AoW #4

Name ________________________________________________
ELA

Date_____________
Period ___________

The Explorers: Christopher

Columbus
Synopsis: Explorer and navigator Christopher
Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of
Genoa, Italy. In 1492, Columbus left Spain in
the Santa Maria with two other ships, the Nia
and the Pinta. He is known for opening up North
and South America to European colonization.
Early Voyages: Explorer and navigator
Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of
Genoa, Italy. He was the grandson of a weaver.
Columbus had his first experience at sea as a
teenager in the Mediterranean and Aegean
seas.
His voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 nearly killed Columbus. The ship he was on
was attacked by private French sailors off the coast of Portugal. Columbus swam to the
Portuguese shore.
Later sailed on expeditions to Africa. There, he learned about the Atlantic Ocean
currents that flowed east and west from the Canary Islands. Muslims controlled the
trade routes through the Middle East. This made travel to India and China difficult for
Europeans. Columbus believed a route sailing west across the Atlantic would be quicker
and safer. Experts disagreed with Columbus' math, which estimated that China was
closer than it actually was.
First Voyage To The New World: Columbus needed money to make a three-ship
voyage of discovery. Spanish monarchs Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon
became interested in helping in 1486. However, they did not have the money to give
him. Their money was being spent on a war with the Muslims.
Soon after the Spanish army won the war in Granada in January of 1492, the monarchs
agreed to pay for his expedition. In August of 1492, Columbus left Spain on a ship
named the Santa Maria, alongside the Pinta and the Nia.

AoW #4
Name ________________________________________________
ELA

Date_____________
Period ___________

Columbus and his men sailed to the islands Cuba and Hispaniola. Today Hispaniola
holds Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Santa Maria crashed off the coast of
Hispaniola. With the help of some islanders, Columbus' men built a settlement called
Villa de la Navidad. They used wood from the wreck. Convinced he had reached Asia,
Columbus sailed home with the two remaining ships. Thirty-nine of Columbus' men
stayed behind.
Later Voyages: Columbus returned to Spain in 1493 and told the king he could bring
him great riches. He was not entirely honest with the king. When he went back to
Hispaniola, he found the Navidad settlement had been destroyed and all the sailors had
been killed. Columbus forced the natives into slavery, making them rebuild the
settlement and search for gold. Little gold was found and the natives hated him.
Columbus returned to Spain, leaving his two brothers in charge.
On his third voyage, Columbus finally reached the mainland of South America. When he
returned to Hispaniola the settlers were angry. The gold had not appeared. They did not
like Columbus' brothers. The Spanish Crown sent a royal official to arrest Columbus and
take him back to Spain.
Columbus convinced King Ferdinand to pay for one more voyage in 1502. A storm
wrecked one of his ships, stranding the captain and his sailors in Cuba. The local
islanders refused to give them food. Columbus came up with a plan to trick them. His
almanac predicted a lunar eclipse soon. He told the islanders that he would "take away
the moon." In a lunar eclipse, it looks like the moon goes missing. The shadow of the
Earth blocks the light of the sun. When the eclipse happened, the natives were scared.
They did what Columbus said. He returned to Spain in 1504.
Mixed Legacy: Columbus died May 20, 1506, still believing he had discovered a
shorter route to Asia.
He has been credited for helping Europeans colonize the Americas. He has also been
blamed for killing many native peoples. He failed to find a new route to Asia, but he
began an exchange of people, plants, animals, and cultures.
Columbus and his men also brought deadly diseases to Native Americans. Smallpox
killed millions of them. Their colorful and rich civilizations were lost.
Recent Discoveries: In May 2014, archaeologists said they may have found the Santa
Maria off the north coast of Haiti. Barry Clifford, the leader of this possible discovery,
told a newspaper that all they saw made it seem like the "wreck is Columbus' famous
flagship the Santa Maria."