Netsua.com

Okay, here’s the FINAL edited essay - all of it. tell me what you think!

I. Introduction

It happens to all older siblings. They build a beautiful little city out of blocks. Then they leave the room. When they return, the beautiful city is destroyed by their little brother! Although this is a strange comparison, Christopher Columbus had very similar problems.

On Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the New World he built a fort called Fort Navidad. He then left some men to live in the fort for a few months while he returned to Spain. But when he came back to the New World, the fort was burned down, and all of the men dead. There are many theories as to what happened at Fort Navidad, but only a few widely accepted. And there is only one theory that makes sense: Fort Navidad was burned down by the Caribs. They burned it down because the Spaniards had treated them unfairly while they had been searching for gold.

II. Age of Exploration

During the 15th Century, there was a common need in Europe for gold (and other riches). Everybody wanted gold, as money was actually made from it back then. Other riches of need included spices and silk. All of this could be found in the far away lands of the East such as China, India, Japan, and the Indies.

Trekking over land to get to these places was a very difficult task. Getting to the East was not easy, as it took one 6 months to travel overland there, and another 6 months to return to Europe.

So how could the Europeans get the riches they wanted? They could go around. At the time, some people just assumed the world was flat – it looked flat, felt flat, so therefore, it was flat. But most educated people didn’t think so. They thought that the world was actually round and that if one sailed one way, eventually one would end up where they started again.

At this time, there was an explorer named Christopher Columbus. Being fairly educated, Columbus strongly believed that the world was round. Therefore, he believed if he sailed west, eventually he would end up in the East. That is exactly what he planned to do. He planned to sail out west and eventually reach India and China, which would present a quick and easy way to get to the gold he wanted.

Columbus asked Queen Isabella if she would fund his journey. The Queen did, and gave Columbus three ships: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. She also gave Columbus 120 crewmen to help Columbus sail. So on August 3, 1492 Columbus and his crew set out from Palos, Spain, to explore the unknown. And the unknown Columbus would find. But first, he had to survive the trip across the Atlantic Ocean.

III. The New World

Columbus was not the first man who attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean to get to the Indies, but he was the first to succeed. His success came from his being an expert sailor, and his use of the winds to go one way (to the New World) and then the other (back to Spain). This was a great achievement at the time that Columbus was probably very proud of while he crossed the Atlantic Ocean.

Columbus knew that the world was big, but he still underestimated its size. So after more than 2 months of sailing his sailors were starving, having finished all of the food. Some even started eating rats aboard the ship (World Book Encyclopedia). But Columbus kept going, knowing that eventually they would have to come to land.

But no land came. Finally, on October 10, 1492, some desperate sailors struck a deal with Columbus. If no land was spotted in three days, they would turn around and head back to Spain (World Book Encyclopedia).

Amazingly, two days later on October 12th at 2:00 AM, land was spotted in the distance! Before noon that day Columbus had arrived on shore and had claimed the land for Spain. Columbus thought that he was someplace in the Indies. But actually, he had arrived to a new continent. Soon some Indians (as Columbus called them) approached Columbus. This tribe was called the Arawak Indians. The Arawaks thought that Columbus and his crew were “Men from Heaven” (World Book Encyclopedia) and basically worshipped the Spaniards. The Arawaks traded all sorts of goods with Columbus and his crewmen. Columbus described the Arawaks as “gentle.”

Then Columbus met the chief who invited them to stay and camp near the Indian Village overnight. Columbus accepted, and he and his crewmen rested by the Arawak village for the next few days.

IV. Destroyed and Built

The hard part was over. Columbus had survived the Atlantic Ocean. Now the really hard part came – finding gold. So Columbus and his crew set out to do just that.

After a few days of rest, the Columbus left the Arawak village to explore the area some more. On October 28, 1942, Columbus and his crew entered the Bay of Bariay off Cuba. Columbus and his crew explored many other harbors nearby in the following weeks.

Then on Christmas Eve, the Santa Maria was wrecked on a reef. A young sailor was at the wheel of the Santa Maria (World Book Encyclopedia). He sailed it into Caracol Bay, and it hit a reef. The reef was only visible from the land, so anyone coming from the sea would not see a thing.

Columbus was quickly woken up and told what was happening. Worried, Columbus sent for the Arawak Indian’s chief for help. Soon, the chief arrived and helped Columbus save the cargo. Luckily, in the end, no one died and most of the cargo was saved, even though the ship was destroyed.

Although saddened by the loss of the Santa Maria, Columbus moved on, and went on to build a fort near the Arawak’s village. He named it Fort Navidad, or “Villa de la Navidad,” meaning “Village of the Nativity” (National Geographic Magazine 672) in Spanish – to honor the day that the Santa Maria sank. The fort was also built with some wood saved from the doomed Santa Maria, hence its name. Fort Navidad was the first permanent settlement settled by Europeans in the New World. Then Columbus decided it was time to go.

