Christopher Columbus First Voyage To America

Over the years many historians have recorded findings of various places such as the Americas, but the first known European recording belonged to Christopher Columbus an Italian-European explorer who sailed the ocean blue in 1492. “Journey of the First Voyage to America” is an explorative narrative by Christopher Columbus about his journey to the west and reports on what he had discovered to the Spanish Royals. In 1492, Columbus attempted to reach India by sailing through the Atlantic Ocean as opposed to crossing Eastern Europe and Southwestern Asia to reach his destination. He ended up on the island of San Salvador and made it up the Caribbean to reach North America. Christopher Columbus’s letter to the Spanish crown about his travels to the
For instance, Columbus is speaking about an island nearby called Coba (Cuba), “... I shall examine on the passage, and according as I find gold or spices in abundance, I shall determine what to do…” (Columbus 64). He was looking for materials on the islands such as spices and gold to take back to the king and continue his journey. Columbus had a goal and he had to achieve it and if he did not reach it, then no profitable noble would just give him and the crew money to explore an unsettled territory with unknown inhabitants and uncertain resources. In addition, the historical context or time frame of the document is the 1490s and Columbus was attempting to get to India by going through the Atlantic Ocean. His letter was created in October 21st, 1492 which means that his journey to the Americas occurred during the Age of Exploration. To illustrate, Columbus records the day of his arrival in San Salvador, “Sunday, Oct. 21st [1492]. At 10 o’clock, we arrived at a cape of the island, and anchored, the other other vessels in company” (Columbus 62). Since it is the Age of Exploration, the wonders of seeing something and someone entirely new can be overwhelming to anyone, especially if their continent has been ignorant to the outside world for a long period of time, so some
Therefore, the given document of the first voyage to America, is undependable due to who the document was meant for, and was created to gain more sources of income. Lastly, many readers can understand why earlier documents of exploration were described as paradise or placed on a high pedestal despite other factors that disprove it