An Italian explorer and navigator, Christopher Columbus is a firm fixture in history books. But why is he famous?
Christopher Columbus was a European explorer in the 15th and 16th centuries who unintentionally landed in the New World (North America and South America), whilst looking for a westward route to China. His expedition is credited with connecting the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) with the New World.
Read on to learn more about his early life, his world-changing voyages, and controversy surrounding his celebration.
Early Life
Though the early life of Christopher Columbus is largely unknown, historians agree that he was born in the Republic of Genoa prior to 31 October, 1451. His father, Domenico, was a wool weaver, but Christopher had a taste for adventure.
He went to sea at a young age and travelled widely on various ships, visiting Northern Europe and settling in Portugal for a brief while, where he married the daughter of a Portugese nobleman.
He was employed as a chartmaker but spent much of his time at sea and traded along the coast of West Africa between 1482 and 1485. It was during this time that Columbus would enhance his knowledge of Portugese navigation and begin to lobby for his proposed expedition.
‘The Man Who Discovered America’
Columbus persisted through a long campaign to obtain funding for his voyage. He began his appeal in 1484, and appeared in front of numerous courts before the Spanish monarchy offered royal support in 1492.
In essence, the aim of his voyage was to discover a western sea route to the Eastern islands, which were considered to be rich lands. The Spanish monarchy hoped that the voyage would enable the lucrative expansion of their trading network, whilst also spreading Christianity.
In a letter that prefaced his first voyage, Columbus wrote, “it was ordained that I should not go by land to the eastward, by which way it was the custom to go, but by way of the west, by which down to this day we do not know certainly that anyone has passed”.
It was on August 3, 1492 that Columbus finally set sail across the Atlantic with three ships, The Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, in a daring voyage across unchartered waters.
On October 14, 1492 land was spotted by the voyagers, that would eventually become known as the Bahamas, and the travellers subsequently would come across the coasts of Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.
Whilst credited widely as ‘the man who discovered America’, that really isn’t the case as idigneous people had been living there for centuries before his arrival. Furthermore, he never actually set foot in North America itself.
He would make three further voyages which National Geographic said would shepherd in “an era of exploration and colonization of North and South America” that would prove devastating to indigenous populations.
Controversy
Though he’s often presented as a hero, and even has a national day in his honor, Columbus’s actions, and their celebration, have caused significant controversy.
Referring to the celebration of Columbus Day Dr. Leo Killsback, as assistant professor of American Indian Studies, told CNN in 2016 “we should question why we as Americans continue to celebrate him without knowing the true history of his legacy, and why a holiday was created in the first place. He never landed in the USA”.
With his arrival Columbus brought disease, violence, and brutality and enslaved native inhabitants, forcing them to work for the sake of profits.
In a log of his first voyage Columbus wrote “these people are very simple in war-like matters” adding “I could conquer the whole of them with 50 men, and govern them as I pleased”.
Whilst Columbus Day remains a federal holiday, many cities and some states have replaced the occasion with Indigenous People’s Day, choosing to instead celebrate the lives of Indigenous People and highlight the atrocities committed by Columbus.
Learn more about ‘The History of Columbus Day’ in the National Geographic’s YouTube video below.