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Government & Law | History | The Discovery of America
The Discovery of America
The Landing of Christopher
Columbus 1492 -
The Discovery of America
Everyone recognizes that many people were in America long before Columbus. The Asiatic peoples who
became Native Americans
were certainly the first, tens of thousands of years ago. Also Norse
expeditions to North America, starting with Bjarni Herjolfsson in 986,
are well established historically. Many other pre-Columbian
discoveries are not well established: claims have been made for St.
Brendan, Basque fishermen, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and even
Carthaginians. Some of these claims may be true; most are probably
not.
In spite of this, Columbus's discovery (or re-discovery, if you prefer) is rightly regarded as the most
historically important, and will continue to be. That is because,
unlike the others, Columbus inaugurated permanent large-scale two-way
commerce between the Old World and the New. Previous discoveries were
so little known that even the best educated Europeans were unaware of
the existence of America prior to Columbus. The "Admiral of the
Ocean Sea," unlike any of his predecessors, changed the world.
For additional information visit
Columbus and the Age of Discovery.
The Columbus Navigation Homepage and
Christophorus Columbus (Cristbal Coln)
Christopher Columbus - Discoverer
Christopher Columbus was born in 1451, northwest of the island, 200km from Ajaccio.
He was the oldest of five children. As a child, he helped his father as
a weaver. He always liked the sea. Genoa was an important seaport. There
is no doubt that as a child he caught rides on ships. He had little
schooling but was a genius with the sea. His plan was not to prove that
the world was flat, but it was to find a shortcut to the Spice Islands.
He wanted to establish a city there for trade, seaports, and much more.
When he grew into a man he was interested in sailing to Asia by going
west. First he went to the king of Italy and presented his idea before
him. Italy wasn't looking for a way to Asia, they were still receiving
riches from their old trade routes. His three ships were the Santa
Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta.
Important Facts About Christopher Columbus:
- In 1492, he left Spain for his first voyage. He landed in San Salvador at
Cap-Haitien and returned home to Palos, Spain, in 1493.
- In 1493, he left Spain for his second voyage. He landed on Marie-Galante, then
went again in Cap-Haitien, St. Ann's Bay, and returned to Cadiz, Spain, in 1496.
- In 1498, he left Spain for his third voyage. He landed in Santo Domingo, and returned
home again to Cadiz, Spain in 1500.
- In 1502, he left Spain for his fourth and final voyage. He landed on the Bay Islands
off of Central America, Portobelo, and then returned home to Sanlucar, Spain, for the
final time.
- He later died in 1506.
Man and Myth
After five centuries, Columbus remains a mysterious and controversial figure
who has been variously described as one of the greatest mariners in
history, a visionary genius, a mystic, a national hero, a failed
administrator, a naive entrepreneur, and a ruthless and greedy
imperialist.
Columbus's enterprise to find a westward route to Asia grew out of the practical
experience of a long and varied maritime career, as well as out of his
considerable reading in geographical and theological literature. He
settled for a time in Portugal, where he tried unsuccessfully to enlist
support for his project, before moving to Spain. After many
difficulties, through a combination of good luck and persuasiveness, he
gained the support of the Catholic monarchs, Isabel and Fernando.
The widely published report of his voyage of 1492 made Columbus famous
throughout Europe and secured for him the title of Admiral of the Ocean
Sea and further royal patronage. Columbus, who never abandoned the
belief that he had reached Asia, led three more expeditions to the
Caribbean. But intrigue and his own administrative failings brought
disappointment and political obscurity to his final years.
In Search and Defense of Privileges
Queen Isabel and King Fernando had agreed to Columbus's lavish demands if he
succeeded on his first voyage: he would be knighted, appointed Admiral
of the Ocean Sea, made the viceroy of any new lands, and awarded ten
percent of any new wealth. By 1502, however, Columbus had every reason
to fear for the security of his position. He had been charged with
maladministration in the Indies.
The Library's vellum copy of the Book of Privileges is one of four that
Columbus commissioned to record his agreements with the Spanish crown.
It is unique in preserving an unofficial transcription of a Papal Bull
of September 26, 1493 in which Pope Alexander VI extended Spain's rights
to the New World.
Much concerned with social status, Columbus was granted a coat of arms in
1493. By 1502, he had added several new elements, such as an emerging
continent next to islands and five golden anchors to represent the
office of the Admiral of the Sea.
As a reward for his successful voyage of discovery, the Spanish sovereigns
granted Columbus the right to bear arms. According to the blazon
specified in letters patent dated May 20, 1493, Columbus was to bear in
the first and the second quarters the royal charges of Castile and Leon
-- the castle and the lion -- but with different tinctures or colors. In
the third quarter would be islands in a wavy sea, and in the fourth, the
customary arms of his family.
The earliest graphic representation of Columbus's arms is found in his Book
of Privileges and shows the significant modifications Columbus ordered
by his own authority. In addition to the royal charges that were
authorized in the top quarters, Columbus adopted the royal colors as
well, added a continent among the islands in the third quarter, and for
the fourth quarter borrowed five anchors in fess from the blazon of the
Admiral of Castille. Columbus's bold usurpation of the royal arms, as
well as his choice of additional symbols, help to define his personality
and his sense of the significance of his service to the Spanish
monarchs.
The Book of Privileges is a collection of agreements between Columbus and
the crowns of Spain prepared in Seville in 1502 before his 4th final
voyage. The compilation of documents includes the 1497 confirmation of
the rights to titles and profits granted to the Admiral by the 1492
contract of Santa Fe and augmented in 1493 and 1494, as well as routine
instructions and authorizations related to his third voyage. We know
that four copies of his Book of Privileges existed in 1502, three
written on vellum and one on paper.
All three vellum copies have thirty-six documents in common, including the
Papal Bull inter caetera of May 4, 1493, defining the line of
demarcation of future Spanish and Portuguese explorations, and
specifically acknowledging Columbus's contributions. The bull is the
first document on vellum in the Library's copy and the thirty-sixth
document in the Genoa and the Paris codices. The Library copy does not
have the elaborate rubricated title page, the vividly colored Columbus
coat of arms, or the authenticating notarial signatures contained in the
other copies. The Library's copy, however, does have a unique
transcription of the Papal Bull Dudum siquidem of September 26,
1493, extending the Spanish donation. The bull is folded and addressed
to the Spanish sovereigns.
Isabella I of Spain
Would you believe there's a U.S. quarter with
a Spanish queen's portrait? It's true. This commemorative coin was
minted in 1893. Can you name the famous queen?
Hint: In 1492, she helped three ships sail
the ocean blue.
The famous queen is Isabella I of Spain. She
and her husband, King Ferdinand, gave Christopher Columbus the money
he needed for his 1492 voyage to the New World. On October 12th, his
Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria landed in what is now the Bahamas.
Why does Queen Isabella appear on a U.S.
quarter minted in 1893? That year, Chicago hosted a world's fair
celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus' voyage. More than 27.5
million people came to this six-month event. For souvenirs, the fair's
Board of Lady Managers asked for and got this first U.S. commemorative
quarter. (The U.S. Mint also made the first commemorative half dollar
and dollar for the fair.) A little over 24,000 of the Isabella
Quarters were made, each selling for a dollar.
What other firsts marked the World's Columbian Exposition? The first Ferris
wheel was built for the fair, and it was there that Americans saw their
first picture postcards and boxes of Cracker Jacks(R)!
Queen Isabella I of Spain, shown on the
obverse, is the only foreign ruler to
appear on a U.S. coin. |
The coin's reverse, a female kneeling next
to a spindle, is an emblem for women and
their work. |
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