the Discovery of America

There are mainly three aspects.

Background of voyagesVoyages of Christopher

ColumbusThe significance of the

discovery of America

background of voyages

1. Religious factors

Religious was one important factor enforced Europe including Spain to expand abroad. The Spanish, who believe in Catholicism(天主教 ), conflicting with Muslims frequently.

In 1492, King Ferdinand(国王费迪南二世 ) and Queen Isabella(王后伊莎贝拉一世 )conquered Granada( 格拉纳达 ), the last Muslim stronghold on the Iberian peninsula( 伊比利亚半岛 ).

But Spain didn’t stop expansion. Breaking the sea road meet the requirement. Spain also have another conspiracy, that’s united the emperor of eastern Mongolia making a flank attack on Muslims.

2.Territory pressure and ambition

Along the road of Africa towards east on the sea was monopolized by Portuguese( 葡萄牙 ), and the road on land was blocked by Muslims. In order to develop an overseas empire, Spain decided to set up another road to east.

3.The greed for wealth

Europe had long enjoyed a safe passage to China and India------the gold and sources of valued goods such as silk, spices etc.

The east of Mediterranean( 地中海 ) was under Ottoman’s( 土耳其 ) control, which was the traditional commercial road through east and west. Spain, at the same time, having completed an expensive war, was desperate for a competitive edge over other European countries in trade with the East Indies( 东印度群岛 ).

4.Political system

Spain had already established unified centralized central autocracy(统一集权的中央专治制度 ), the Queen can centralize and manoeuvre(调动 ) qualified personnel, material resources and financial resources to make explorations.

5.About Christopher Columbus

When Christopher Columbus in Portugal, he obtained rich experience of oceanic navigation, learned much knowledge of astronomy, geography, hydrology(水文学 ) and meteorology(气象学 ).

Voyages of Christopher Columbus

On the evening of August 3, 1492, Columbus departed from Palos( 帕斯洛—西班牙港口 ) with three ships: one larger carrack, Santa Maria( 圣玛利亚号 ), and two smaller caravels, Pinta（平塔号 ） and Santa Clara （尼尼雅号） .

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Columbus first sailed to the Canary Islands( 加那利群岛 ), where he restocked the provisions and made repairs, and on September 6, he started what turned out to be a five-week voyage across the ocean.

Since September 9, Columbus began to hide the real navigational speed and miles, avoided that sailors may alarmed for they too far away from the land.

September 14, exploration party began to discover seabird constantly. It seems that the land is right in front of them. And on September 16, they discovered much grass, which looks like a green hill. In fact, what they met was just Sargasso Sea( 马尾藻海 ), which was 4,500,000 sq. km.

September 20, some sailors was upset and angry. They were afraid of they may die of thirst or starvation long before reaching the destination.

October 11, they saw some rattan( 藤荆 ), one sapling( 小树 ), one progressed plank( 加工过的木板 ) etc.

Land was sighted at 2 am on October 12, 1492. Columbus called the first island they reached was San Salvador( 圣萨瓦尔多岛 ), but the natives called it Guanahani( 瓜那哈尼岛 ).

The indigenous people he encounted were peaceful and friendly. In his journal he wrote them, “It appears to me , that the people are ingenious and would be good servants.”

He didn’t find gold in these places, but he found the peculiar crops of America----corn, potato and sweet potato.

October 28, Columbus explored the northeast coast of Cuba. They found the gold of plant----tobacco here. After that, the Spanish learned smoking quickly, and smoking spread all over the world only forty years later.

The Santa Maria( 圣玛利亚号 ) ran aground on Chrismas morning 1492 and had to be abandoned.

On January 6 , 1493, Columbus returned to Spain , the first voyage exploration in human history which lasted 224 days finished.

Columbus’ report to the royal court in Madrid( 马德里—西班牙首都 ) was extravagant. He insisted he had reached Asia. His descriptions were part fact , part fiction.

Words of his finding new land was translated dozens of languages spreading throughout Europe rapidly

After that , Columbus did his second voyage (1493—1496),

The third voyage (1498--1500), this time , he set feet on the South America.

the fourth voyage(1502—1504).

On May 20, 1506, Christopher Columbus died. Until his death ,he still insisted that what he discovered was India, not America.

The significance of the discovery of America

1. He set up the new road from Europe to America across the Atlantic Ocean, as a result, the new continent and the old continent connected together.

2 . Columbus voyage came at a critical time of growing national imperialism and economic competition between developing nation states seeking wealth from the establishment of trade routes and colonies. Columbus successful voyage opened the door for Europe’s expansion, invade and conqurer towarded the new land.

Spain soon became the first empire on which the sun never sets. The Indians of America soon fell into endless abyss of bitterness ( 无尽的苦难之中 ).

Columbus voyages firstly discovered the peculiar crops of America----tobacco, corn, potato etc. But at the same time, they made the venereal disease---syphilis( 梅毒 ) spread to Europe.

Columbus voyages drew back the curtain of discovery of the new continent , and laid an important foundation for Magellan’s sailing around the world( 麦哲伦环球航行 ).