Many people are raised thinking that Columbus discovered America when in actuality it wasn't. The voyages of Christopher Columbus opened the New World but Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto is credited with the discovery of continental North America on June 24, 1497, under the commission of Henry VII of England. Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa. Christopher Columbus was “the oldest child of a family of weavers and woolen merchants from the Italian port of Genoa”. His family were respectable, but they were not wealthy” (TheSchoolRun). From a young age, Columbus loved the sea and he began sailing in his teens. For schooling, “Columbus attended the prestigious Prince Henry's School of Navigation in Sagres, Portugal” (Study.com) which …show more content…
For about 5 months Columbus sailed the Caribbean, particularly the islands of Juana. “He left thirty-nine men to build a settlement called La Navidad in present-day Haiti. He also kidnapped several Native Americans to take back to Spain—only eight survived” (Columbus). Columbus also brought back a small amount of gold as well as several native birds and plants to “show the richness of the continent he believed to be Asia”(Columbus). When Columbus came back to Spain on March 15, 1493, he wrote a letter announcing his discoveries to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Columbus’s second trip began on September 25, 1493. “The gold, parrots, spices, and human captives Columbus displayed for his sovereigns at Barcelona convinced all of the need for a rapid second voyage” (Britannica). Columbus, now at the height of his popularity, led at least 17 ships from Cádiz. These ships carried roughly 1,200 men and their plans this time were colonization and to spread Christian evangelization. This time he goes to Hispaniola, explores other Caribbean islands, and creates several cities on some islands. During this trip “Columbus leaves his two brothers in charge of the settlements on Hispaniola and returns to