Columbus

From your text on Christopher Columbus and with additional research, discuss Columbus’ progress toward becoming a great navigator.  Include comments about how he balanced science and religion. Essays should be 200 -400 words.

"He came to believe that he was predistined to fulfill a number of prophecies in preperation for the coming of the Antichrist and the end of the world.” -Christopher Columbus 1.

Christopher Columbus became known as one of the greatest navigators to sail the ocean and given credit for finding the Americas. Though he was not a professional academic, he had received knowledge in astrology, geometry, and arithmetics.2 His ability to balance science with religion eventually made him successful.

There have been two reasons as to why Christopher Columbus would make the long voyage to the West. One would be the desire to find China and to gain its riches.3The second reason would be that Christopher Columbus believed that he was predestined to fulfill a number of prophecies before the coming of the Antichrist.4

Using his knowledge and instruments of the sea, Columbus was able to track his location on his chart and make longitudes and latitudes.5 He was able to record his data on his voyages, “south-southwest” to keep track of his whereabouts and to make new maps.6  However, he did not credit himself, but always found that it was an act of God. On December 25, the ship’s boy,(although not allowed) steered through the night and not 

knowing, led the boat onto a sand bar.7 This incident was given credit to God, that he allowed the ship to aground there so he should leave the people there, resulting in the discovery of the new island and new peoples.8

        Christopher Columbus was able to maintain success as an admiral of the seas because he used facts, and knowledge of text book information of that time to gain the information needed to set sail, but used religion as a tactic of motivation. 

First Map made by Columbus after his trips to the West Indies. 9

1. Watts, Pauline Moffitt. 1985. "Prophecy and Discovery: On the Spiritual Origins of Christopher Columbus's 'Enterprise of the Indies'." American Historical Review 90, no. 1: 73. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2012)pg

2. Watts, Pauline Moffitt. 1985. "Prophecy and Discovery: On the Spiritual Origins of Christopher Columbus's 'Enterprise of the Indies'." American Historical Review 90, no. 1: 73. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2012)pg 74

3. Columbus in Portugal. (1476-1485), in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, eds. Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005)9

4. Watts, Pauline Moffitt. 1985. "Prophecy and Discovery: On the Spiritual Origins of Christopher Columbus's 'Enterprise of the Indies'." American Historical Review 90, no. 1: 73. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2012)74

5. Christopher Columbus (August 3,1492-March 15,1493), in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, eds. Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005)65

6. Christopher Columbus (Sunday, October 28),  in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, eds. Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005)71

7. Christopher Columbus (Tuesday, December 25), in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, eds. Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005)75

8. Christopher Columbus (Wednesday, December 26), in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, eds. Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005)79

9. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/christopher_columbus/teachers_resources.shtml