Christopher Columbus was a successful explorer for Spain in the late 1400's and early 1500's. His goal in life was to find a new, faster route to the Far East. Columbus wanted to establish new trade routes and find new land for Spain to colonize. Christopher Columbus accomplished many important things in his lifetime including the discovery of the Americas. Columbus's four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean began the European exploration and colonization of the Western Hemisphere.
Columbus's voyages came at a critical time when economic competition between European countries was strong. They were trying to develop new national states, seeking wealth from the establishment of trade routes, and colonies. Columbus, discovering the Americas, made it easy to explore new products for trade and use. It also made more room for countries to colonize.
On Columbus's first voyage he sailed from Palos de la Frontera on
August 3, 1492. He had three ships, the Santa Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta.
English: Columbus_1892_Issue-$5.jpg Christopher co...
English: The tomb of Christopher Columbus (Seville...
Christoper Columbus arrives in AmericaColumbus sailed on the Santa Maria. The ships stopped at the Canary Islands and on September 6, 1492 they sailed westward. After making landfall in the Bahamas at dawn on October 12, 1492, Columbus explored the coasts and named a large number of islands, including Cuba and La Espanola.
On Columbus's second voyage he left Spain in September 1493 this time with 17 ships and 1,200 men. He discovered the Windward and Leeward Islands that were along the eastern Caribbean, explored Puerto Rico, the southern coast of Cuba and Jamaica, and sailed around Hispaniola Columbus. On October 13, 1493 they stopped at Madeira and the Canary Islands. On this voyage he formed the colony of Hispaniola.
On Columbus's third voyage, from May 30, 1498 to October 1500, Columbus sailed farther south, to Trinidad and Venezuela. Columbus was the...