The Ocean Blue | Christopher Columbus
“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
— Christopher Columbus —
What follows are the very words of the Admiral in his book about his first voyage to, and discovery of, these Indies. He says, in order that they would be friendly to us—because I recognized that they were people who would be better freed and converted to our Holy Faith by love than by force. To some of them I gave red caps, and glass beads which they put on their chests, and many other things of small value, in which they took so much pleasure and became so much our friends that it was a marvel. Later they came swimming to the ships' launches…and brought us parrots and cotton thread in balls and javelins and many other things, and they traded them to us for other things which we gave them, such as small glass beads and bells. In sum, they took everything and gave what they had very willingly.
Christopher, An Early Life
Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa. Not much is known about his childhood, but it is estimated that he was largely self-educated, having a particular interest in geography, maps, and astronomy. Though he purported to have started his life at sea at the age of ten, he actually started at the age of 22 when he entered into an apprenticeship as a business agent. The job took him across the known world, from Great Britain to Iceland to Lisbon. During this time, he gained extensive experience at sea, sailing from the northern and western parts of Africa to Portugal and then back again, following the established trade routes outlined on the many maps he committed to memory.
Though he was not formally educated as an adult, he was able to learn Latin, Portuguese, and Castilian. He continued his studies of astronomy, geography, and history, that he had begun in his childhood, adding the words of Claudius Ptolemy and other famous astronomers. According to historian Edmund Morgan: “Columbus was not a scholarly man. Yet he studied these books, made hundreds of marginal notations in them and came out with ideas about the world that were characteristically simple and strong and sometimes wrong.” In addition to his self-imposed studies, Columbus considered himself a keen student of the Bible and would often quote scripture in his logs and diaries.
Finding the Way Across the Sea
During the time of the Mongol Empire, travelers found a relatively safe passage on formalized trade routes stretching from Constantinople to eastern Asia, primarily through what was called the Silk Road, established by Marco Polo. But with the fall of Constantinople—modern-day Istanbul—the relatively safe trade routes became unstable and, in the end, too dangerous to traverse. In answer to this, explorers started to chart new ways to get to Asia over the sea. Landmasses that would later be named North America and South America had not been discovered, so map makers and those proposing oversea voyage believed it to be an open sea between Portugal and Asia and therefore shorter than the old trade routes on land.
It has been widely reported that scholars, astronomers, and theologians during this time believed the earth was flat, and as a result, believed that a voyage across the sea would send ships over the edge of the world. This is untrue. Eratosthenes had correctly computed the circumference of the earth using shadows and simple mathematics in the 3rd century BC. Before that, the spherical nature of the earth is recorded in the works of Ptolemy. Explorers during the time of Columbus used the techniques of celestial navigation which relied on the fact that the earth was a sphere. This type of navigation and measurement was well known during the time of Columbus, well before the time of satellites, spacewalks, the Internet, and enough spare time to think the earth is flat and start a campaign around such a lazy error.
Once the idea for a voyage across the ocean was conceived by the astronomer Toscanelli, he sent Columbus a map he had constructed that showed the route to the East Indies. This was seen as a much better option than navigating around the massive continent of Africa. Using this map, Columbus calculated the distance to Japan to be about around five thousand nautical miles. Most navigators at the time believed the distance was much farther—they were right, it actually over eleven thousand nautical miles—and rightly believed that no ship was able to carry enough supplies to travel that far. As a result, Columbus received no official support for his plan for many years. Voyages like the one he proposed took financing, and he couldn’t afford to finance it himself.
From 1485 to 1492 Columbus would negotiate with monarchs and business merchants to finance his new trade route. Despite his passionate pleas for support, he was constantly rejected due to the aforementioned miscalculations, the lack of money from kingdoms he petitioned who were recovering from war, and basic disinterest given a route around the southern tip of Africa had recently been discovered. According to the historian Jon Streeter, it wasn’t until his meetings with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain did Columbus find support, and even then, just barely. After being rejected a final time by the royal couple and departing, the king changed his mind and sent for Columbus, telling him that they would finance his voyage and if he was successful, he would be given the rank of Admiral of the Ocean, entitled to ten percent of all revenues, and be commissioned as governor of the new territories.
