Dorenda moore biography of christopher columbus
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His second voyage in 1493 carried a large fleet with the intention of conquering the native populations and establishing colonies. He was not in good health. Those who stood against Columbus would later use this as an argument against him. On later voyages, he transported cargoes of enslaved Africans to work in Spanish settlements in the Americas and Indians to bondage in Europe, and thus initiated the transatlantic slave trade.
Due to rough seas, he was forced to land in Portugal, an unfortunate event for Columbus. There were rumors from other sailors that Asia could be reached by sailing west. However, Europeans often had to travel through the Middle East to reach Asia. He argued (incorrectly) that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than his contemporaries believed it was; accordingly, he believed that the journey by boat from Europe to Asia should be not only possible, but comparatively easy via an as-yet undiscovered Northwest Passage.
He presented his plan to officials in Portugal and England, but it was not until 1492 that he found a sympathetic audience: the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.
Columbus wanted fame and fortune.
His “re-discovery,” however, inspired a new era of exploration of the American continents by Europeans. The queen was horrified—she believed that any people Columbus “discovered” were Spanish subjects who could not be enslaved—and she promptly and sternly returned the explorer’s gift.
In May 1498, Columbus sailed west across the Atlantic for the third time.
The purpose for his voyages was to find a passage to Asia by sailing west. Each declined his request for funding.
More than five hundred years after the first Spaniards arrived in the Caribbean, historians and the general public still debate Columbus's legacy. The Portuguese were the earliest participants in this “Age of Discovery,” also known as “Age of Exploration.”
Starting in about 1420, small Portuguese ships known as caravels zipped along the African coast, carrying spices, gold and other goods as well as enslaved people from Asia and Africa to Europe.
Did you know?
Christopher Columbus was not the first person to propose that a person could reach Asia by sailing west from Europe.
(Columbus, a devout Catholic, was equally enthusiastic about this possibility.)
Columbus’ contract with the Spanish rulers promised that he could keep 10 percent of whatever riches he found, along with a noble title and the governorship of any lands he should encounter.
Where Did Columbus' Ships, Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, Land?
On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
Since he thought he was in the Indies, he called the native people “Indians.” In several letters he wrote back to Spain, he described the landscape and his encounters with the natives. Exotic goods such as spices, ivory, silk, and gems were popular items of trade. He gave the first island he landed on the name San Salvador, although the native population called it Guanahani.4 Columbus believed that he was in Asia, but was actually in the Caribbean.
He also began to hatch the plan that would change the world forever.
Christopher Columbus' First Voyage
At the end of the 15th century, it was nearly impossible to reach Asia from Europe by land.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus and the Age of Discovery
During the 15th and 16th centuries, leaders of several European nations sponsored expeditions abroad in the hope that explorers would find great wealth and vast undiscovered lands.
He had three brothers: Bartholomew, Giovanni, and Giacomo; and a sister named Bianchinetta.