Christopher Columbus made four voyages to the Americas between 1492 and 1504. While he was not the first European to reach the Americas, as Vikings had visited centuries earlier, his voyages opened the way for European colonization. The Columbian Exchange that resulted had major impacts, including the transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old World and the Americas. Columbus faced controversies over his governance in the Americas and treatment of indigenous people, and died in 1506 in Spain.

1. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS:
NOT THE FOUNDER OF AMERICA
By: Lauren Robinson
HIST-231

2. Thesis
◦ As we grow up we are taught the infamous quote that almost anyone
could recite which is “Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492.”
While that is true, what isn’t is that Christopher Columbus wasn’t the
first person to discover America. I plan to explore this very
controversy within my PowerPoint, along with some background
history of Christopher Columbus, his accomplishments, and the
Columbian Exchange.

3. What is the Columbian
Exchange?
◦ The Columbian Exchange, named for
Christopher Columbus, was the widespread
transfer of plants, animals, culture, human
populations, technology, diseases, and the
ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and
the Old Word in the 15th and 16th centuries.
This idea also relates tot eh European
colonization and trade following the
Columbus’s first voyage. The most significant
and immediate impact of this Exchange was
the cultural exchanges and transfer of people,
free and enslaved, between the continents.

4. Who was Christopher
Columbus?
◦ He was an Italian explorer, navigator, and colonist.
Christopher completed four voyages in his lifetime, in
which opened the way for European exploration,
exploitation, and colonization of the Americas. Though he
has been called the “discoverer” of the New World, there
have been others, such as Viking Leif Eriksson, who visited
North America almost five centuries before Columbus’
voyages.

5. Early Life
◦ Born before October 31st 1451 in Genoa,
Italy.
◦ His mother was Susanna Fontanarossa and
father was Domenico Colombo.
Domenico was a middle-class wool
weaver, and owner of a cheese stand in
which Christopher would help at.
◦ He had four brothers, Bartolomeo,
Giovanni, Pellegrino, and Giacomo.

6. Education/Work
◦ Columbus completed his formal education at an early age.
◦ Upon completing, he began sailing on trading trips
◦ In 1476, Columbus traveled to Portugal with his brother,
Bartholomew, and set up a mapmaking business.
Bartholomew Columbus

7. His Family
◦ In 1479, Columbus married Felipa
Perestrello e Monis. She was the daughter
of a wealthy Portuguese family. They had
one son together, Diego. About six years
after they were married, his wife died.
◦ One year later, in 1486, Columbus married
Dona Beatriz Enriquez de Arana. They
had one son together, Fernando.
Felipa Perestrello e Monis

8. Santa Maria
◦ The largest of the ships but was also the slowest.
◦ It was built in Pontevedra, Galicia
◦ Was referred to as “La Gallega” which meant “the
Galician”
◦ This ship was classified as a carrack.
◦ The hewn timbers from this ship were used to build a fort
known as “La Navidad,” because the wreck of this ship had
occurred on Christmas Day.

9. Pinta
◦ Second largest ship.
◦ “Pinta” meant “Painted One”
◦ Was a caravel; smaller ship, about 20 meters in
length and 7 meters in width. Crewed about
25 sailors.
◦ Captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón on the
first trip. He was also part owner of the Pinta
and Niña.

10. Niña
◦ Smallest of three ships.
◦ Originally named the Santa Clara but was nicknamed the
“Niña.”
◦ Classified as a caravel and was about 45 feet long and
crewed about 25 sailors.
◦ Was captained by Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, the brother of the
Pinta captain.

11. 1st Voyage
◦ On August 3, 1492, Columbus departed from Carolina.
◦ Three days into their journey, August 6, 1492, the Pinta
broke.
◦ Objective for this voyage was to find a shorter route to
India and the East.
◦ Took three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
◦ On October 12, 1492 land was sighted by a sailor named
Rodrigo de Triana.
◦ Columbus called this island “San Salvador” now in the
present day is called the “Bahamas.”
◦ Three major indigenous people lived on this island; the
Taino, the Galibi, and the Ciboney.
◦ Columbus observed the people and their cultural
lifestyle. He also explored the northeast coast of Cuba
on October 28, 1492 and the north-western coast of
Hispaniola (present-day Haiti) by December 5, 1492.

12. 1st Return
◦ On January 15, 1493 Columbus set sail for home on the Niña.
◦ About a month into their journey home, both ships encountered the roughest storm of their journey.
◦ Finally they were able to spot the Azore Islands on February 15.
◦ Eventually Columbus and his crew laid anchor at the Santa Maria Island the morning of February 18th.
◦ At this island, Columbus took several islanders on board who had gathered with food.
◦ On February 23, 1493 Columbus left the Santa Maria Island and started heading to Castilian Spain, but the
weather forced him into Lisbon.
◦ After about three months, Columbus finally returned to Spain with his remaining crew.
◦ Upon arriving, on March 15, 1493, Columbus met with the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to report all his
findings.
◦ Small samples of gold, pearls, gold jewelry, the few natives he had kidnapped, an unknown tobacco plant, the turkey, the pineapple
fruit, and much more.

