Christopher Columbus Research Papers

Between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, a countless number of European explorers navigated the globe in search of new lands and new treasures. The era, known as The Age of Discovery, gave fame to some of history’s greatest seafarers—Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama, and John Cabot to name but a few. Of all the great explorers, though, none are as celebrated as Christopher Columbus—the man who “discovered” America.

The Making of an Explorer, 1451-92—Beginnings

Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. His origins were very humble—his father was a tavern-keeper and a weaver—and so it was due to hard work and endeavor alone that he would achieve the riches and distinctions of later life. Genoa was a great Italian port,
The choice of departure day was curious, given the widely held superstition at the time that Friday, the day of the Lord’s crucifixion, was an unlucky day (Thomas). Nevertheless, Columbus seemed unperturbed by popular myths and ordered the anchor be raised that Friday morning before dawn. On October 12, ironically also a Friday, the Pintafired a cannon indicating that land had been sighted and in the early hours of the morning Columbus and his crew made landfall on what he quickly named San Salvador. The explorers immediately encountered bands of primitive native inhabitants that Columbus called “Indians,” firmly believing that he had reached the Indies as planned. Columbus’ journal describes the natives as peaceful and simple people who were in awe of their sophisticated and advanced visitors
Upon arrival, he dispatched emissaries north to seek out Genghis Khan or the Emperor of China (Ibid). Columbus remained utterly deluded about his actual destination until the day he died, persistently maintaining that he had reached the