Columbus

On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the western hemisphere that came to be the “New World” (Churchhill 97). Today it has been 523 years since Columbus journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean in search of personal fortune, spiritual destiny, honour and the fabulous riches of the East (Stevenson 67). This “New World” when discovered was inhabited by a population of well over 100 million however, by the 1890’s this population collapsed to slightly above 237,000 (Churchhill 97). This…

Columbus When looking back at figures in history our culture has glorified it may seem easy to simply go along and never question that the textbooks told the entire story. Christopher Columbus, the man who gets credit for the discovery of the Americas, depicted by many as a hero. Columbus had good attributes, like his ambition, dedication, and confidence. But like many people do Columbus had flaws: dishonesty, selfishness, and a general disregard for other humans.Unfortunately he also did some…

“In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue” is a common phrase used to teach schoolchildren the history of exploration in North America. In the United States, we refer to Columbus as the first person to discover America. Not only do schools and government buildings close nationwide in remembrance of Columbus’s arrival to the New World on October 12th, our nation’s capital is the District of Columbia. However, Columbus was not the explorer, or person, history textbooks portray him as…

“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue” This is a rhyme that most of us heard in our elementary and middle school days. It is factual that Columbus did sail to the Americas, but where is the evidence behind the fact that he actually “discovered” this new land? As students, we know that there were natives living on the land before Columbus and, therefore, he did not actually discover a new world. After learning this fact, why is Columbus Day still relevant? Why do Americans get the day off to…

young man Columbus worked at a Portuguese merchant marine where he began his first step to becoming a sailor. Later in 1476, he and his brother Bartholomew worked as chart makers. These previous employments lead to Christopher 's interest in travel. In 1477 he traveled to Iceland and Ireland. Columbus made many voyages as a merchant till 1485 where he traveled from Portugal to West Africa where his sailing experience, navigation, and understanding of trade advanced ("Christopher Columbus,"…

on October 10th, Columbus Day. In parallel with this annual vacation day for most in the United States, children are also taught about a heroic explorer, who courageously stood up for his belief, that the world was round, rather than flat, by asking many monarchs for the opportunity to prove his belief by finding a shortcut to the Indies, and then proceeded to discover the Americas. Yes, children nationwide are captivated by the story of this brave explorer, Christopher Columbus, who was…

Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, subsequently causing the suffering, death, and enslavement of thousands. Often falsely regarded as a brilliant and selfless man on a quest for discovery, he was in truth only invested in his journeys for pride, fame, and money; and he would stop at nothing to achieve these things. He tainted his voyages with his own pride and greed, taking as much as he could and giving nothing back. Although he is often painted as a hero throughout history…

Columbus wrote methodically and simply about his time in San Salvador. Although he does include opinions and the thought processes behind his actions, this report is free of embellishment and poetry. He seems to view the “new world” as a place of beauty, with a likeliness to Eden, but also as a place of fortune. His comments about the value of alien trees and the taking of an aloe tree reinforce that assumption. Although it is likely that San Salvador wasn’t nearly as pristine as Columbus’…

routes for goods and land. Explained in document one, Columbus sailed to the Indian Sea and was discovering islands and people. In document four, Henry Hobhouse started to be in search of trade routes east of the Mediterranean. In document five, John Cabot investigated islands and countries. Columbus started in Cadiz and went along the Indian Sea. While on Sea he discovered islands and communicated with people that didn’t speak his language. Columbus went to a few different islands but the…

Columbus did lots of horrifying things to a mass of people; both to the europeans and the natives, yet some people get a day off to celebrate his “achievements.” For example, Columbus selfishly mistreated the natives by being a “greedy imperialist who slaughtered and spread disease among the indigenous people and institutionalized the slave trade.” However, John Sebastiano, president of UNICO believes Columbus “globalized our world.” One can argue, Columbus did do horrible things and that the…