Christopher Columbus Accomplishments

In grade school, we are taught that Christopher Columbus was the man who discovered America. Now that we are older, we have learned more in depth about him as a person and explorer. Not only did he set sail Westward in search of new findings, but that he would claim them as his own, eventually they would be inherited by his eldest son, and the generations after (Columbus, Journal, paragraph 1). Columbus did leave a legacy, nonetheless like every story, there are many obstacles that lay ahead.

In the letter that Christopher Columbus wrote to Luis de Santangel regarding the results of his first voyage in 1493 demonstrated several problems in Columbus’ breakthroughs, aside from his comprehension of what he uncovered. When interpreting the letter, I observed Columbus’ egotism. He appeared to be providing admiration to the King and Queen of Spain, but in actuality, he was only bragging about his own accomplishments. Columbus composes, “Since I know that you will be pleased at the great victory with which Our Lord has crowned my voyage, I write this to you, from which you will learn how in thirty-three days I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies, with the fleet which the most illustrious king and queen, our sovereigns, gave to me. There I found very many islands, filled with people innumerable, and of them all I have taken possession for their highnesses, by proclamation made and with the royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me.” In this situation, Columbus tells of his outcomes from the expedition and communicates what it encompassed, and how it was proficient.

It is thought by many that Christopher Columbus was a skilled sailor on a mission of greed. Many think that he in fact did it all for the money, honor and the status that comes with an explorer, but this is not the case entirely. Columbus was an adventurer and was enthused by the thrill of the quest of the unknown. “Columbus had a firm religious faith and a scientific curiosity, a zest for life, the felling for beauty and the striving for novelty that we associate with the advancement of learning”. He had heard of the legendary Atlantic voyages and sailors reports of land to the west of Madeira and the Azores. He believed that Japan was about 4,800 km to the west of Portugal. In 1484, Columbus wanted support for an exploratory

The year is 1347. The Silk Traders of the world carry disease in their caravan. Smallpox, Syphilis, and rats were all in company when it came to traders. The black rats that jumped onto mediterranean ships were the prime carrier for the infamous bubonic plague, known historically as the Black Death. In the Sicilian islands, “12 Genoese trading ships docked… most of the sailors aboard the ship were dead, those who were still alive were gravely ill,” Aside the fever, they were covered with mysterious, egg sized boils that oozed blood. Unbeknownst to them that the rodent passengers aboard would be the turning point for European History (History.com). The rat thrived in the overpopulated and unsanitized Europe, which was made conditions ideal for the perfect storm of outbreaks that wiped out more than 20 million people, nearly a third of the European population. This is one of the most catastrophic events in human history, estimating that nearly half of the medieval human population had perished.

Most children in the United States, grow up with the stories of the brave and heroic Christopher Columbus, who risked his life to connect the western and eastern hemispheres. There is even a day dedicated to his "good work" and "heroism". But the stories don't explore the whole truth. Since his discoveries led to the founding of America, history turns a blind eye to his immoral actions and the consequence of his deeds. Christopher Columbus is a villain because he enslaved, wiped out and manipulated the populations of the Native Americans in the Indies.

After many centuries, a lot of controversy still surrounds Christopher Columbus. He remains to be a strange figure in history regarded as a famous explorer and a great mariner who made many discoveries in his days. Other people still regard him as a visionary and a national hero while others chose to remember him as a brutal and greedy person who used the rest of the humanity for his own selfish gains. Despite the fact that there have been protests in his being honored through a holiday referred to as the Columbus Day, he still deserves recognition and acknowledgement as a historical figure performed a great role in the making of the modern world.

Christopher Columbus and his goalsCertainly, Columbus was a devout Catholic. He lived during the period of the great Spanish Inquisition, which led to the defeat of the Jews and Muslims. Perhaps he wanted to continue the Spanish legacy and spread the faith toward the west. However, personal ambitions may have also sparked Columbus's interest in finding a water route to the Indies. He asks for gold many times from the natives and searches all the islands in hopes of discovering more. He views the natives as a source of economical benefit, hoping to employ them for practical purposes. Even though there are not any indications of immense amounts of gold and spices in the New World, Columbus continues to ask for more Spanish support in order

