, cotton, spices, aloe-wood, slaves and many other objects of value to the Europeans. Furthermore, through his letters Europe believed that his “voyage had illuminated the ‘hidden half of the globe’” (Schneider