Editor’s Note: Michelle Monser’s essay, “Lessons From Christopher Columbus’ Life,” which won first prize in the Grades 9-12 category of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Oneonta Chapter, essay contest. Michelle is a 10th grader in the Monser Homeschool Academy, Oneonta.
There is a lot to be learned from the people who have gone before us. The people of ancient times learned many things that we should learn today. Christopher Columbus was one such person. He is remembered as the man who, in the face of opposition and uncertainty, discovered the Americas.
This brings up the question of what lessons from Christopher Columbus we can learn as we face an unknown future. By examining Christopher Columbus’ story, his preparation, and his perseverance, we can attempt to answer this question.
Christopher Columbus and his brothers came up with a plan to sail west around the world to reach the Indies, which had only been accessible by a land path for years.
After seven years, Columbus convinced Spain to financially support the voyage and in August 1492 he set sail with three ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Niña. Columbus reached Haiti after a few weeks, where he set up a settlement and started trade, thinking he had reached Japan.
His second two trips to Haiti included discovering his established colony destroyed. He started a new colony, discovered the Bahamas, and reached the South American mainland at Venezuela.
In 1500, a governor, who had recently assumed office in Spain, traveled to view the settlement in Haiti and found that some of the Spanish sailors were jealous of the non-Spanish Columbus brothers.
The Spaniards disrespected the natives by forcefully taking their riches and women, which lead to the hanging of a few Spaniards by the natives. This, combined with the governor’s already formed bad opinion of the colony, resulted in Columbus being shipped back to Spain in chains.
The Spanish monarchs, however, restored his favor and financed his final voyage in which he explored Central America and found few riches. He died never realizing the huge discovery he had made.
Now, Christopher Columbus’ preparation included assumptions and calculations. Columbus assumed that some Asian islands extended out into the ocean farther than commonly thought.
Columbus also figured that the Earth was smaller than common belief and that land masses were placed closer together.
...When Columbus presented his plan to the king of Portugal, and later, the king and queen of Spain, hoping for their consent, the rulers were advised against accepting his proposal as they believed his calculations to be incorrect.
Columbus was also a man who had frequented the water and had much experience sailing. He used his knowledge of the sea, the wind patterns, and other naval-related things to plan his voyage. He also used his knowledge of maps, gleaned from when he worked at a cartographer’s, to map his estimated route and to place where he believed the Asian islands to be.
Finally, Christopher Columbus exhibited great perseverance in finding a country to sponsor him and in returning to the land he had discovered.
In 1487, Columbus petitioned the king of Portugal with his plan, and was rejected. He went, then, and petitioned the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand II and Isabella I to support him, and he stayed in Spain, pleading, for seven years. They paid him an annual stipend during that time, but did not accept his proposal, choosing to keep their options open.
... Later, he returned three times to the western world. He set up two colonies in Haiti, and explored Central America, looking for riches, for China, and for India. His calculations had been wrong and his discoveries not as grand as he had hoped, or so he thought, but he kept on trying and did find a few riches and unheard of plants and spices. What he didn‘t know was that he had made one of the greatest discoveries in the world!
Now that we have looked at Columbus’ story, his preparation, and his perseverance, we are well equipped to answer the question, “What lessons have we learned from Christopher Columbus?” We have learned to trust in our preparations, to persevere in our plans, and the idea that even if things don’t go the way we planned, they can still turn out amazing. Christopher Columbus was a man who had an idea that he believed in and that he executed. Columbus trusted his assumptions and calculations, and acted on them. He possessed much perseverance in obtaining a way to fulfill his plan and in actually making it happen. So when an unsure future has you discouraged, remember the lessons you learned from the life of Columbus.
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| Oneonta area winners of the Daughter of the American Revolution annual essay contest were honored at a luncheon Saturday, March 12. Front row, from left, are Mary Lynch, fifth grade, Center Street School, and Mason Weir, sixth grade, Laurens Central School. Second row, from left, Sarah Brackett, seventh grade, Oneonta Middle School and Sara Horne, eighth grade, Oneonta Middle School, and Michelle Monser, home-schooled. Back row, from left, are teachers Calla Peters, Laurens, Sandy Bright, Center Street, and Susannah Monser. |
