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America, 'land of the free', `the new world' owes its
discovery chiefly to one great man, Christopher
Columbus. He was a gifted mariner who believed
passionately that he could reach new lands and Asia by
sailing westwards where no one had gone before. He held
such confidence to the point of being seen as
arrogant in his demands
while gathering support for his cause. Columbus was a
Genoese who settled in Lisbon in 1477 and unsuccessfully
attempted to secure support from the Portuguese monarch.
King John II of Portugal found his demands excessive.
Columbus wanted the title 'Admiral of the Ocean', the
vice-regency and heredity rights of government over the
territories he would find, and a tenth of all profits.
Rejected by Portugal, he moved to Spain where he spent a
total of eight years seeking the support of Queen Isabel
and King Ferdinand. Spain was still fighting the Arabs
then to regain their lost territories. The war finally
ended and after much difficulties and persistence,
Columbus finally won their support.
On August 3, 1492, three ships set off from Palos,
Spain in search of the `new world'. The flagship was
Santa Maria and the other two were Pinta and Nina. In
addition to the crew, there were a physician, a surgeon,
pilots, a judge and a royal notary who was to record
events for the monarch's interests. Finally, Columbus
was on his way sailing westwards into the unknown,
towards his dream. It was not an easy journey. They did
not sight land until September the 6th, when a lookout
shouted "Tierra, tierra!" a shout
that would echo through the world.
Columbus, had reached the Caribbean Islands. He spent
some time exploring the islands and the Santa Maria was
wrecked on the north shore of Hispaniola on December 5.
He left some men behind while he went back to Spain to
proclaim his discoveries and to claim his title as
'Admiral of the Ocean'. He had returned triumphantly and
was now a hero. The next expedition was to comprise of
17 ships and 1500 colonists.
Sadly, things did not go on well for Columbus. By
1502, he had led a total of four expeditions and was
constantly bickering with the noblemen and the church
officials who followed along. He was charged with
maladministration of the Indies following a rebellion by
some noblemen. Columbus ended his days in poverty and
pleading for the acknowledgement of his rights.
While he did not actually reach America, Christopher
Columbus had opened up the way to the two continents for
future mariners. He never gave up the idea of reaching
Asia by sailing further westwards. His vision attracted
other navigators and fortune hunters who followed his
vision and discovered the two continents. Americo
Vespucci was a Florentine business representative who
sailed along the north coast of South America. He was
quick to realize that it was not Asia and when a German
geographer in 1507 referred to the new world as America,
the name caught on to this day.
Christopher Columbus had opened the door for the
immigration of the hordes of European colonists by
discovering the 'new world'. Spain, Portugal, England,
France and the Netherlands soon explored and attempted
to claim territories in the Americas. This brought many
different people to America and started waves of
immigration. The immigrants were attracted to America
for various reasons like religious tolerance,
opportunities for wealth, good farmland and space. Thus
the diversity, feelings of freedom and acceptance became
part of the American culture which is still very much
alive today. |
