Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Christopher Columbus

2009-06-01T20:50:00Z

Morganb:

[[Image:columbus.jpg|thumb]] '''Christopher Columbus''' (1451-1506) was a [[Genoa|Genoese]] explorer who explored the [[West Indies]] for [[Spain]] from 1492 to 1502. His discovery resulted in Europeans exploring and settling the Americas.

Contrary to popular belief, Columbus did not prove that the world was not flat. Europeans had known for centuries that the world was round. Columbus's disagreement with the experts was that he thought that the Earth was much smaller, and that he had enough supplies to sail to India.

==First Voyage==
He went to [[Ferdinand and Isabella|Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain]] to ask them to finance his journey to the Far East (China and Japan); his plan was to sail west to get to the east: contrary to popular misconceptions, it was well known at the time, that the world was round - however its true circumference was unknown, so it seemed feasible to Columbus, to be able to sail from Europe to Asia within a reasonable amount of time. His first appeal to the king and queen was disappointing but the second time they furnished him with three ships ([[The Niña]], [[The Pinta]] and The [[Santa Maria]]). Leaving August 3 1492, from the port of Palos, he sailed for months without sight of land while his crew was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the voyage believing themselves to be sailing towards their deaths; they began plotting [[mutiny]].

[[Image:Christopher-columbus.jpg|thumb|October 12, 1492]]
Finally they came to land in the West Indies (October 12, 1492). When they explored a little they found the natives to be friendly and they found many new things that no European had ever seen before. Columbus thought he had landed in India, so he called the native people "Indians" - a designation which remains common to this very day. As they prepared to return to [[Spain]] the Santa Maria ran aground on a coral reef and could not be repaired. Columbus saw this as a sign from God and established a trading outpost he called Navidad (after the Christmas holiday).

However he still had the Nina and Pinta, and so he took most of his crew up the Windward Passage and onwards to Spain. The king and queen were amazed by the colorful birds and strange foods that Columbus brought with him. Columbus was then called Admiral.

==Second Voyage==
When Columbus sailed back to the new world in 1493, he found no sign of Navidad or of his crew. It is unknown what became of the crew, but one widely believed theory is the local Indian population grew tired of being harassed for gold and killed the sailors. Columbus then built a new settlement called Isabella (after the queen), then left it in the charge of his brother Diego and went exploring. He was puzzled that his maps of the east did not match with what he had seen. When he reached modern day [[Cuba]] he believed that this was the mainland and forced his crew to swear that it was. He also discovered [[Jamaica]] shortly afterwards. On his second voyage Columbus was able to sail back exactly to the same place as on his first voyage, despite poor navigating techniques of the time period. Some attribute this fact to [[divine providence]].

==Third Voyage==
[[Image:Sm skyline.gif|thumb|left|The Issabel]]
In 1498, Columbus left Spain with 17 ships carrying 1,200 colonists. He explored [[Trinidad]], [[Tobago]], [[Grenada]] and the coast of [[Venezuela]].

When he returned to Isabella he found it in a state of confusion that he was unable to control. Because there was no gold he sent 500 Indians to Spain as slaves against the will of the king and queen. This brought much ridicule on Columbus. He sailed back to Spain to defend himself and the king and queen refused to furnish him with the necessary ships for continued exploration for three years.

==Fourth Voyage==
When rumors of the confusion in Isabella reached Spain the king and queen sent Francisco de Bobadilla to investigate. Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his brother in the name of the crown, took charge of Isabella forcefully and sent them back to Spain. Columbus begged for one more chance to explore “Asia”. They gave him four broken down ships. His fleet was beaten with storms and he was forced to give up his last journey. He started back for Spain, but his ships were on the verge of collapse and he was forced to stay at Jamaica. He sent one of his crew to Isabella in a canoe to get rescue ships. Seven months later the ships came and took him back to Spain.

==Death==
[[Image:Rabida.jpg|thumb|Santa María de la Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain.]]
Columbus died a prosperious man (for the age) in Spain at the age of 55. He still believed he had reached Asia at the time. In more recent times stories have been dispersed of Columbus dying in poverty and relative anonymity, which is a myth.

