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Aim: How should Columbus be remembered?
Do Now: 1000 years in the future, an archaeologist discovers your journal. Should they judge you based on
your values and morals, or by theirs?
I Who was Christopher Columbus? (1451 – 1506)
A) Born 1451 in Genoa (an Italian city-state). He was a sea captain, explorer, and colonizer.
His name in Italian is Christophero Colombo.
Who was Christopher Columbus? Continued…B) Educated, Columbus knew the world was round. He
wanted to find an alternate (and faster) route to East Asia, as the Ottoman Turks had blocked access to the Silk Road.
C) Columbus proposed his plan to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean to England, Portugal, and Spain. Finally in 1492, Queen
Isabella of Spain agreed to fund his voyage. D) Columbus demanded 10% of any new wealth, to be
knighted, made viceroy (governor) of any new lands, and to be made “Admiral of the Ocean Sea”.
Columbus’s mistake was believing the Earth’s circumference to be
smaller than it is. He also did not know that the Americas existed.
Who was Christopher Columbus? Continued…
Queen Isabella of Castile had married King Ferdinand of Aragon. Their marriage united these two Spanish kingdoms. In 1492 they conquered Granada (in southern Spain),
and began the Inquisition; they drove all non-Catholics out of Spain. Columbus’s voyage was another way to increase the power of a newly unified Spain.
II His JourneyA) Aug 3, 1492, Columbus led an expedition of 3 ships: Nina,
Pinta and the Santa Maria (captained by Columbus).B) Oct 11, 1492 he spotted islands in the Caribbean. He
landed on an island in the Bahamas. Columbus named it San Salvador.
D) Columbus was met by the native Taino.
Some historians dispute which island he landed on. We do know
he stayed there for 5 days, and then sailed on to Cuba.
Columbus Map of the Known World, 1490
His Journey Continued…"Many of the men I have seen have scars on their bodies… I believe that people from the mainland come here to take them as slaves. They ought to make good and skilled servants, for they repeat very quickly whatever we say to them. I think they can very easily be made Christians, for they seem to have no religion. If it pleases our Lord, I will take six of them to
Your Highnesses when I depart, in order that they may learn our language."
1. How did Columbus describe the natives?2. Do you think that his description of the natives is
historically accurate? Why or why not?
His Journey Continued…E) Columbus explored Cuba & Hispaniola before sailing back to Europe. He had to leave 39 men behind on the island of Hispaniola when the Santa Maria ran into a reef and sank on Christmas Eve.F) Columbus arrived back in Spain in the Nina on March 15, 1493. G) Columbus returned to the New World 3 more times. It wasn’t
until his 3rd voyage that he reached South America (modern Venezuela). He died, convinced he had reached East Asia.
In 1502, after his 3rd voyage, Columbus was charged with poor administration, including
the use of torture against the natives. He was taken to Spain in chains, but was never
convicted. However, he was stripped of his title of governor of New Spain.
VI Consequences of ColumbusPOSITIVES
New food crops such as potatoes and corn led to a vast global exchange of goods. (Columbian Exchange)
Millions of Europeans settled in New World colonies, escaping religious persecution or seeking a better life.
NEGATIVES Due to the spread of
European diseases, millions of natives died. This led to the importation of millions of African slaves.
Mercantilism became the new economic policy of European monarchs; where colonies exist for the benefit of the mother country.
Summary Questions1. Where did Columbus want to voyage to and why? How was he able to finance his
trip?2. Describe at least 2 positive and 2 negative consequences of Columbus’ voyages in
your own words.3. How do you feel Columbus should be remembered? *Write at least a paragraph.
Bonus Question: “…scholars have claimed there is compelling evidence that suggests Christopher Columbus was secretly Jewish and that he hid his true faith to survive the Spanish Inquisition… historians believe the real motive behind his historic quest was to find a new homeland for Jews who were persecuted and run out of Spain. As well as his legendary status as an explorer, Columbus has been described as a deeply religious man who was committed to the cause of liberating Jerusalem from the Muslims. Jews were the target of a brutal and systematic ethnic cleansing during the lifetime of Columbus. As part of fanatical, religious persecution it was proclaimed by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in March 1492 that all Jews should be expelled from Spain. This move was particularly aimed at the 800,000 Jews who refused to convert to Catholicism and were given just four months to leave the country… scholars have claimed there is compelling evidence that suggests Christopher Columbus was secretly Jewish and that he hid his true faith to survive the Spanish Inquisition…” If Columbus was secretly Jewish, would that change his role in history? Why or why not?
Key VocabularyChristopher ColumbusColumbian ExchangeHispaniolaKing FerdinandMercantilismQueen IsabellaSan SalvadorTaino Viceroy
