Christopher Columbus

This lithograph, published in 1892, highlights Christopher Columbus as "Discoverer of America." This identification of Columbus reflects prevailing ideas at the time that associated Columbus with discovering the United States. 

Print showing Columbus standing among crew aboard ship with distant view of land on the horizon.

This letter, addressed from King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, discusses Columbus's journey to the New World and their goals for his voyage. The monarchs assert that Columbus will conquer the territory he journeys to and that the subjects within these territories will…

This presidential proclamation, issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson, designated October 12th of each year as Columbus Day to celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of America. In his proclamation, Johnson noted Columbus's vision, courage, and symbolism as a figure representing…

This letter addressed to Lord Rapheal Sanchez, treasurer to King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, was written by Christopher Columbus shortly after his first voyage into the New World. Columbus recounts his experiences with the native peoples he encountered and his…

After his first transatlantic voyage, Christopher Columbus sent an account of his encounters in the Americas to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Several copies of his manuscript were made for court officials, and a transcription was published in April 1493. This Latin translation was…

Illustration shows Christopher Columbus pointing to a spot on a map while Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain look on.

<p><span class="deck"> <span class="typestyle"> Was Columbus motivated by Norse discoveries, concealed over the centuries in misinterpreted maps?</span> </span></p>

<p><span class="deck"><span class="typestyle">The discoverer of the New World was responsible for the annihilation of the peaceful Arawak Indians</span> </span></p>

<p>No event in the history of Western man provided so profound a shock as the discovery of America</p>

<p><span class="body"><span class="body">But didn’t Columbus discover America all by himself? And who were the Pinzóns anyway? Good questions—and not one American in ten thousand probably knows the correct answers.</span></span></p>

<p><span class="deck">Remembering Samuel Eliot Morrison</span></p>

<p><span class="deck"><span class="typestyle">The Fate of the New World’s First Spanish Settlement</span> </span></p>

<p>Here are some interesting facts about his epic voyage and its impact.</p>

<p>The discoverer of the New World was first and foremost a sailor says the historian who won the Pulitzer Prize for his brilliant biography of Columbus.</p>

<p><span class="deck">This nautical chart, lost for five centuries, gives evidence that Portuguese captains had found the New World by 1424</span></p>