==The Legacy of Columbus==
[[Columbus Day]], is a national holiday in the [[United States]], was proclaimed so in 1937 by President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. The observance of Columbus Day remains controversial, due to shifting views about European colonialism, as well as the decline of indigenous populations after the arrival of Europeans in the new world. There may be disagreement about what exactly took place in the interaction of Columbus and his crew with the local populations he encountered, but it is widely accepted that the Columbus did return to Spain with a number of slaves, and that slave labor was used in his quest for gold. Native populations were also susceptible to new diseases, while diseases from the New World also arrived in Europe. <ref>http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history History of Columbus Day</ref>

==Columbus and Liberalism==

However, in recent decades controversy has emerged regarding Columbus and his legacy. As a result of revisionist, liberal thinking which tends to overidealize the lifestyle of Native Americans before their contact with Europeans. Second and third-hand accounts of actions taken dozens, if not hundreds of years before, judged by more contemporary standards and accepted practices in another geographic area alltogether, is risky. The controversy can be summoned up as liberal hypocrisy. In an effort to diminish America as righteous, liberals attack Columbus while ignoring their fellow Democrats were slave owners and slave traders. In the not too distant past, these same Democrats were for the segregation of populations by race.
== See also ==
*[[Ibn Battuta]]
*[[Marco Polo]]

== References ==
*http://www.eesd.org/Matsumoto/TM30/history/Explorers/colom.html
*http://www.italian-american.com/columbus.htm
*http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/columbus.php
*http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Christopher}}
{{Nb_explorers}}

[[Category:European History]]

Christopher Columbus

2009-06-01T20:35:05Z

Morganb: /* Columbus and Liberalism */

[[Image:columbus.jpg|thumb]] '''Christopher Columbus''' (1451-1506) was a [[Genoa|Genoese]] explorer who explored the [[West Indies]] for [[Spain]] from 1492 to 1502. His discovery resulted in Europeans exploring and settling the Americas.

Contrary to popular belief, Columbus did not prove that the world was not flat. Europeans had known for centuries that the world was round. Columbus's disagreement with the experts was that he thought that the Earth was much smaller, and that he had enough supplies to sail to India.

==First Voyage==
He went to [[Ferdinand and Isabella|Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain]] to ask them to finance his journey to the Far East (China and Japan); his plan was to sail west to get to the east: contrary to popular misconceptions, it was well known at the time, that the world was round - however its true circumference was unknown, so it seemed feasible to Columbus, to be able to sail from Europe to Asia within a reasonable amount of time. His first appeal to the king and queen was disappointing but the second time they furnished him with three ships ([[The Niña]], [[The Pinta]] and The [[Santa Maria]]). Leaving August 3 1492, from the port of Palos, he sailed for months without sight of land while his crew was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the voyage believing themselves to be sailing towards their deaths; they began plotting [[mutiny]].

[[Image:Christopher-columbus.jpg|thumb|October 12, 1492]]
Finally they came to land in the West Indies (October 12, 1492). When they explored a little they found the natives to be friendly and they found many new things that no European had ever seen before. Columbus thought he had landed in India, so he called the native people "Indians" - a designation which remains common to this very day. As they prepared to return to [[Spain]] the Santa Maria ran aground on a coral reef and could not be repaired. Columbus saw this as a sign from God and established a trading outpost he called Navidad (after the Christmas holiday).

However he still had the Nina and Pinta, and so he took most of his crew up the Windward Passage and onwards to Spain. The king and queen were amazed by the colorful birds and strange foods that Columbus brought with him. Columbus was then called Admiral.

==Second Voyage==
When Columbus sailed back to the new world in 1493, he found no sign of Navidad or of his crew. It is unknown what became of the crew, but one widely believed theory is the local Indian population grew tired of being harassed for gold and killed the sailors. Columbus then built a new settlement called Isabella (after the queen), then left it in the charge of his brother Diego and went exploring. He was puzzled that his maps of the east did not match with what he had seen. When he reached modern day [[Cuba]] he believed that this was the mainland and forced his crew to swear that it was. He also discovered [[Jamaica]] shortly afterwards. On his second voyage Columbus was able to sail back exactly to the same place as on his first voyage, despite poor navigating techniques of the time period. Some attribute this fact to [[divine providence]].

