Columbus first voyage, 1493 - Essay Example

Columbus Reports On His First Voyage, 1493 Summary The paper analyses literature on Columbus first voyage in 1493. It outlines accounts of the first voyage, encounters and experiences. Based on literature reviewed, Columbus’ first voyage was important in initiating development. Most authors consider Christopher Columbus’ first voyage in 1493 as an influential historical event in promoting development in American. Authors present accounts of his discovery of the Islands and subsequent commencement of trade through discovery of trade routes. Bibliography assignment Primary source Columbus, Christopher. Epistola Christofori Colom ...de insulis Indie supra Gangem. Admiral of the Ocean Fleet. Print. The letter to the Lord Gabrriel Sanchis from Columbus first voyage provides a comprehensive account of the discovery. The letter is an important source of information on Columbus’ first voyage in 1492. It provides information about the various islands discovered during the first voyage and their massive wealth. The letter also outlines Columbus’ request for funding to undertake further discovery on the Indies. Secondary sources Ayers, Edward. American Passages: A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. The book provides an account of the routes followed by Columbus during his first voyage. It provides information on the encounters that Columbus and his colleagues had during the voyage. In October 12, 1942, the voyage reached America. The book has a copy of Columbus’ diary during the voyage. It, therefore, is useful for the research on the first journey that marked the beginning of discoveries. Berne, Emma. Christopher Columbus: The Voyage That Changed the World. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008. Print. The book is relevant to the main document. It explains the discovery during Columbus’ first voyage and the extent to which it changed the world by initiating other discoveries. The book further illustrates the importance of the voyage in initiating trade. The discoveries and trade activities transformed the world. Berne explains the various challenges encountered by Columbus during the journey. Brigham, Kay. Christopher Columbus: His Life and Discovery in the Light of His Prophecies. Barcelona, Spain: Editorial Clie, 1990. Print. The book provides vital information on the first journey of Columbus and their discovery of the islands. Columbus and his voyage set to discover gold in October 12, 1492. During his first voyage, he established the first settlement in the present day Hispaniola. Their exploration of a new land was successful. It is relevant to the main document by emphasizing the importance of the discovery in enhancing trade and economic progress. Columbus, Christopher and Felipe, Fernandez-Armesto. Columbus on Himself. London: Folio Society, 1992. Print. The source is important because it provides information on Columbus’ discovery of the islands. It reveals the victory of Columbus that is relevant to the main source. The letter further provides an account of Columbus’ pledge for resources and funding to continue with the exploration. McNeese, Tim, and William H. Goetzmann. Christopher Columbus: And the Discovery of the Americas. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2006. Print. The book by McNeese explains the first discovery of the book is important in the research on Columbus’ first voyage. It outlines the intensions of the journey to reach Asia. McNeese gives an account of the discovery if West Indies and challenges encountered during the voyage. Essay describing the historical event Columbus Reports On His First Voyage, 1493 Christopher Columbus was a navigator and explorer whose mission was to explore to the Indies. During his exploration, Columbus sailed to different locations including the west across the Atlantic Ocean. He had difficulty obtaining support for his plan because European thought the Earth was flat. Columbus’ first journey and discovery was a remarkable event in world history because of its extensive importance. Columbus discovery of the Indies expanded knowledge of the sea and trade routes. His discovery of the wealth in Indies initiated success for most European countries such as Spain in trade and other commercial activities. In addition, Columbus’ discovery motivated other explorers to embark on other voyages that marked the Era of Discovery. New opportunities of commerce were developed for European. Based on reports about Columbus first voyage in 1493, the mission initiated several discoveries and trade among European nations. In his letter, Columbus notified Lord Gabriel Sanchis of his discovery of the islands of India. He expressed the pleasure of having successfully completed the mission to discover the great islands of the sea. His discovery was a plausible step towards opening up avenues of trade. In the Indiana Sea, Columbus discovered islands inhabited by a great population. Columbus named the various islands discovered in the Indiana Sea. These included the islands of Fernandina, Isabella, Juana and Santa Maria. Juana was an extensive island and, therefore, named the province of Cathay. Another island discovered by Columbus was Hispana (Columbus 2). Hispana was an island with fertile soils that rendered it valuable for exploration of wealth. In addition, Hispana had valuable gold and metals including iron. Columbus requested for ships from Lord Gabriel Sanchis to engage in further discovery in the sea and explore the full potential of the benefits of trading in the valuable minerals. His request