Christopher Columbus Sets Sail

In Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
Through Queen Isabella and many small dramas
While seeking the Indies he found the Bahamas

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Carol's Commentary: Columbus was looking for a faster route to the many islands east of India, known as the Indies, so that the trade route could be shortened. The region provided a great resource for cotton, indigo and spices. He reasoned that by going west instead of the typical east, he could navigate the circumference easily and reach the Indies from another, shorter route. But he didn't calculate the distance well. He set sail on August 3rd, 1492. The very first land he touches he names San Salvador, now part of the Bahamas. He goes on to land on Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic Island)

As to the dramas, Spain's Queen Isabella had her plate very full at the time that Columbus sought her out to fund his project. She was preoccupied with fighting the Moors, which she did successfully in January of 1492. Christopher was asking so much in terms of support: 3 ships fully stocked, a title, governorship of lands he discovered and a percentage of all he took. Most of her advisors recommended against it. In the end, even proclaiming she'd sell the royal jewels, she agreed to fund him. Fortunately, her jewels weren't auctioned off.

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