==Third Voyage==
[[Image:Sm skyline.gif|thumb|left|The Issabel]]
In 1498, Columbus left Spain with 17 ships carrying 1,200 colonists. He explored [[Trinidad]], [[Tobago]], [[Grenada]] and the coast of [[Venezuela]].

When he returned to Isabella he found it in a state of confusion that he was unable to control. Because there was no gold he sent 500 Indians to Spain as slaves against the will of the king and queen. This brought much ridicule on Columbus. He sailed back to Spain to defend himself and the king and queen refused to furnish him with the necessary ships for continued exploration for three years.

==Fourth Voyage==
When rumors of the confusion in Isabella reached Spain the king and queen sent Francisco de Bobadilla to investigate. Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his brother in the name of the crown, took charge of Isabella forcefully and sent them back to Spain. Columbus begged for one more chance to explore “Asia”. They gave him four broken down ships. His fleet was beaten with storms and he was forced to give up his last journey. He started back for Spain, but his ships were on the verge of collapse and he was forced to stay at Jamaica. He sent one of his crew to Isabella in a canoe to get rescue ships. Seven months later the ships came and took him back to Spain.

==Death==
[[Image:Rabida.jpg|thumb|Santa María de la Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain.]]
Columbus died a prosperious man (for the age) in Spain at the age of 55. He still believed he had reached Asia at the time. In more recent times stories have been dispersed of Columbus dying in poverty and relative anonymity, which is a myth.

==The Legacy of Columbus==
[[Columbus Day]], is a national holiday in the [[United States]], was proclaimed so in 1937 by President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. The observance of Columbus Day remains controversial, due to shifting views about European colonialism, as well as the decline of indigenous populations after the arrival of Europeans in the new world. There may be disagreement about what exactly took place in the interaction of Columbus and his crew with the local populations he encountered, but it is widely accepted that the Columbus did return to Spain with a number of slaves, and that slave labor was used in his quest for gold. Native populations were also susceptible to new diseases, while diseases from the New World also arrived in Europe.

==Columbus and Liberalism==

However, in recent decades controversy has emerged regarding Columbus and his legacy. As a result of revisionist, liberal thinking which tends to overidealize the lifestyle of Native Americans before their contact with Europeans. Second and third-hand accounts of actions taken dozens, if not hundreds of years before, judged by more contemporary standards and accepted practices in another geographic area alltogether, is risky. The controversy can be summoned up as liberal hypocrisy. In an effort to diminish America as righteous, liberals attack Columbus while ignoring their fellow Democrats were slave owners and slave traders. In the not too distant past, these same Democrats were for the segregation of populations by race.<ref>http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history History of Columbus Day</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Ibn Battuta]]
*[[Marco Polo]]

== References ==
*http://www.eesd.org/Matsumoto/TM30/history/Explorers/colom.html
*http://www.italian-american.com/columbus.htm
*http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/columbus.php
*http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Christopher}}
{{Nb_explorers}}

[[Category:European History]]

Talk:Christopher Columbus

2009-06-01T20:30:46Z

Morganb:

Columbus sailed from Spain on August 3 1492, and after sailing in unkown waters and not sighting land for three weeks, the sailors began to talk of mutiny. On October 10, Columbus promised that if they did not find land in three days they would turn back. On October 12, they reached an island that Columbus named San Salvador. Columbus did not reach his original destination but he did set the stage for Europian exploration of the New World.

Citations?
Sentence/Paragraph Structure?
Proper Grammar?

Ouch! Reading this article killed brain cells.

== He was liberal ==

Chrisopher Columbus was a liberal whe tried to find new ways. He could also be called a scientist in geography and navigation.
He did not believe in what the conservative world was thinking (the world is flat and that he will fall down its surface at the end of the world).

This should be mentioned in the article. --[[User:Itsjustme|Itsjustme]] 16:33, 12 May 2007 (EDT)

==Factually Incorrect==
He was not "the second European sailor to reach the Americas." Ericson's voyage prompted many more trips to the America's, and Columbus arrived with more men than just himself. Perhaps a better way to phrase this would be "headed the first expedition from the European mainland to reach the Americas."

