Columbus Sources
I should not proceed by land to the East, as is customary, but by a Westerly route, in which direction we have hitherto no certain evidence that any one has gone – August 3, 1492 journal entry by Christopher Columbus. The original journal was lost and this is a translation of a the copy of the original that was written by Fray Bartoleme de las Casas sometime after Columbus died.
Weep for me, whoever has charity, truth and justice! I did not come on this voyage for gain, honor or wealth, that is certain; for then the hope of all such things was dead. I came to Your Highnesses with honest purpose and sincere zeal; and I do not lie. – Christopher Columbus, Lettera Rarissima to the Sovereigns, Fourth Voyage (7 July 1503)
Little Information About Life At Sea ….
Teacher’s Note : Captains and sailors were not able to easily control these conditions. ALL ships sailing long distances at this time faced these challenges, not just Columbus’ ships.
“The main rations were salt beef or pork, cheese, fish, ale and some form of ship's biscuit. The quality of the food deteriorated because of storage problems, lack of ventilation, and poor drainage. It was also affected by the presence of rats and other vermin on board. Biscuits were often filled with maggots and weevils, a type of beetle. Many ships' suppliers were dishonest and sent stores that were already rotten before they were taken on board….
There was a great deal of sickness at sea. Seamen were often cold and wet, rats carried disease, and the poor diet not only caused malnutrition but specific illnesses such as scurvy. Scurvy was caused by a lack of vitamin C in the diet. Not everyone recognised the discovery made by Sir Richard Hawkins in the late 16th century that daily doses of orange or lemon juice could prevent this terrible disease which rotted the skin and gums and caused teeth to fall out.
Illness too came from eating too much salt with the ship's meat. As well as injury from shipboard accidents, there was risk of death or maiming in times of battle. Ships' surgeons worked in cramped and filthy conditions with no anaesthetic for patients having amputations. Infection and gangrene was commonplace.”
National Maritime Museum, Life at Sea in the Age of Sail. First published:01 Feb 2000Author:NMM learning team. October 3, 2011
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/explore/sea-and-ships/facts/ships-and-seafarers/life-at-sea-in-the-age-of-sail
Why We Should Celebrate Columbus Day
• Columbus Day recognizes the achievements of a great Renaissance explorer who founded the first permanent European settlement in the New World. The arrival of Columbus in 1492 marks the beginning of recorded history in America.
• Columbus Day celebrates the beginning of cultural exchange between America and Europe. After Columbus, came millions of European immigrants who brought their art, music, science, medicine, philosophy and religious principles to America. These contributions have helped shape the United States and include Greek democracy, Roman law, Judeo-Christian ethics and the tenet that all men are created equal.
• Columbus Day is one of America s oldest holidays. The tradition of observing Columbus Day dates back to the 18th century. It was first celebrated on October 12, 1792, when the New York Society of Tammany honored Columbus on the 300th anniversary of his first voyage.
• Columbus Day is a patriotic holiday. In fact, the Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 in honor of the 400th anniversary of his first voyage. That year, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day a legal holiday.
• The United States has long admired Columbus. America has more monuments to Columbus than any nation in the world, according to the Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia. These include a Columbus statue in Providence, R.I., cast by Frederic Auguste Bertholdi, who created the Statue of Liberty, and one in New York City, created by one of the six Italian American brothers who carved the Lincoln Memorial.
• The United States has a significant collection of Columbus memorabilia, including his desk, papers, and the cross he used to claim the New World for Spain. These are in the Columbus Chapel in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania.
• In 1971 Columbus Day became a federal holiday in all 50 states after Congress passed a law declaring the second Monday in October Columbus Day.
• Columbus Day also commemorates the arrival on these shores of more than 5 million Italians a century ago. Today, their children and grandchildren constitute the nation s fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Columbus Day is the only day on which the nation recognizes the heritage of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans.
Prepared by: The Order Sons of Italy in America in Washington, D.C.
