They then decided to support Christian expansion and finance the exploration and evangelistic expedition of Columbus. It was in that year that Christendom-still suffering from the loss of Constantinople to the Muslim Turks 40 years prior-drove Islam out of Spain and Europe with Isabella and Ferdinand playing the pivotal role. But because of his Christian faith, seafaring skills, and conviction about finding a westward passage, and his brave willingness to lead an armed flotilla to rescue the Church of the Holy Sepulcher from Muslim hands in the eastern Mediterranean, they had a change of heart toward Columbus.įew years in history have been punctuated by such pivotal events as what happened in 1492. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain had turned down Columbus several times. Recognizing the cost of undertaking such a voyage required state sponsorship, Columbus spent the next six years traipsing across Europe seeking support from sovereignties of the leading maritime countries, only to find rejection and ridicule. By his late thirties, his “calling” came, recorded in his diary: “It was the Lord who put into my mind, I could feel his hand upon me…that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies.” There he learned about celestial navigation, which further confirmed his confidence to sail west “around” the world to India and the Spice Islands. For a seafarer with his ambition and vision, there was no better country on which to wash up than Portugal, a nation with the world’s most advanced tools of navigation and map-making. When the Flemish-flagged ship on which he was crew was attacked and sunk off the coast of Portugal, he survived by sheer determination, finding some flotation debris and then kicking his way to shore some five miles away. It was then that he felt God’s conviction to find a western sea route, knowing it would have far-reaching benefits.Ĭolumbus faced death numerous times. As an inspired Christian, Columbus was deeply affected by the militant face of Islam at the eastern end of the Mediterranean that created a blockade to Europe’s important trade with the Orient. Born and raised in Genoa, Italy, he was the consummate self-made man who went to sea crewing on various ships at an early age. The primary legacy of Columbus was that in discovering the New World, he opened the door to exploration and colonization of those new territories by Europeans who followed.Ĭolumbus left voluminous writings that reveal what motivated him to do what he did. Columbus’ four expeditions to the New World between 14 were focused exclusively on Caribbean islands and territories which are now Latin America-Central America and South America. In fact, Columbus never set foot on or even saw any territory that later became part of the continental United States. Others blame Columbus for unfair treatment of the various indigenous people without considering that it wasn’t so much Columbus, but the mix of his Spanish machismo crew encountering ruthless indigenous tribes that included cannibals and the warrior culture of the Aztecs that contributed to the strong force needed to survive. Some modern-day revisionist historians have taken cheap shots at Columbus, taking a chapter out of Lenin in charging him with being an imperialist. In Latin, Columbus means dove while Christopher means Christ-bearer. It has been said that he chose to call himself Christopher Columbus because he liked what this name meant. He was born in 1451 in the port city of Genoa, in what is now Italy, and was named Cristofor Colombo. The real Columbus whom few today know much about is an exemplary figure worthy of celebrating for many reasons. Powell OctoReligion and Civic Life Originally published at Townhall Why Columbus Day Should Be Celebrated Scott S. Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flipboard Print Email
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