He didn't die poor. I took the liberty of correcting that. Also a section should be added discussing the accusations of genocide against the native populations committed by Columbus.

:Do you have a source on his dying wealthy? I am one of the people who heard his later years/voyages were not financially fulfilling. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 18:51, 29 February 2008 (EST)

Well, you should know that the entire population believing that the world was flat at the time of Columbus is just a myth. In fact there was even a globe at this time, and the globe, sure enough, was not flat.

I wanted to put something in about Columbus Day, and the controversy over Columbus. If you can do a better job of it, feel free to edit what I have written.

I don't think this page should become a rant about liberalism. I think we should be present a balanced view, based on present (widely accepted) knowledge, but keeping in mind the context of history. I don't know what to do with some added material on liberalism. I think it veers off topic, but for now it has its own section.

Christopher Columbus

2009-06-01T20:28:06Z

Morganb:

[[Image:columbus.jpg|thumb]] '''Christopher Columbus''' (1451-1506) was a [[Genoa|Genoese]] explorer who explored the [[West Indies]] for [[Spain]] from 1492 to 1502. His discovery resulted in Europeans exploring and settling the Americas.

Contrary to popular belief, Columbus did not prove that the world was not flat. Europeans had known for centuries that the world was round. Columbus's disagreement with the experts was that he thought that the Earth was much smaller, and that he had enough supplies to sail to India.

==First Voyage==
He went to [[Ferdinand and Isabella|Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain]] to ask them to finance his journey to the Far East (China and Japan); his plan was to sail west to get to the east: contrary to popular misconceptions, it was well known at the time, that the world was round - however its true circumference was unknown, so it seemed feasible to Columbus, to be able to sail from Europe to Asia within a reasonable amount of time. His first appeal to the king and queen was disappointing but the second time they furnished him with three ships ([[The Niña]], [[The Pinta]] and The [[Santa Maria]]). Leaving August 3 1492, from the port of Palos, he sailed for months without sight of land while his crew was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the voyage believing themselves to be sailing towards their deaths; they began plotting [[mutiny]].

[[Image:Christopher-columbus.jpg|thumb|October 12, 1492]]
Finally they came to land in the West Indies (October 12, 1492). When they explored a little they found the natives to be friendly and they found many new things that no European had ever seen before. Columbus thought he had landed in India, so he called the native people "Indians" - a designation which remains common to this very day. As they prepared to return to [[Spain]] the Santa Maria ran aground on a coral reef and could not be repaired. Columbus saw this as a sign from God and established a trading outpost he called Navidad (after the Christmas holiday).

However he still had the Nina and Pinta, and so he took most of his crew up the Windward Passage and onwards to Spain. The king and queen were amazed by the colorful birds and strange foods that Columbus brought with him. Columbus was then called Admiral.

==Second Voyage==
When Columbus sailed back to the new world in 1493, he found no sign of Navidad or of his crew. It is unknown what became of the crew, but one widely believed theory is the local Indian population grew tired of being harassed for gold and killed the sailors. Columbus then built a new settlement called Isabella (after the queen), then left it in the charge of his brother Diego and went exploring. He was puzzled that his maps of the east did not match with what he had seen. When he reached modern day [[Cuba]] he believed that this was the mainland and forced his crew to swear that it was. He also discovered [[Jamaica]] shortly afterwards. On his second voyage Columbus was able to sail back exactly to the same place as on his first voyage, despite poor navigating techniques of the time period. Some attribute this fact to [[divine providence]].

==Third Voyage==
[[Image:Sm skyline.gif|thumb|left|The Issabel]]
In 1498, Columbus left Spain with 17 ships carrying 1,200 colonists. He explored [[Trinidad]], [[Tobago]], [[Grenada]] and the coast of [[Venezuela]].

When he returned to Isabella he found it in a state of confusion that he was unable to control. Because there was no gold he sent 500 Indians to Spain as slaves against the will of the king and queen. This brought much ridicule on Columbus. He sailed back to Spain to defend himself and the king and queen refused to furnish him with the necessary ships for continued exploration for three years.

