Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus is widely known for visiting and settling in the Americas. He began the settling of nations and forming colonies. Columbus was born in Genoa Italy, to a wool weaver, in 1451. He was very well educated and spoke many languages and began to take to the sea when he was 14. He married in 1480 and fathered a son, Diego. After his Wife passed in 1485, he moved to Spain to obtain permission to explore western trade routes. He was granted permission in 1492.

Why is he important?

Although he discovered the Americas’ by accident, he founded a new place for settlement, raw materials and other resources. He also began the spread of disease that was brought by constant travel between America and Europe. He was the first to help settle American colonial grounds. Although not part of his plan, he helped create some regulation in the colonies because of his treatment of the locals and settlers.

Why did I choose this person?

I chose Christopher Columbus because, growing up I heard many tall tales of him going out to discover if the world was round or not and then he just “magically” fell into the Americas and gave the locals the name of “Indians", and that he was the first to discover America. Even though over the years I learned all that was false, I still wanted to know who he was and what he did exactly. Even though he helped settlers, his main goal was still to find a better trading route to Asia. He didn’t stop once he found America, he kept searching. With that goal in mind, he made 4 total voyages to find a trade route, which, in my eyes, means he kept pushing to meet his goal even though he found something much better and more significant. I look up to people like that because many times we may find something different as we are trying to reach our goals and then we lose sight of our actual goal. I can relate to this because I found that I wasn’t really the most outgoing person, and so I sought to better myself and I still am, but in the process I found a healthier person and, I did stray off for a period of time but, I found my way back to the path of achieving my long lasting goal.

If he didn’t exist would the world be different?

I can’t say for certain, because without him, the Americas would have still been founded but as far as the actual events that took place after Columbus, like the French-Indian War, I can’t say for certain. Maybe everything would have just happened a decade late or maybe it would have only happened a couple of months late. There is no telling what could have happened exactly.

What would I ask if Columbus was still alive?

I would ask him the very question of, Was it worth it? All the time and the humility of being placed on trial and being away from his son, was it worth it? I would also ask him if he would do anything differently. Maybe, he could take his son with him or he could plan the voyage differently. I would also want to know if he would be willing to do something different with his life. Then I would want him to teach me how to navigate an old ship like the ones he used when he would set out on a voyage.

Do I think that the fact that Columbus was born in Italy made his achievement more significant?

No, I don’t believe that him being born there really changed the status of his achievement. Even if he was born in Spain, his passion may not have changed and he still would have founded America. But maybe his life may have changed in that he would have married someone else, and that maybe he would have decided to set sail later. But for the most part, I don't believe his achievement status would have changed.

By Satpal Singh