for funding initiated the era of discovery that culminated to trade among European countries. It was victory to the world to discover the islands and their economic potential for trade. Columbus sent a letter to Luis De Santangel to express the victory achieved during the first voyage that explored the Indies. In the letter, Columbus illustrated the discovery of extensive islands, one of which he named San Salvador (Columbus and Felipe 104). Letter to Luis De Santangel was among the great leaders who advanced the contribution to support the voyage mission. Columbus, through the letter, intended to negotiate for funding to undertake other voyages. Addressing Luis De Santangel was a strategy by Columbus to prompt the need to enhance trade. He shared the discovery of valuable minerals that demanded further exploration. This increased efforts to engage in trade and demarcation of boundaries. Columbus noted the fertile lands of Juana to warrant extensive discovery. Essentially, the letter represented expression of interest to engage in trade. It, therefore, is useful for the research on the first journey that marked the beginning of discoveries (Ayers 20). According to Berne, Columbus was discovered a new continent that he named Otro Mundo, meaning “another world” (Berne 102). The discovery affirmed his conviction that he was nearing the coast of Indies. Columbus’ discovery initiated Vasco de Gama to embark on similar missions. Vasco de Gama had sailed south the Horn of Africa and had reached the shores of India (Berne 103). Columbus explored an extensive land mass in the Indies. He claimed to discover the Garden of Eden. In his journey, some of the colonists rebelled against the leadership of the Columbus. In his first voyage, Columbus embarked on a pursuit of search for a western strait on the Indies (Berne 110). Columbus experiences a series of problems as he navigates across Atlantic. On his return to Spain, he spends his final years working on a book of privileges. Other explorers followed his westward routes and found the civilization that existed there. During Columbus’ first journey, he realized that the slavery situation in Isabela was critical (Berne 98). Slavery spread as an attempt to please the monarchs by sending workers for sale at markets in Seville. Columbus set on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean from the Iberian Peninsula to the Far East, Focusing on achieving his mission of reaching Asia. The voyage occurred during an annual autumn migration from the eastern parts of Canada and the United States to the West Indies in the Caribbean. Columbus changed to the direction of the birds instead of his original path. His crews hoped to find land soon. Columbus set rewards for the first person to get sight of land. According to Columbus in his journal, he encouraged the entire crew operating the voyage to focus and accomplish the mission. Among the members in support of the mission include Martin Pinzon (McNeese 87). The mission, however, was challenging because of the opposition. The crewmembers of the voyage accepted an extraordinary offer from Columbus to proceed with their discovery mission. Finally, they successfully accomplished the mission of discovery into the western wasters. Columbus and his voyage set to discover gold in October 12, 1492. During his first voyage he established the first settlement in the present day Hispaniola. Their exploration of a new land was successful. Columbus and the voyage reached the island of Guanahani. The riches found on the islands during the first voyage were massive. Besides the riches, Columbus described the beauty of the islands. He describes the people as united and hardworking. His exploration of present day Cuba was a particularly influential in initiating discovery in the subsequent voyages (Brigham 29). Columbus wrote about his first voyage and motivated other explorers to engage in trade and other economic developments. Although he expressed skepticism over the distance that they were to cover, Christopher took used the opportunity of favorable current and trade winds. In august 1492, the voyage sailed west from the Canaries. The voyage reached the Bahamas in October 1492 (Ayers 13). Columbus sailed south of Cuba to the Hispaniola before locating East Indies. They further located the Spanish Santa Maria during the first voyage. Columbus voyage is important in the history of development of America. It initiated trade through discovery of valuable minerals in the Indies. Natives already have an exchange in items since the discovery. Trade also prompted social aspects through interactions. The Spanish language evolved adding many new words from the new world, and today it is the second most spoken language in the world. The frontiers of Spain expanded increasing opportunities for commerce. Works Cited Ayers, Edward L. American Passages: A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Berne, Emma. Christopher Columbus: The Voyage That Changed the World. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008. Print. Brigham, Kay. Christopher Columbus: His Life and Discovery in the Light of His Prophecies. Barcelona, Spain: Editorial Clie, 1990. Print. Columbus, Christopher and Felipe, Fernandez-Armesto. Columbus on Himself. London: Folio Society, 1992. Print. Columbus, Christopher. Epistola Christofori Colom ...de insulis Indie supra Gangem. Admiral of the Ocean Fleet. Print. McNeese, Tim, and William H. Goetzmann. Christopher Columbus: And the Discovery of the Americas. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2006. Print. Read More