==Fourth Voyage==
When rumors of the confusion in Isabella reached Spain the king and queen sent Francisco de Bobadilla to investigate. Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his brother in the name of the crown, took charge of Isabella forcefully and sent them back to Spain. Columbus begged for one more chance to explore “Asia”. They gave him four broken down ships. His fleet was beaten with storms and he was forced to give up his last journey. He started back for Spain, but his ships were on the verge of collapse and he was forced to stay at Jamaica. He sent one of his crew to Isabella in a canoe to get rescue ships. Seven months later the ships came and took him back to Spain.

==Death==
[[Image:Rabida.jpg|thumb|Santa María de la Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain.]]
Columbus died a prosperious man (for the age) in Spain at the age of 55. He still believed he had reached Asia at the time. In more recent times stories have been dispersed of Columbus dying in poverty and relative anonymity, which is a myth.

==The Legacy of Columbus==
[[Columbus Day]], is a national holiday in the [[United States]], was proclaimed so in 1937 by President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. The observance of Columbus Day remains controversial, due to shifting views about European colonialism, as well as the decline of indigenous populations after the arrival of Europeans in the new world. There may be disagreement about what exactly took place in the interaction of Columbus and his crew with the local populations he encountered, but it is widely accepted that the Columbus did return to Spain with a number of slaves, and that slave labor was used in his quest for gold. Native populations were also susceptible to new diseases, while diseases from the New World also arrived in Europe.

==Columbus and Liberalism==

However, in recent decades controversy has emerged regarding Columbus and his legacy. As a result of revisionist, liberal thinking which tends to overidealize the lifestyle of Native Americans before their contact with Europeans. However, there have been various accounts of mistreatment of native populations by Columbus and his crew, including some accounts by missionaries who accompanied Columbus on some of his journeys. Second and third-hand accounts of actions taken dozens, if not hundreds of years before, judged by more contemporary standards and accepted practices in another geographic area alltogether, is risky. The controversy can be summoned up as liberal hypocrisy. In an effort to diminish America as righteous, liberals attack Columbus while ignoring their fellow Democrats were slave owners and slave traders. In the not too distant past, these same Democrats were for the segregation of populations by race.<ref>http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history History of Columbus Day</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Ibn Battuta]]
*[[Marco Polo]]

== References ==
*http://www.eesd.org/Matsumoto/TM30/history/Explorers/colom.html
*http://www.italian-american.com/columbus.htm
*http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/columbus.php
*http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Christopher}}
{{Nb_explorers}}

[[Category:European History]]

Christopher Columbus

2009-05-27T22:22:48Z

Morganb:

[[Image:columbus.jpg|thumb]] '''Christopher Columbus''' (1451-1506) was a [[Genoa|Genoese]] explorer who explored the [[West Indies]] for [[Spain]] from 1492 to 1502. His discovery resulted in Europeans exploring and settling the Americas.

Contrary to popular belief, Columbus did not prove that the world was not flat. Europeans had known for centuries that the world was round. Columbus's disagreement with the experts was that he thought that the Earth was much smaller, and that he had enough supplies to sail to India.

==First Voyage==
He went to [[Ferdinand and Isabella|Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain]] to ask them to finance his journey to the Far East (China and Japan); his plan was to sail west to get to the east: contrary to popular misconceptions, it was well known at the time, that the world was round - however its true circumference was unknown, so it seemed feasible to Columbus, to be able to sail from Europe to Asia within a reasonable amount of time. His first appeal to the king and queen was disappointing but the second time they furnished him with three ships ([[The Niña]], [[The Pinta]] and The [[Santa Maria]]). Leaving August 3 1492, from the port of Palos, he sailed for months without sight of land while his crew was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the voyage believing themselves to be sailing towards their deaths; they began plotting [[mutiny]].

[[Image:Christopher-columbus.jpg|thumb|October 12, 1492]]
Finally they came to land in the West Indies (October 12, 1492). When they explored a little they found the natives to be friendly and they found many new things that no European had ever seen before. Columbus thought he had landed in India, so he called the native people "Indians" - a designation which remains common to this very day. As they prepared to return to [[Spain]] the Santa Maria ran aground on a coral reef and could not be repaired. Columbus saw this as a sign from God and established a trading outpost he called Navidad (after the Christmas holiday).

