Christopher Columbus Research Paper

443 Words2 Pages
Vanshika Poddar Professor Samuel Hutchison History 1301 11 September 2015 Voyage of Columbus Who was Christopher Columbus? How did he carry out his voyages? Was he a hero or a villain? Let me answer these questions. Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer or voyager who was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. He is known to have discovered America, although there were many people already living there. But there is more to know than just this. Christopher Columbus started as sailor at a very young age of nineteen, although his goals were bigger. He knew the earth was round but he underestimated its size. His main goal was to find gold and to set up a trade with Asia. Along with that he wanted to convert Asians to Christianity. He was sponsored for the same reason by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain in 1492 for his first voyage with three ships. In return for bringing back gold and spices, they promised Columbus…show more content…
Because of his small world theory, he thought he landed in India. He started trade with the native people, the Arawak Indians, living there but he didn’t find the necessary riches he had hoped for. Although he bought back cotton, tobacco, pepper, and many Arawak Indians as prisoners, the king and queen wanted more gold. So Columbus set out on his 2nd voyage with 17 ships. He reached Hispaniola, and discovered that the men he had left there were dead. Columbus started a slave trade. He brutally captured many Indians and ordered them to find gold. He unleased terror on them. Those who failed to find gold were beheaded, murdered, or hunted down by dogs. 50,000 natives of Hispaniola died this way. Columbus made many enemies in the colony as well as in Europe. In 1496, he sailed back to defend his actions and was allowed to sail back in 1498. But after learning his actions later he was arrested and sent back to Spain and was no longer in charge of the ‘new

More about Christopher Columbus Research Paper

Open Document