13. 2nd Voyage
◦ Started his voyage on September 24, 1493 setting
sail from Cádiz, Spain.
◦ For this voyage, they traveled with two naos; the
Marigalante and the Gallega, and fifteen caravels,
which are small, highly maneuverable sailing ships.
These were the Fraila, San Juan, Colina, Gallarda,
Guiterre, Bonial, Rodriga, Triana, Vieja, Preita,
Gorda, Cardera, Quintera, along with the Niña and
Pinta.
◦ On November 3, 1493, Columbus landed on an
island that he named Dominica. A couple days later
he arrived at Guadeloupe he stayed and explored
there for a couple of days.

14. 2nd Voyage Cont.
◦ On November 19, 1493 he continued to the Greater Antilles and landed on the island of San Juan Bautista,
present day Puerto Rico.
◦ A few days later he returned to Hispaniola and found his men at La Navidad had fallen into dispute with
natives. He then spent some time exploring the interior of the island for gold.
◦ Eventually, about five months of searching, he left Hispaniola and arrived at the island of Juana on April 30,
1494.
◦ During this voyage, Columbus sent a letter to the monarchs proposing to enslave some Americans. This
petition was refused by the Crown in February of 1495. Slavery at this time was practiced widely among
many people including Native Americans. Columbus enslaved five hundred and sixty people. These slaves
were shipped to Spain. Two hundred had died during the route back to Spain, and half of the remainder
were ill when they had arrived.
◦ After almost three years, Columbus finally returned back to Cadiz, Spain on June 11, 1496.

15. 3rd Voyage
◦ On May 30, 1498 Columbus left Sanlúcar, Spain with
six ships. He sent three to the West Indies and lead the
other three: the Santa María de Guía, the Vaqueños,
and the Correo to the Portuguese Porto Santo Island.
◦ From there he sailed to Madeira to the Canary Islands
to Cape Verde. These three ships following this route
was able to find King John’s hypothesized continent
of South America and landed on Trinidad on August
2nd.
◦ He then spent eight days, from August 4th through
August 12th, exploring the Gulf of Paria which
separates Trinidad from the mainland of Venezuela.
Columbus was also able to explore South America
which includes the Orinoco River.
◦ Columbus described these new lands as belonging to a
previous unknown new continent, and pictured it
hanging from China.

16. Arrest of Columbus
◦ During Columbus’s term as Viceroy and the Governor of the Indies,
he was accused of governing tyrannically. Meaning that he was being a
ruler who exercised power brutally.
◦ There were testimonies of 23 people who had seen or had heard about
the treatment meted out by Columbus and his brothers.
◦ As a result, upon Columbus's return, he had manacles placed on his
wrists and chains on his ankles and was placed into prison waiting
to return to Spain. He was not allowed to say a word in his own
defense.
◦ Columbus was 49 years old when arrested. Eventually on August 23,
1500, Francisco de Bobadilla (a member of the Order of Calatrava)
arrived to detain Columbus and his brothers and had them shipped
back to Spanish Aragon.
◦ Though Columbus finally regained his freedom, he didn’t regain his
prestige and lost all of his titles which includes governorship.

17. 4th Voyage
◦ On March 14, 1502 Columbus started his fourth
voyage to search for a westward passage to the
Indian Ocean mainland. The king and queen
instructed him to not stop at Hispaniola on his
way.
◦ He was accompanied by his stepbrother and son.
◦ On May 12, 1502, he set sail to Arzila on the
Moroccan coast to rescue Portuguese soldiers.
◦ After a couple months of sailing he landed at
Carbet. There was a hurricane that started to
brew, so he hoped to continue to Hispaniola to
find shelter. He arrived at Santo Domingo but
was denied port so the ships sheltered at the
mouth of Jaina River.

18. 4th Voyage Cont.
◦ After the hurricane had passed, Columbus sailed to Central America where he arrived at the Bay
Islands, off the coast of Honduras on July 30, 1502.
◦ Bartolomeo had found native merchants and a large canoe filled with cargo here.
◦ They continued their voyage and landed on the mainland of America at Puerto Castilla on August 14,
1502.
◦ They spent two months exploring the coasts of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, before arriving in
Almirante Bay, Panama on October 16, 1502.
◦ While in Panama, he did some exploration before he left and established a garrison at the mouth of the
Belén River in January of 1503.
◦ After exploring the river, Columbus left for Hispaniola on April 16, but got tangled up in a storm off
the coast of Cuba. They made it to St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica on June 25, 1503 and weren’t able to travel
any further.
◦ They were stranded for a year before help had arrived from the governor on June 29, 1504. They had
arrived back to Castile on November 7, 1504.

19. Death
◦ Christopher Columbus died May 20, 1506 in Valladolid,
Spain at age 55 from heart failure.
◦ He had a condition that was called “gout” at the time. Today,
modern doctors suspect it was Reiter’s Syndrome, which is a
reactive arthritis that is caused by a bacterial intestinal infection
or a sexually transmitted disease. His infection could have
acquired on one of his voyages from food poisoning.
◦ His remains were moved multiple times to the Dominican
Republic, Cuba, and Spain.
◦ After his remains were moved back to Seville, Spain, they
were placed on an elaborate catafalque, which is a raised
box/platform used to support the body during a Christian
funeral or memorial service.

