CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: THE NEW WORLD

Christopher Columbus was born on 1451, in Genoa, Italy. Christopher Columbus is the man who took a lot of risk traveling beyond the known world with a small voyage of only 3 small ships. He gained permission from the Spain government to try to find a route to Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. Because of this bravery and passion, he is often remembered as a hero to many of us.

He went on to sailing across the Atlantic Ocean for 10 weeks, land was sighted by a sailor called Rodrigo Bernajo. Columbus himself took the credit for this sighting. He landed on a small island in the Bahamas which Columbus named San Salvador. He claimed the island for the king and queen of Spain. The people living on the islands that Columbus went to were called the Arawaks and the Caribs. Although the Arawaks were peaceful people, the Caribs were more war-like. Columbus called all the people he met in the islands Indians because he was sure that he had reached the Indies. When Columbus reached Cuba, he thought it was the mainland of Japan. As soon of other sailors heard of Columbus’ title, their confidence hardened towards traveling beyond their limits.

Columbus also made three more journeys across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean. He was sure that he had found Cipangu, Japan but he was still looking for India and the wealthy cities that he believed were nearby. The king and queen of Spain were anxious to spread Christianity to the lands that Columbus had visited. Because of his patience of hope, he revealed more and more of the new world to Europeans.

Columbus died in 1506 still believing that he had found a new route to the East Indies. Although on his fourth voyage he landed on the South American mainland, he never did set foot on the mainland of North America. Christopher Columbus had the largest impact onto us today. Even though he brought many diseases, deaths, destruction, and ended the tiny fiber of our pride, he opened our eyes and brought us many opportunities. Because of all this, he is considered the “Person of the Year”.