However he still had the Nina and Pinta, and so he took most of his crew up the Windward Passage and onwards to Spain. The king and queen were amazed by the colorful birds and strange foods that Columbus brought with him. Columbus was then called Admiral.

==Second Voyage==
When Columbus sailed back to the new world in 1493, he found no sign of Navidad or of his crew. It is unknown what became of the crew, but one widely believed theory is the local Indian population grew tired of being harassed for gold and killed the sailors. Columbus then built a new settlement called Isabella (after the queen), then left it in the charge of his brother Diego and went exploring. He was puzzled that his maps of the east did not match with what he had seen. When he reached modern day [[Cuba]] he believed that this was the mainland and forced his crew to swear that it was. He also discovered [[Jamaica]] shortly afterwards. On his second voyage Columbus was able to sail back exactly to the same place as on his first voyage, despite poor navigating techniques of the time period. Some attribute this fact to [[divine providence]].

==Third Voyage==
[[Image:Sm skyline.gif|thumb|left|The Issabel]]
In 1498, Columbus left Spain with 17 ships carrying 1,200 colonists. He explored [[Trinidad]], [[Tobago]], [[Grenada]] and the coast of [[Venezuela]].

When he returned to Isabella he found it in a state of confusion that he was unable to control. Because there was no gold he sent 500 Indians to Spain as slaves against the will of the king and queen. This brought much ridicule on Columbus. He sailed back to Spain to defend himself and the king and queen refused to furnish him with the necessary ships for continued exploration for three years.

==Fourth Voyage==
When rumors of the confusion in Isabella reached Spain the king and queen sent Francisco de Bobadilla to investigate. Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his brother in the name of the crown, took charge of Isabella forcefully and sent them back to Spain. Columbus begged for one more chance to explore “Asia”. They gave him four broken down ships. His fleet was beaten with storms and he was forced to give up his last journey. He started back for Spain, but his ships were on the verge of collapse and he was forced to stay at Jamaica. He sent one of his crew to Isabella in a canoe to get rescue ships. Seven months later the ships came and took him back to Spain.

==Death==
[[Image:Rabida.jpg|thumb|Santa María de la Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain.]]

Columbus died a wealthy man in Spain at the age of 55. He still believed he had reached Asia at the time. In more recent times stories have been dispersed of Columbus dying in poverty and relative anonymity.

==Columbus Day==
Columbus Day, a national holiday in the United States, was proclaimed in 1937 by President Roosevelt. However, in recent years controversy has emerged regarding Columbus and his legacy. Some have considered this a result of revisionist thinking which tends to overidealize the lifestyle of Native Americans before their contact with Europeans. However, there have been various accounts of mistreatment of native populations by Columbus and his crew, including some accounts by missionaries who accompanied Columbus on some of his journeys.<ref>http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history History of Columbus Day</ref>
== See also ==
*[[Ibn Battuta]]
*[[Marco Polo]]

== References ==
*http://www.eesd.org/Matsumoto/TM30/history/Explorers/colom.html
*http://www.italian-american.com/columbus.htm
*http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/columbus.php
*http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Christopher}}
{{Nb_explorers}}

[[Category:European History]]

Talk:Christopher Columbus

2009-05-27T22:20:35Z

Morganb:

Christopher Columbus

2009-05-27T22:19:13Z

Morganb:

[[Image:columbus.jpg|thumb]] '''Christopher Columbus''' (1451-1506) was a [[Genoa|Genoese]] explorer who explored the [[West Indies]] for [[Spain]] from 1492 to 1502. His discovery resulted in Europeans exploring and settling the Americas.

Contrary to popular belief, Columbus did not prove that the world was not flat. Europeans had known for centuries that the world was round. Columbus's disagreement with the experts was that he thought that the Earth was much smaller, and that he had enough supplies to sail to India.