Web: www.osia.org
“Columbus was less experienced as a navigator than the Pinzon brothers, who captained the Nina and Pinta. During the return voyage, Columbus confided the real reason for the false log entries [he had made in the journey over]: he wanted to keep the route to the Indies secret”
James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me,Published by Touchstone, 2007
“On his first voyage in 1492, he [Columbus] promised his crew that he would reward the person who spotted land first. However, when a sailor named Rodrigo de Triana spotted land and informed Columbus, he refused to pay him claiming that he had spotted an aura the previous night. Hence, he [Columbus] kept the reward for himself.
“Christopher Columbus : Hero or Villain?” By Kum Martin. Published by Ezine Articles, August 2011
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6524594
As legally defined in 1503, an encomienda (from encomendar, “to entrust”) consisted of a grant by the crown to a conquistador, soldier, official, or others of a specified number of Indians living in a particular area. The receiver of the grant, the encomendero, could exact tribute from the Indians in gold, in kind, or in labour and was required to protect them and instruct them in the Christian faith.
Online Encylopedia Britanica Article - Encomienda
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186567/encomienda
What we committed in the Indies stands out among the most unpardonable offenses ever committed against God and mankind and this trade [ in American Indian slaves] as one of the most unjust, evil, and cruel among them. – Bartolome De Las Casas, 1523, History of the Indies
When the Spanish settlers first came in 1508, since there is no reliable documentation, anthropologists estimate their [local natives on the islands Columbus landed on) numbers to have been between 20,000 and 50,000, but maltreatment, disease, flight, and unsuccessful rebellion had diminished their number to 4,000 by 1515; in 1544 a bishop counted only 60, but these too were soon lost.
“Taino Indians Culture”, Magaly Rivera (Publisher), Published 2011
http://welcome.topuertorico.org/reference/taino.shtml
The Columbian Biological Exchange
Forms of Biological Life Going From:Old World to New World: / New World to Old World:
Diseases: / Smallpox
Measles
Chicken Pox
Malaria
Yellow Fever
Influenza
The Common Cold
Animals: / Horses
Cattle
Pigs
Sheep
Goats
Chickens / Turkeys
Llamas
Alpacas
Guinea Pigs
Plants: / Rice
Wheat
Barley
Oats
Coffee
Sugarcane
Bananas
Melons
Olives
Dandelions
Daisies
Clover
Ragweed
Kentucky Bluegrass / Corn (Maize)
Potatoes (White & Sweet Varieties)
Beans (Snap, Kidney, & Lima Varieties)
Tobacco
Peanuts
Squash
Peppers
Tomatoes
Pumpkins
Pineapples
Cacao (Source of Chocolate)
Chicle (Source of Chewing Gum)
Papayas
Manioc (Tapioca)
Guavas
Avocados
Dr. Harold D. Tallant, Georgetown College, last updated 12/3/1998
http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/htallant/courses/his111/columb.htm
“[The Indians] all promised to pay tribute to the Catholic Sovereigns every three months, as follows: In the Cibao, where the gold mines were, every person of 14 years age or upward was to pay a large hawk’s bell of gold dust; all others were each to pay 25 pounds of cotton. Whenever an Indian delivered his tribute, he was to receive a brass or copper token which he must wear about his neck as proof that he had made his payment. Any Indian found without such a token was to be punished.” – Ferdinand Columbus, The Life of the Admiral Christopher Columbus, 1538
Note: Ferdinand traveled with his father, Christopher Columbus, on the fourth voyage to the Americas
“Having found yet no fields of gold, Columbus had to return some kind of dividend to Spain. In 1495, the Spanish on Haiti initiated a great slave raid. They rounded up fifteen hundred Arawaks, then selected the five hundred best specimens (of whom two hundred would die in route to Spain). Another five hundred were chosen as slaves for the Spaniards staying on the island.
James W. Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me,Published by Touchstone, 2007