The Explorers: Christopher Columbus

An oil painting of Christopher Columbus in 1519. Wikimedia Commons

Synopsis: Explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic

of Genoa, Italy. In 1492, Columbus left Spain in the Santa Maria with two other ships, the

Niña and the Pinta. He is known for opening up North and South America to European

colonization.

Early Voyages

Explorer and navigator Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa, Italy. He was

the grandson of a weaver. Columbus had his first experience at sea as a teenager in the

Mediterranean and Aegean seas.

His voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in 1476 nearly killed Columbus. The ship he was on

was attacked by private French sailors off the coast of Portugal. Columbus swam to the

Portuguese shore.

Later sailed on expeditions to Africa. There, he learned about the Atlantic Ocean currents

that flowed east and west from the Canary Islands. Muslims controlled the trade routes

through the Middle East. This made travel to India and China difficult for Europeans.

By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff on 06.28.16

Word Count 713

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

Columbus believed a route sailing west across the Atlantic would be quicker and safer.

Experts disagreed with Columbus' math, which estimated that China was closer than it

actually was.

First Voyage To The New World

Columbus needed money to make a three-ship voyage of discovery. Spanish monarchs

Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon became interested in helping in 1486.

However, they did not have the money to give him. Their money was being spent on a war

with the Muslims.

Soon after the Spanish army won the war in Granada in January of 1492, the monarchs

agreed to pay for his expedition. In August of 1492, Columbus left Spain on a ship named

the Santa Maria, alongside the Pinta and the Niña.

Columbus and his men sailed to the islands Cuba and Hispaniola. Today Hispaniola holds

Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Santa Maria crashed off the coast of Hispaniola.

With the help of some islanders, Columbus' men built a settlement called Villa de la

Navidad. They used wood from the wreck. Convinced he had reached Asia, Columbus

sailed home with the two remaining ships. Thirty-nine of Columbus' men stayed behind.

Later Voyages

Columbus returned to Spain in 1493 and told the king he could bring him great riches. He

was not entirely honest with the king. When he went back to Hispaniola, he found the

Navidad settlement had been destroyed and all the sailors had been killed. Columbus

forced the natives into slavery, making them rebuild the settlement and search for gold.

Little gold was found and the natives hated him. Columbus returned to Spain, leaving his

two brothers in charge.

On his third voyage, Columbus finally reached the mainland of South America. When he

returned to Hispaniola the settlers were angry. The gold had not appeared. They did not

like Columbus' brothers. The Spanish Crown sent a royal official to arrest Columbus and

take him back to Spain.

Columbus convinced King Ferdinand to pay for one more voyage in 1502. A storm

wrecked one of his ships, stranding the captain and his sailors in Cuba. The local islanders

refused to give them food. Columbus came up with a plan to trick them. His almanac

predicted a lunar eclipse soon. He told the islanders that he would "take away the moon."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2

In a lunar eclipse, it looks like the moon goes missing. The shadow of the Earth blocks the

light of the sun. When the eclipse happened, the natives were scared. They did what

Columbus said. He returned to Spain in 1504.

Mixed Legacy

Columbus died May 20, 1506, still believing he had discovered a shorter route to Asia.

He has been credited for helping Europeans colonize the Americas. He has also been

blamed for killing many native peoples. He failed to find a new route to Asia, but he began

an exchange of people, plants, animals, and cultures.

Columbus and his men also brought deadly diseases to Native Americans. Smallpox killed

millions of them. Their colorful and rich civilizations were lost.

Recent Discoveries

In May 2014, archaeologists said they may have found the Santa Maria off the north coast

of Haiti. Barry Clifford, the leader of this possible discovery, told a newspaper that all they

saw made it seem like the "wreck is Columbus' famous flagship the Santa Maria."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3

Quiz

1 Read the section "Later Voyages." Select the paragraph that suggests that Europeans

understood the skies and stars better than the native island people did during Columbus' time.

2 Which selection from the section "First Voyage To The New World" shows that getting someone

to pay for Columbus' voyage depended on political conditions in Spain?

(A) Spanish monarchs Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon became

interested in helping in 1486.

(B) However, they did not have the money to give him. Their money was being

spent on a war with the Muslims.

(C) In August of 1492, Columbus left Spain on a ship named the Santa Maria,

alongside the Pinta and the Niña.

(D) Columbus and his men sailed to the islands Cuba and Hispaniola. Today

Hispaniola holds Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

3 Which selection from the article is MOST important to include in its summary?

(A) Explorer and navigator Columbus was born in 1451, in the Republic of

Genoa, Italy. He was the son of a weaver.

(B) Columbus had his first experience at sea as a teenager in the Mediterranean

and Aegean seas.

(C) With the help of some islanders, Columbus' men built a settlement called

Villa de la Navidad. They used wood from the wreck.

(D) He has been credited for helping Europeans colonize the Americas. He has

also been blamed for killing many native peoples.

4 Which of the following BEST reflects Columbus' main goal?

(A) to discover new islands

(B) to enslave native people

(C) to find a faster route to Asia

(D) to sail three ships across the ocean

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4

Answer Key

1 Read the section "Later Voyages." Select the paragraph that suggests that Europeans

understood the skies and stars better than the native island people did during Columbus' time.

Paragraph 9:

Columbus convinced King Ferdinand to pay for one more voyage in 1502. A

storm wrecked one of his ships, stranding the captain and his sailors in Cuba.

The local islanders refused to give them food. Columbus came up with a plan to

trick them. His almanac predicted a lunar eclipse soon. He told the islanders that

he would "take away the moon." In a lunar eclipse, it looks like the moon goes

missing. The shadow of the Earth blocks the light of the sun. When the eclipse

happened, the natives were scared. They did what Columbus said. He returned

to Spain in 1504.

2 Which selection from the section "First Voyage To The New World" shows that getting someone

to pay for Columbus' voyage depended on political conditions in Spain?

(A) Spanish monarchs Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon became

interested in helping in 1486.

(B) However, they did not have the money to give him. Their money was

being spent on a war with the Muslims.

(C) In August of 1492, Columbus left Spain on a ship named the Santa Maria,

alongside the Pinta and the Niña.

(D) Columbus and his men sailed to the islands Cuba and Hispaniola. Today

Hispaniola holds Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

3 Which selection from the article is MOST important to include in its summary?

(A) Explorer and navigator Columbus was born in 1451, in the Republic of

Genoa, Italy. He was the son of a weaver.

(B) Columbus had his first experience at sea as a teenager in the Mediterranean

and Aegean seas.

(C) With the help of some islanders, Columbus' men built a settlement called

Villa de la Navidad. They used wood from the wreck.

(D) He has been credited for helping Europeans colonize the Americas. He

has also been blamed for killing many native peoples.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5

4 Which of the following BEST reflects Columbus' main goal?

(A) to discover new islands

(B) to enslave native people

(C) to find a faster route to Asia

(D) to sail three ships across the ocean

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6