==First Voyage==
He went to [[Ferdinand and Isabella|Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain]] to ask them to finance his journey to the Far East (China and Japan); his plan was to sail west to get to the east: contrary to popular misconceptions, it was well known at the time, that the world was round - however its true circumference was unknown, so it seemed feasible to Columbus, to be able to sail from Europe to Asia within a reasonable amount of time. His first appeal to the king and queen was disappointing but the second time they furnished him with three ships ([[The Niña]], [[The Pinta]] and The [[Santa Maria]]). Leaving August 3 1492, from the port of Palos, he sailed for months without sight of land while his crew was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the voyage believing themselves to be sailing towards their deaths; they began plotting [[mutiny]].

[[Image:Christopher-columbus.jpg|thumb|October 12, 1492]]
Finally they came to land in the West Indies (October 12, 1492). When they explored a little they found the natives to be friendly and they found many new things that no European had ever seen before. Columbus thought he had landed in India, so he called the native people "Indians" - a designation which remains common to this very day. As they prepared to return to [[Spain]] the Santa Maria ran aground on a coral reef and could not be repaired. Columbus saw this as a sign from God and established a trading outpost he called Navidad (after the Christmas holiday).

However he still had the Nina and Pinta, and so he took most of his crew up the Windward Passage and onwards to Spain. The king and queen were amazed by the colorful birds and strange foods that Columbus brought with him. Columbus was then called Admiral.

==Second Voyage==
When Columbus sailed back to the new world in 1493, he found no sign of Navidad or of his crew. It is unknown what became of the crew, but one widely believed theory is the local Indian population grew tired of being harassed for gold and killed the sailors. Columbus then built a new settlement called Isabella (after the queen), then left it in the charge of his brother Diego and went exploring. He was puzzled that his maps of the east did not match with what he had seen. When he reached modern day [[Cuba]] he believed that this was the mainland and forced his crew to swear that it was. He also discovered [[Jamaica]] shortly afterwards. On his second voyage Columbus was able to sail back exactly to the same place as on his first voyage, despite poor navigating techniques of the time period. Some attribute this fact to [[divine providence]].

==Third Voyage==
[[Image:Sm skyline.gif|thumb|left|The Issabel]]
In 1498, Columbus left Spain with 17 ships carrying 1,200 colonists. He explored [[Trinidad]], [[Tobago]], [[Grenada]] and the coast of [[Venezuela]].

When he returned to Isabella he found it in a state of confusion that he was unable to control. Because there was no gold he sent 500 Indians to Spain as slaves against the will of the king and queen. This brought much ridicule on Columbus. He sailed back to Spain to defend himself and the king and queen refused to furnish him with the necessary ships for continued exploration for three years.

==Fourth Voyage==
When rumors of the confusion in Isabella reached Spain the king and queen sent Francisco de Bobadilla to investigate. Bobadilla arrested Columbus and his brother in the name of the crown, took charge of Isabella forcefully and sent them back to Spain. Columbus begged for one more chance to explore “Asia”. They gave him four broken down ships. His fleet was beaten with storms and he was forced to give up his last journey. He started back for Spain, but his ships were on the verge of collapse and he was forced to stay at Jamaica. He sent one of his crew to Isabella in a canoe to get rescue ships. Seven months later the ships came and took him back to Spain.

==Death==
[[Image:Rabida.jpg|thumb|Santa María de la Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain.]]

Columbus died a wealthy man in Spain at the age of 55. He still believed he had reached Asia at the time. In more recent times stories have been dispersed of Columbus dying in poverty and relative anonymity.

==Columbus Day==
Columbus Day, a national holiday in the United States, was proclaimed in 1937 by President Roosevelt. However, in recent years controversy has emerged regarding Columbus and his legacy. Some have considered this a result of revisionist thinking which tends to overidealize the lifestyle of Native Americans before their contact with Europeans. However, there have been various accounts of mistreatment of native populations by Columbus and his crew, including some accounts by missionaries who accompanied Columbus on some of his journeys.<ref>http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history History of Columbus Day</ref>
== See also ==
*[[Ibn Battuta]]
*[[Marco Polo]]

== References ==
*http://www.eesd.org/Matsumoto/TM30/history/Explorers/colom.html
*http://www.italian-american.com/columbus.htm
*http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/columbus.php

{{DEFAULTSORT:Columbus, Christopher}}
{{Nb_explorers}}

[[Category:European History]]