Christopher Columbus's Voyages (jan 1, 1492 – jul 26, 1502)
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Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502. He wanted to find a way to get from Spain to Asia, but he never did. By accident, he came across the Americas. While many people say that Columbus discovered the Americas, he actually didn’t because millions were already living there. Even though technically he did not discover the New World, his journey marked the beginning of centuries of explorations across the Atlantic. Portuguese explorers had sailed south along the West African coast and around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid hostile armies, but Columbus thought of a different idea. What if he could sail west across the Atlantic instead of going all the way around the huge continent of Africa? His reasoning was correct, but his math was incorrect. He misjudged the circumference of the Earth, which landed him in the Americas. While Columbus did not really discover the New World, nor was he even the first explorer to set foot in the Americas (there had been vikings who had reached the Americas before Columbus,) he has a legacy and is remembered as the brave and groundbreaking explorer who transformed the New World. But, he also brought many Europeans over to the Americas, which later led to the abusement of the Native Americans. Sure, his discovery was a great success for Europe, but for the Indians, it only brought disease, death, and pain. Without this voyage, the Americas could have been discovered later and maybe the Native Americans would still be thriving today.
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1450-1750 Project
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