Christopher Columbus discovers what will later be called “America”

Historical Context Essay

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  • The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

Christopher Columbus is conventionally regarded as a hero of the Western world, and certainly he deserves fame for his successes as a navigator and tenacity as an expedition leader. However, anyone who reads the

History of the Indies

by Bartholmé de las Casas (1474-1566), or his

Short Account of the Destruction of the Indians

, 1542, must find such admiration conditioned by the horrible consequences of Columbus's discovery. Columbus was bent on finding a Western route from Europe to the East Indies, and the lure for himself and for his backers in Spain, notably King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, was gold and spices. Columbus was to have 10% and be governor of the new found lands. Having landed in the Bahamas, his expedition of three small ships moved on to Cuba, and then to Hispaniola…

1353 words

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Christopher Columbus discovers what will later be called “America”". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 February 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=281, accessed 19 March 2024.]

281 Christopher Columbus discovers what will later be called “America” 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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