V. Things Change Over Time…

In 1493 Columbus returned to Spain from the New World, leaving 39 men behind at Fort Navidad. He told Queen Isabella of his discovery, and the Queen ordered Columbus to return. When he did, all of his men were dead, and the fort was burned down.

After a few months of exploring, Columbus finally decided that it was time to return to Spain. He left 39 men behind in the fort to search for gold in the area surrounding the Arawak village (Alvin M. Josephy Jr. 122). Upon leaving, Columbus took two Arawak Indians with him back to Spain as proof of his stories of the New World.

So Columbus and his crew men (except the 39 left at the fort) left the New World to return to Spain on January 16th, 1493. They made the voyage back across the Atlantic Ocean (using Columbus’s sailing skills). When he arrived back in Spain his trip was claimed a success and word was spread all over Europe. Soon afterwards, Columbus was knighted for his bravery and skill.

Since his mission was such a success, Columbus was ordered to return to the New World by Queen Isabella. So in the October of 1493, Columbus and a fleet of 17 ships left from Cadiz with about 1,500 colonists aboard.

After about a month of sailing, Columbus and his fleet finally spotted land through the fog. Columbus then fired a cannon to alert the men at Navidad that he had finally returned (Jane Frity). There was an eerie silence as Columbus waited for a returning shot. Why were his men not responding? What had happened? He ordered that another cannon be shot. The cannon echoed off into the distance and was again followed by an eerie silence (Armstrong Sperry 168). Columbus waited and waited, but there was no answer. He hid his fear from the other sailors aboard the ship as not to scare them.

Then a shape formed in the fog. As it got closer Columbus could tell that it was an Indian canoe, and aboard it were Arawak Indian passengers. They had solemn faces as they rowed slowly toward the ship. Columbus ordered his men to let the Indians aboard the ship. The Indians docked with the ship without a word. Then they informed Columbus that all of the men at Fort Navidad were dead.

Columbus was horrified. He went straight to the tribe’s chief (stopping for a moment to look at the burned down fort) who Columbus had been friendly with since they had first met. The chief told Columbus that a harsh and fierce neighboring tribe called the Caribs had burned down Fort Navidad, and killed all of Columbus’s men. The chief said that he and his tribe had tried to stop the Caribs, but there were too many. Then the chief showed Columbus his wound from the encounter.

Next, Columbus asked the chief why the Caribs had attacked his men. The chief said that Columbus’s men had searched for gold, and had eventually come upon the Caribs’s village. They had acted impolitely and had mistreated the tribe’s women and children while passing through the Caribs’ village, so the Caribs had burned down the fort and slaughtered all of Columbus’s men.

Columbus wanted to see the remains of the fort again, so the chief and Columbus visited it. It was completely burned down. There were only ashes, a few charred corpses and a noose left. Although saddened, Columbus and the fleet moved on to settle in other places nearby.

VI. The Truth

There are many theories as to what happened at Fort Navidad. One is that the Caribs did kill the Spaniards. Another is that the Spaniards had broken into gangs and killed each other. And last but not least, there is the theory that the Arawaks had killed the Spaniards, and used the Caribs as a cover-up for what they did.

The theory that the Spaniards had divided and killed each other has no evidence to support it. Why would they divide? And the Arawaks would be sure to keep peace between the two sides. Also, why would the fort be burned down? Who would want to burn down their own fort regardless of the division happening inside it? Then they would loose all protection, making them even more vulnerable. This theory is therefore unlikely.

Another theory, that the Arawaks killed the Spaniards, is highly unlikely because the Arawaks have not reason to burn down the fort. The Arawaks and Spaniards were good friends, so why would the Arawaks burn down the Spaniards’ fort?

The last theory, that the Caribs actually did kill the Spaniards is the most likely. The Arawak chief says that the Caribs had burned down Fort Navidad because the Spaniards had mistreated the Caribs’ women. Why shouldn’t Columbus believe this? The chief had helped Columbus when he needed help and supported him as a friend all along. So why would he lie? Also, the chief was wounded. That’s proof that there was a battle, and that the Arawaks did try to stop the Caribs.

VII. Conclusion

Even though it is a sad story that the Caribs burned down Fort Navidad, killing every Spaniard inside, Columbus’s journey is still marked a success for finding the New World and exploring it.

When Columbus first set out to the New World, he had no idea what would happen once he got there. He befriended the Arawak Indians, had one of his ships sunk, and he built Fort Navidad. Afterwards he returned to Spain in fame. But then, when he returned, the Caribs had burned down Fort Navidad. But he wasn’t put down. He went on to explore other parts of the New World. If it weren’t for Columbus, America may not be what it is today.

Columbus found the New World and brought modern civilization here. It could have been hundreds of years before someone else did this, and America could be hundreds of years behind its time.