The Three Voyages of Columbus

Morgan Coulson
In this paper I seek to analyze which of Christopher Columbus three voyages was
the most successful. I argue that Columbus first voyage was the most successful because
of his discovery of the Americas. Although all three of his voyages left him with some
benefits, I believe those in which he accomplished within the first voyage were the most
beneficial. He explored many new areas of land and looked for many new things, which I
think no other explorer would have done for years. There were also many obstacles he
faced within 1492-1498, which are the years in which his voyages took place. He
struggled to find people and money to fund the trips to the Americas, with his crew and
ships, and also with the people who had already established life in the Americas. Even
with these hardships, he seemed to overcome them and flourish as an explorer in his age.
I believe taking three voyages was risky considering the trouble he went through to travel
to the Americas, but I also think taking the three allowed him to discover more than he
would have with only one trip. I will prove this by examining the events leading to the
first voyage, the relationship he built with the people on the second voyage, and
Columbus arrest during his third voyage.
First I seek to discuss the events of and leading up to Columbus first of three
voyages. The route to Asia from Europe was nearly impossible, it was long, difficult, and
the armies were often hostile and very hard to avoid. Portuguese explorers like Vasco De
Gama and Bartholomew Dias thought they had solved the problem by sailing south along
the African coast and around the southern tip of Africa named the Cape of Good Hope.
Columbus thought he had a better solution to finding a route to Asia, why not sail west
across the Atlantic, instead of going around Africa? He thought the journey was not only

going to be possible but also easy. There were only a few issues he ran into during the
preparation for his voyage to what he thought was going to be Asia. He could not find
anyone to fund the trip until he went to the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and
Isabella of Castile, who as well as Columbus wanted fame and fortune. On August 3,
1492 Columbus and crew took 3 ships; the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and set
sail from Spain. As it says on britannica.com, Columbus allayed their fears, at least
temporarily, and on October 12 land was sighted from the Pinta. The place of the first
Caribbean landfall, called Guanahani, is holy disputed, but San Salvador Island in the
Bahamas is generally preferred to other Bahamian islands or to the Turks and Caicos
Islands After this first voyage many claimed this his most successful due to the
discovery of the new land.
Next I seek to explain the relationship Columbus built with the natives upon his
second voyage to the Americas. Following the first voyage britannica.com states,
Columbus was now at the height of his popularity, and he lead at least 17 ships from
Cadiz on September 25, 1493. The first stop on this voyage was a rugged island that
Columbus later named Dominica, along with finding and naming the islands of Saint
Martin, Saint Croix, and the Virgin Islands. On November 19, 1493, he landed on the
island of San Juan Bautista, present day Puerto Rico, where he rescued two men who had
been castrated by their own men. Then came the harsh reality of dealing with the natives.
His crew and him had returned to Hispaniola, where he had found his men in a brutal
dispute with the people already living there. He then attempted to establish another
settlement at La Isabela, which was on the north coast, but this was short-lived due to its
poor location and conditions. After exploring more land including Cuba, Jamaica,

present-day Haiti, and possibly China, he returned to Spain. Before his return though, he
did something nobody expected, Columbus proposed to enslave the Americans. The
throne did not approve it but he disobeyed and kidnapped around 1,200 people to become
slaves, although the majority of them did not make it on the journey back home. In the
end Columbus did nothing but anger and disobey the throne and natives of Americas on
his second voyage.
Lastly I would like to investigate the arrest of Columbus during the third voyage
to the Americas. August 19, 1498 Columbus, who was now the governor of the Indies,
returned to Hispaniola to find the settlers once again discontent about the so called
bountiful riches of the new world as said on biography.com. The hardships with dealing
with the crew and natives angry about the living conditions led to harsh outcomes such as
the castration and killing of some of the people. During his term of Governor, he was
mentally and physically exhausted and he was becoming more and more ill; this led to
him asking for help in governing the Indies. Francisco de Bobadilla was appointed but his
authority went way ahead of what Columbus had requested and or wanted which led to
more turmoil. Upon Columbus return, the testimonies of 23 people who admitted to the
atrocities of Columbus ruling were founded and put into place. Columbus was arrested in
1500, there were many that lobbied against his mismanagement. Bobadilla arrived on
August 23, and shipped him and his brothers home, where they were jailed for over six
weeks before Ferdinand released them. They confessed everything and plead with the
royal couple, leading to the restoration of their freedom, wealth, and permission to
voyage once more to the Americas. This seems like a good thing yet, he lost all of his
respect, titles, and his governorship.

Following my research on the three voyages of Columbus; I believe I am correct

in arguing the first voyage of Columbus was the most successful. In finding the Americas
he sparked influence in many other young and upcoming explorers of the time to go out
and discover new things as Columbus did. Many people argue that Columbus discoveries
were not very great, considering at some other point someone would have stumbled upon
the Americas. I can make a connection to God and his teachings and ways within the
thoughts of those people. Teachings say that God has a plan for everyone. Going along
with these lessons I believe there were reasons Columbus had founded the Americas,
gone through all the troubles, all the lives were lost, and the outcome of Columbus
journey. This leaves you with something to think about, even at the most drastic and
diminishing happenings of the voyages, would God really have planned for this to
happen? Why would God have something so horrible happen to someone who discovered
something so great as the Americas?