DISCOVERYDay 3

Columbus and First Contact

American History 1Mr. Hensley

SRMHS

The Legend of Columbus

• He was a brave hero who knew the world was round when everyone else thought it was flat (wrong!)

• Columbus discovered America (not exactly)

• He was motivated by a love of knowledge and exploration (it was money he loved)

Who Was Columbus?

• Born in Italy (his name was Christoforo Colombo) about 1450

• Well-read but was self-educated

• Gained experience sailing merchant ships along the coast of West Africa

• Spent ten years looking for a sponsor

What Were His Motives?

• Huge profits were being made in the spice trade

• All the good spices grew in China or India

• Land route was now controlled by Turks

• Sailing east to China and India took a long time – maybe sailing west was the answer?

• No one had tried it

How Did He Get There?

• Columbus sailed in three light caravels with about 90 men

• Ships were very small and cramped

• Trip took about six weeks to cross Atlantic

• Made landfall first in the Bahamas then on Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea

The First Voyage of Columbus

First Contact

• The first “Indians” encountered were the Arawak or Taino

• Communal villages (shared property)

• Agriculture based on yams, corn, cassava

• Only decoration was gold earrings worn by both sexes

Modern Dominican woman in traditional Arawak clothing and dress

Different Approaches

• Natives greeted Columbus with gifts and food and hospitality

• Columbus responds: “As soon as I arrived… I took some of the natives by force in order they… might give me information of whatever is in these parts.”

• Columbus wants gold

The Landing of Columbus

DISCUSSION 3.1

Second Voyage

• Columbus exaggerates the wealth of the “Indies” (America)

• Columbus comes back in 1493 with 17 ships and 1200 men

• Lands on Hispaniola (modern Haiti/Dominica)

• Goal: find gold, make money for investors

Search for Gold

• On his return, Columbus gave Natives a gold quota – a certain weight of gold they had to turn in every 90 days

• If Natives failed to turn in enough gold, their hands were cut off

• Natives began to die from European diseases – and began to commit suicide

Native Slavery

• No gold and no spices – could the Natives be sold as slaves?

• More than half died before they reached Europe

• Exporting slaves was not profitable but New World slave labor was – on large plantations and in mines

Columbian Exchange: In

From EUROPE to AMERICA:•Wheat, oats, grains•Horses, cows, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens•The biggest impact came from European diseases•Smallpox, measles and diphtheria (like strep throat) infect and kill the Native population

Columbian Exchange: Out

From AMERICA to EUROPE:•Corn, tomatoes and potatoes will become important European foods•Turkeys are the primary animal export•Tobacco and chocolate will be important •Syphilis is the only disease to cross over

Columbus as Hero or Villain?

• Columbus was governor of New World until 1500

• Then he was accused of cruelty and incompetence and returned to Spain

• He dies in 1506, at the same time that explorer Amerigo Vespucci proved the New World was not part of Asia

ACTIVITY 3.2

History as a Map

• Maps contain distortions – they leave out things or emphasize things to make the map easier to use

• Historians do the same thing – they let their ideology distort how they report facts

• Map-makers tell us up-front; historians do not

Review: Columbus and First Contact

BIG QUESTIONS: How and why did Columbus become the first European to make contact with natives in the New World? How did he treat the natives? Is Columbus a hero or a

villain?Columbus was motivated by a desire for profit – he wanted to find a quicker, cheaper way to reach the spices of Asia.

He reached the New World in 1492 and immediately began kidnapping, killing and enslaving friendly Natives. For

decades, historians ignored the experience of the Natives and made Columbus a hero. By taking a more complete

view, we can see how horrible, cruel and greedy Columbus truly was.