Differences Between Christopher Columbus And The Discovery Of The New World

Initially, Europeans were looking for an alternate route to the East Indies, China, and India. These were the connections for more luxurious goods such as spices, tea, and silk. At the time, nobody had realized how big the world actually was. Many, even explorers that traveled to study the land, were under the impression that the world pretty much only included Africa, Asia, India, Europe, and all the other countries around those main areas. Christopher Columbus decided to sail West to try and reach India and China without having to go all the way around Africa. Little did he know that by sailing West from Europe, he'd arrive in the Bahamas only 33 days after leaving. Originally, he believed he had landed on an Asian Island. When he realized what he had discovered, he sailed back to Europe. Word of the New World spread quickly across Europe and to the other countries. Christopher Columbus and many other ships were sent back with over 1,000 men to explore the land and create Spanish settlements, which in Columbus' case, failed. …show more content…
The Spanish had the goal of spreading Catholicism and searching for riches and wealth. The Spanish took the lead in the beginning of the discovery of the New World, their empire grew to be bigger than the Roman Empire and they created a popular trade system for goods and people. The Spanish weren't the only group of people to try and take advantage of everything this New World had to offer, the French were trying to get in on it too. Like the Spanish, the French were after gold but also they were interested in finding a route connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, but were unsuccessful with that. Though the French were not able to establish permanent bases in the New World until the seventeenth