20. Question 1
◦ How did your topic fit into the daily life of America in the era that you are
covering?
◦ My topic fits into the daily life of America because, Christopher Columbus
participated with the Colombian Exchange, which helped America tremendously. If
we didn’t have the Colombian Exchange, then we wouldn’t have a lot of the goods and
products we have today. Columbus was able to discover new plants, foods, technology,
etc. and bring it to different continents/islands through his voyages. Though he isn’t
the founder of America, which is what everyone thinks he’s accomplished, he did have
a huge contribution with the Colombian Exchange which has been very useful to
America today.

21. Question 2
◦ What was it about your topic that was unique to America and to our study of
America history since 1877?
◦ The Colombian Exchange is unique in my topic. It has been very beneficial to all
aspects of America throughout time. Since the first voyage that Christopher Columbus
took in 1492, we have been able to receive new animals, plants, and foods from other
continents. Like Europe, Africa, and Asia sending citrus fruits, bananas, honeybees,
livestock, grains, etc. Along with receiving goods, we were able to share our foods with
Europe, Africa, and Asia as well, like squash, pumpkins, turkeys, potatoes etc.

22. Question 3
◦ How would you have felt about your topic if you had been living during the era
you are covering?
◦ If I had been living in this era, I feel like this topic would have been very sensitive. Not
everyone was willing to give Christopher Columbus a chance. They had rejected his ideas
multiple times before eventually someone told him yes. After he received the “yes” he was
needing, he still had struggles with his voyages, especially the third one. He had gotten arrested
for using his powers brutally. Eventually he got out of jail and was going to explore on a fourth
voyage, but he had lost all of his titles. I feel like my topic in this era would have caused a lot of
controversy and fights, because not everyone thought he was important and valuable.

23. Question 4
◦ How has you topic changed over the years (describe its’ role in society today).
◦ Over the years, the topic of Christopher Columbus has changed tremendously. At
first, though he had struggles, he was liked by some people. As years went on, people
believed that he was the founder of America, which increased his popularity. Up until
this semester in this class, I too had believed that he was the founder of America, and
not Leif Erikson. Today, we have a National holiday, celebrating the anniversary of
Christopher Columbus landing in the Americas in 1492. Yes, he did accomplish that,
what I don’t understand is why we don’t have an Erikson Day which would celebrate
the anniversary of the Americas being found.

24. Question 5
◦ What new information did you learn about your topic that you didn’t already
know?
◦ Like I mentioned in the other question, I didn’t know up until this semester that Leif
Erikson was the founder of America, and not Christopher Columbus. I also learned a
lot about Columbus, like he was arrested and shipped to Spain. I had learned more
about his voyages, and what the purpose was for each of those voyages. I didn’t know
the cause of his death as well. It was very interesting to research about his condition
and find out what it was caused by.

25. Conclusion
◦ Overall there were a lot of struggles for Christopher Columbus, but
he kept preserving. He was determined to get the answer he was
searching for and determined to explore the world. Though he is been
awarded more credit than what he should be accounted for, he did
have a good contribution to America, and the Colombian Exchange.

26. Interesting Facts
◦ It is said that Columbus never wrote in his native language, which is said to be Genoese.
◦ Columbus taught himself three languages by reading books and taking notes in the margins.
◦ Latin, Portuguese, and Castilian
◦ He studied the Bible intensely and often quoted from it in his writings.
◦ At a young age, Columbus stood over 5’7”. He pale skin, pale blue eyes, and red-blonde hair that had turned
completely white by his 30s.
◦ Near the end of his life, he had wrote a book called “Book of Privileges” which had listed all the promises
that Spanish crown had made him over the years and the ways those promises were not honored.
◦ Referred to as the “Father of the New World”
◦ Columbus Day officially became a holiday in Colorado in 1906 and a federal holiday in 1937.

27. Resources
◦ “74 Surprising Facts about Christopher Columbus | FactRetriever.” Interesting Facts, www.factretriever.com/christopher-columbus-
facts.
◦ “Christopher Columbus.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 16 Apr. 2019, www.biography.com/explorer/christopher-
columbus.
◦ “Christopher Columbus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Apr. 2019,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus#Background.
◦ “Columbian Exchange.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Apr. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange.
◦ Editors, History.com. “Christopher Columbus.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009,
www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus.
◦ “How Did Christopher Columbus Die?” History, 1 June 2017, www.historyonthenet.com/how-did-christopher-columbus-die.
◦ Redd, Nola Taylor. “Christopher Columbus: A Brief Biography.” LiveScience, Purch, 5 Oct. 2012, www.livescience.com/23748-
christopher-Columbus.html.
◦ “The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.” InDepthInfo, www.indepthinfo.com/columbus-christopher/nina-pinta-santa-maria.htm.
◦ “Voyages of Christopher Columbus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 May 2019,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyages_of_Christopher_Columbus.