Christopher Columbus Letter To Spain Analysis

On February 15th of 1493, Christopher Columbus wrote a letter to King Ferdinand of Spain to describe the outcome of his voyage. In this letter, Christopher Columbus states “…you will learn how in thirty-three days I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies, with the fleet which the most illustrious King and Queen, our Sovereigns, gave to me.” (Stearns). On this voyage, Christopher Columbus takes possession of 5 islands for Spain, which he claimed no trouble was presented while taking over these territories. The Indians inhabited this land, but once Christopher Columbus and his men arrived, the Indians shared all that they possessed with the foreigners. The Indians, according to Christopher Columbus “…they all believe that power and good are in the heavens and were very firmly convinced that I, with these ships and men, came from the heavens, and in this belief they everywhere received me after they had mastered their fear.” (Stearns). One of the 5 islands was named after King Ferdinand, and another island was named after Queen Isabella. This letter to King Ferdinand was written by Christopher Columbus in 1493 while docked in the port of Lisbon, on his way back from exploring the Canary Islands and the Indies. Christopher Columbus expressed his

I assume this because in the letter, Christopher Columbus states “As soon as I arrived in the Indies, in the first island which I found, I took some of the natives by force, in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts” (Stearns). The Indians would also give Columbus and his crew materials such as spices, cotton, and even gold. Since this letter is coming from Christopher Columbus, he makes the voyage seem very successful, but if this voyage was told from the perspective of one of the crew members there could be a totally different