Christopher Columbus

1
Christopher Columbus

• Life Legacy

2
Who Was Columbus?

• Christopher Columbus was born on Genoa, Italy
  between August 25th and October 31st, 1451
• In one of his writings, Columbus states that his
  first sea voyage took place when he was ten years
  old
• In 1479, Columbus married Filipa Moniz Perestrelo
  and had a son named Diego

3
Who was Columbus?

• Although he did not receive a great deal of
  formal schooling, he was very intelligent.
  Columbus learned Latin and Portguaguse. As well,
  he was very well informed about geography,
  astronomy, and history.

4
Columbus Plans a Trip

• By 1485, Europeans had been journeying to Asia to
  trade for many years. However, political changes
  had now made their traditional route more
  difficult.
• In 1485, Columbus presented a plan to John II,
  the King of Portugal. He proposed that the trip
  use three ships and one year to sail out into the
  Atlantic Ocean, search for a western route to the
  Orient, and return.

5
Columbus Plans a Trip

• Columbus also requested he be made "Great Admiral
  of the Ocean", appointed governor of any and all
  lands he discovered. He also requested one-tenth
  of all revenue from those lands.
• Initially, Queen Isabella of Spain agrees to
  Columbus proposal. However, she later changes
  her mind when members of her court convince her
  that some of the details of Columbus plan are
  incorrect.

6
Columbus Plans a Trip

• The Queen is not dismissive of Columbus, however.
  She decides to pay him an annual salary and, in
  1489 she signs a letter ordering all cities and
  towns under their domain to provide him food and
  lodging at no cost.
• The Spanish court and the Queen finally agree to
  finance Columbus trip in 1492.

7
Columbus Plans a Trip

• According to the contract that Columbus made with
  Queen Isabella, if Columbus discovered any new
  islands or mainland, he would receive many high
  rewards.
• In terms of power, he would be given the rank of
  Admiral of the Ocean Sea and appointed Governor
  of all the new lands.

8
The First Journey Begins

• On August 3rd, 1492, Columbus and his three ships
  left Spain. On October 12th, he landed on an
  island in what is now called The Bahamas
• In his journal on the same day, Columbus wrote
  that the indigenous people that he encountered
  were peaceful and friendly. He also wrote that
  They ought to make good and skilled servants,
  for they repeat very quickly whatever we say to
  them I could conquer the whole of them with
  fifty men, and govern them as I pleased

9
The First Journey Continues

• As part of this voyage, Columbus also went to
  what is now Cuba and Haiti. Before returning to
  Spain, Columbus also kidnapped some ten to
  twenty-five natives and took them back with him.
  Only seven or eight of the natives arrived in
  Spain alive

10
The Second Journey

• Columbus left Spain on September 24th, 1493 to
  find new territories, with seventeen ships
  carrying supplies, and about twelve hundred men
  to colonize the region. The colonists included
  priests, farmers, and soldiers. This was part of
  a new policy not just "colonies of
  exploitation", but "colonies of settlement"
• On this trip, Columbus travelled to Antigua,
  Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic,
  and Cuba

11
The Third Journey

• Columbus third tip included journeys to Trinidad
  and Venezuela
• Columbus also returned to Hispaniola, an island
  in the Caribbean. Many of the Spanish settlers of
  the new colony were discontented, having been
  misled by Columbus about the supposedly bountiful
  riches of the new world.
• An entry in Columbus journal in September 1498
  reads, "From here one might send as many slaves
  as could be sold..." Since Columbus supported the
  enslavement of the Hispaniola natives for
  economic reasons, he ultimately refused to
  baptize them, as Catholic law forbade the
  enslavement of Christians

12
The Third Journey

• Columbus had some of his crew hanged for
  disobeying him.
• A number of returning settlers and sailors
  lobbied against Columbus at the Spanish court,
  accusing him of gross mismanagement. On his
  return to Spain he was arrested for a period, but
  was later released.

13
Columbus is Arrested
14
The Fourth Journey

• In October 1499, Columbus sends a letter to Spain
  requesting help with his governance of
  Hispaniola. A man named Francisco de Bobadilla
  arrives, but he is given more power than Columbus
  would have liked.
• Shortly after his arrival, Bobadilla hears many
  stories of torture against Columbus.
• Columbus returns to Spain in chains. He is in
  jail for six weeks, but is eventually freed by
  the Spanish Royal family. His wealth was also
  restored, and his fourth journey was financed.

15
The Fourth Journey

• On this trip, Columbus spent two months exploring
  the coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa
  Rica, before arriving in Panama on October 16th,
  1502.
• Columbus ships were damaged in a storm, and he
  was stranded in Jamaica for a year before he was
  able to return to Spain.

16
Columbus Last Years

• Columbus became very religious late in his life,
  and wrote many Catholic books
• Later, he attempted to sue the Spanish crown for
  10 of the profits of trade with America. He was
  unsuccessful.
• On 20 May 1506, at about age 55, Columbus died,
  fairly wealthy from the gold he had accumulated
  in Hispaniola.

17
The Legacy of Columbus

• For much of history, Columbus was seen as the
  man who discovered America. However, in recent
  years, that idea has begun to change.

18
The Legacy of Columbus

• For many years, Christopher Columbus was regarded
  as one of the great heroes of western history. He
  was touted as the New World's pivotal discoverer
  who subsequently brought civilization to its
  backward peoples. Whatever hardships and
  cruelties were inflicted upon the natives was
  generally thought to be insignificant in
  comparison with the benefits of European science
  and religion.

19
The Legacy of Columbus

• Both American and European lives were changed in
  what is sometimes referred to as the Columbian
  Exchange. Europeans became acquainted with corn,
  chocolate, potatoes, tomatoes, and various
  peppers and spices. These imports vastly changed
  the diet in the Old World. Tobacco also began to
  grow in popularity in Europe, since it was more
  common due to importing from America.

20
The Legacy of Columbus

• Life in the Americas was changed by the
  importation of chickens, goats, horses, oxen,
  cattle, donkeys, sheep, coffee, rice, bananas,
  sugarcane, wheat, and barley.