Hidden Corners of History- Columbus and the Age of Exploration

Columbus and the Age of Exploration

Jarrod E. Stephens

    Some history lessons have a way of hanging around in your memory. For me as a child, whenever my teachers had lessons about the age of exploration, my mind was a sponge. Since I spent countless hours exploring the hills and hollers around my home, the adventures to uncharted parts of the globe in hopes of finding “new worlds” was right down my alley. Names like Amerigo Vespucci, Ponce de Leon, Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco de Gama and of course Christopher Columbus are forever etched in my mind. 

    While each had different goals and outcomes, they were all courageous and faced death on many fronts to fulfill their goals. For most, the names are familiar, but their exploits may be a bit foggy. Except for Columbus. He even has a day named after him. 

    Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. Throughout his young life, Columbus lived around and on the water. As a young man he became a chart maker who took part in several voyages that were focused on trade in the region. His journeys took him all the way to Ireland and Iceland. Perhaps seeing the vast waters on the journey to Iceland gave him the urge to go further. 

    In 1484 Columbus began to formally seek monetary support for an Atlantic crossing. At first, he asked King John II of Portugal, but the king rejected the idea. Rejection has a funny way of leading to greater adventures. In 1486 Columbus then went to Spain to ask King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella for their support. Again, he received a firm “no” but that didn’t halt his plans. Persistence paid off whenever the king and queen finally agreed to support the journey in 1492. 

    That should ring a bell because certainly we’ve all heard the little rhyme, “In Fourteen-Hundred-Ninety-Two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Spain and Portugal had long been rivals on the water as they journeyed to Asia for spices. Continual conflicts along the coast of Africa made a westward approach to Asia seem quite tantalizing. If Columbus was right that Asia could be reached by sailing west, then Spain could gain an upper hand in trade. 

    On August 3, 1492, Columbus’ crew departed on three ships: the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. The journey was delayed several days because of necessary repairs to the ships but finally began a strong westward push. The conditions were less than ideal and since the waters were uncharted, the men showed full faith in Columbus. After weeks on the water, the patience of the crew grew thin. Terrible winds and equally terrible provisions led to near unrest. 

    Sometimes life has a way of pushing us nearly to our wit’s end before we get what we are searching for. That was certainly the case for Columbus. Finally, after about seventy days on the water, land was spotted on October 12, 1492. 

    Turns out that he wasn’t in Asia at all. Sure, Christopher Columbus failed to reach his destination but look at what he proved. He proved that “no” is not always the final answer. He also proved that persistence pays off and because of his journey, other expeditions led to the discovery and settling of the land that we call home. 

    Modern historians love to cut apart the story and find “new revelations” that have led to some calling Columbus terrible person. Nonetheless, I still get a deep feeling of admiration for the spirit of discovery and adventure that the early explorers possessed. In a day and age where some seldom venture beyond their local park or Facebook page, it would do us all some good to consider where we came from and the sacrifice that brought us to where we are today.