Christopher Columbus is known for being an explorer and is said to have made one of the most important voyages in world history without even wanting to. Something else that is also believed is that he “opened up” the Americas to European nations, which changed the course of American history. Before he went on his voyage though, he was in need of resources. So he asked Portugal, France, Italy among many other countries but they all denied Columbus and thought his statement was incorrect. Columbus’ statement was that he had found a faster way to get to Asia than the Portuguese had, which was going around the continent of Africa. Columbus lived a majority of his life in Spain, so when it came to setting sail for the west, Spain was one of the first nations he asked for funding. Though it took Columbus a little more than a few years to convince a nation to fund his voyage, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand from Spain subsequently granted to endow him in 1492. He would then leave for “Asia” on August 3, 1492. There are many unanswered questions and thoughts on why Spain decided to finally fund Columbus’ voyage, especially since he was an explorer that was born in Italy.

This history of Mistreatment can be traced as far back as 1492 to Christopher Columbus. The true importance and history of Christopher Columbus is highly debated and is often misconstrued by the bias of textbooks writers. As students, most of us were taught the rhyme “in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. Columbus was portrayed as one of the first American hero’s in our classrooms without question. Many of us can clearly recall Columbus Day celebrations in which students made arts and craft and sang songs about this hero by the name of Christopher Columbus. There is a much darker side to Columbuses exploration of the Americas that textbooks and teachers tend to leave out or fill with twisted recollection of events with rosy retrospection

All throughout history, whether present or past, books are filled page to page with people we consider heroes, as well as villans. Some quick people that come to mind when thinking of the fall of their legacy lead me to people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Andrew Jackson and Napoleon Bonaparte. No matter what the subject; whether it be considered history of a sport, US history or even some celebrities lives, there will always be the one who was a hero in the spotlight and then the real truth comes out. Herofication dates back to the times of the beginning of America where Christopher Columbus, the man who we celebrate on Columbus Day to the public eye today is seen in a positive light. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus wasn't the nicest

The “status que thinking” of Christopher Columbus is different than what was in the chapter from the reading. Most people think Christopher Columbus was the first person to discover America. They believe that he had a difficult long journey to discover America that was longer than two months. They also thought that Columbus believed the world was round while most people thought the world was flat. Also, most people think that if there was any violence between Columbus and the Indians it was because the Indians were acting hostile and it was justified.

In America, Christopher Columbus is undoubtedly regarded as a hero who captained a courageous voyage to the West Indies and accidentally discovered America. He led a conquest throughout North America, fighting off natives and seeking riches. While there is some truth to this tale, most of it is embarrassingly false. Although Columbus was a brilliant navigator and an intelligent explorer, he was also a harsh governor who harshly ruled the land he claimed in the name of Spain. Most textbooks omit the fact that the beloved explorer, who has the same reputation among American children as Gandhi or Martin Luther King, started a slave trade. His actions led to millions of Native American deaths; he inadvertently paved the road leading to the destruction

Many years ago, Christopher Columbus set off on a journey to find a different route to the Indies in order to receive cheaper goods, cutting the middlemen out of the process. His journey leads him to one of the worlds most successful failures in history; the discovery of the new world. This discovery caused the two worlds to collide, bringing together diseases, plants, animals and many other valuable goods, becoming what is now known as the Columbian Exchange.

Throughout history, key individuals are simply the product of their times, happening upon their destinies through luck or inevitability rather than personal motive or talent. Christopher Columbus did not set out on his voyage, intending to discover a new continent and change the course of the world so dramatically; and if he had not played his role in the colonization of the Americas, someone else would have. Likewise, the cascade of events that led to World War I could be blamed on Archduke Ferdinand, his assassin, or even his driver, but the Great War would have erupted even if the assassination had never taken place at all. Sometimes, though, the power and personality of an individual is capable of diverting the course of history, their influence overpowering the cumulative current of events like a ship 's rudder.

The world is a better place because of Christopher Columbus’ important discoveries in the New World. His explorations resulted in the vast expansion of property for Europe, the exchange of goods and cultures between countries and a change in the worldview of geography. Columbus’s explorations were the catalyst for unprecedented trade known as the Columbian Exchange, which started the exchange of goods and ideas that would last for centuries and change the world forever. His discoveries unearthed new perspectives and created a mix of diverse biology between Europe and the New World. These exchanges changed the world we live in today and will continue to fuel centuries of exploration and discoveries.