Across the Ocean Sea
On August 3, 1492, Columbus left Spain with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria for his first voyage. His mission to find a route to the East Indies was simple, as was his desire to find as many “pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other objects and merchandise” as possible. As the ships entered the wider Atlantic, Columbus confirmed the existence of the trade winds, an east-to-west prevailing wind that naturally occurs. These winds propelled Columbus’s ships across the Ocean Sea for five to six weeks until they reached land on October 12th. Despite evidence to the contrary, Columbus believed he had succeeded in his goal and he was in fact in the East Indies.
This first stretch of land was named San Salvador, in what is now the Bahamas. Columbus reported everything he saw, from wildlife to crew behavior. He also recorded his first impression of the natives who welcomed him warmly with gifts and trade, specifically citing their ignorance, perceived simplicity, and no knowledge of war or firearms.
They brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells," he wrote. "They willingly traded everything they owned…They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features… They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron…They would make fine servants…With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.
After taking supplies and slaves, Columbus continued his exploration, venturing into modern-day Cuba on October 28 and the island of Hispaniola on December 5. His ship, the Santa Maria ran aground on the island and was subsequently used for target practice to impress upon the natives his power and military might. He finally departed for Spain in January of 1493 and arrived in March of that year with tales of new lands that quickly spread across Europe.
Second, Third, and Fourth Voyages
After the success of the first voyage, the exaggerated stories of wealth from the islands he had discovered and a landmass of Asia he believed to be nearby, Columbus was easily able to raise money for a second voyage in September 1493. The goal of the second voyage was to establish a permanent colony in the New World. He brought with him priests, farmers, soldiers, and colonists. During this second voyage, he continued the exploration of the previously-discovered islands while finding and naming new islands as he went. He took on additional provisions and slaves before returning to Spain later that year.
The third voyage began in May 1498 with a goal to confirm the existence of a continent south of the lands Columbus had already discovered. They found a new coastline in what is now South America, and due to the large amounts of freshwater Columbus rightly believed that this was the continent he was sent to find. During this time, Columbus fell ill and returned to Hispaniola to find his new colony in revolt. Settlers rallied charges of mismanagement and abuse against the governor, citing lies he told them about riches and endless gold if they made permanent settlements. Unable to quell the rebellion, Columbus was removed as governor by the Crown, stripped of all titles, and sent back to Spain in chains. He was put on trial, most charges against him were dismissed, and he was allowed to return to the new world, but not as governor or in any official role.
His fourth and final voyage began in May of 1502. The goal of the voyage was to look for the Strait of Malacca, a quick passage of water that could be used as a shipping channel to the Indian Ocean. He revisited Hispaniola, avoided a hurricane, and continued to modern-day Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and finally Panama. After exploring several inlets, encountering hostilities from native tribes and beaching some of his ships, Columbus’s ships sustained extensive damage from a storm off the coast of Cuba. They were beached in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica where Columbus and his crew were marooned for over a year. He and his surviving crew members were rescued in June 1504 and returned to Spain in November of that year.
Turning Point: Realities of a Legacy
The voyages of Christopher Columbus were truly a turning point in history for several reasons. First, his explorations spurred an era of globalism that brought attention to new lands for colonization. He connected the Old World to the New, one that was rich in possibility and potential. By connecting the two hemispheres, Europe’s attention turned to the new lands and gave rise to further exploration from many nations in the hopes of finding gold, land, and power. Though Columbus was not the first to discover the New World, he was the first to populate it with Europeans. According to historian Martin Dugard, "Columbus's claim to fame isn't that he got there first; it's that he stayed."
Second, his explorations gave rise to a slave trade that would perpetuate long after his death. Additionally, the introduction of European disease and pestilence would decimate native populations to the point of extinction. This, coupled with his mistreatment of native peoples, has rightly cast a long-lasting shadow over his accomplishments. Finally, with the finding of new lands and the later realization that said lands were new continents, the world was changed. The passage from the West to the East was dismissed in favor of colonizing the new world. European leaders would never take their eyes away from the potential it held for them and their nations.
The voyages of Christopher Columbus changed history in a rare way. It showed a new world that was previously uncharted. Such a discovery gave rise to colonization and new trade routes. Nautical techniques needed to navigate the Atlantic were perfected and cataloged for use in other expeditions. Old nations in the Old World saw a new place for them to rise and be reborn. Though the process of exploration is overshadowed by the means in which it was achieved, the outcome of a new, changed world was beyond dispute. No matter what side of the argument you find yourself on regarding Christopher Columbus, nothing can reduce his role in the Age of Discovery and in changing history as a whole.
