The Voyage

Columbus and his crew

sailed across the Atlantic
Ocean. The voyage was
long and frightening for the
sailors. The weather had
not been kind. Sometimes
it was very stormy.
Sometimes there was no
wind in their sails. They
were at sea for 70 days.
The sailors almost gave up.
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Land ahoy!

On October 12, 1492, Columbus and
his crew saw land! They had landed
on an island and met friendly Native
Americans. Columbus believed he
had sailed around the world to the
East Indies. He did not know that he
had discovered a whole new part of
the world.
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A Fort in the New World
While exploring the islands of the
New World, the Santa Mara struck
a reef and was wrecked. It could no
longer be sailed. There wasn't
enough space in the two small
ships for all 90 sailors to return to
Spain. The crew took the Santa
Mara apart and used the lumber
to build a fort.
It was almost Christmas time, so
they named the fort La Navidad,
which means Christmas in Spanish.
The fort provided the crew a place
to live in the New World. Some
sailors stayed behind when
Columbus set sail for Spain.
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Return to Spain

When he returned to Spain,
Columbus did not have spices to
give the queen. Instead, he
brought back things from the New
World that people in Europe had
never seen before.
He presented the queen with things
like pineapples, colored parrots,
turkeys, tobacco, and hammocks. He
even brought back some Native
American people. Most importantly,
he brought back evidence of gold and
other metals, which would pay for
more voyages.
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Three More Voyages

After the first voyage, Columbus was a hero.
He sailed three more times to the New World
before he died in 1506. On his second trip, he
found La Navidad had been burned down by the
natives. On his third trip, he had to transport
convicts as colonists. They complained about
conditions, and he lost favor with the king and
queen. On his fourth and last voyage, Columbus
continued to look for a passage to India, but he
was unsuccessful. He returned to Spain, but
never regained his status with the king. He did not
die poor, however, for he had plenty of gold.

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A National Holiday
Today, people in the
United States remember
Columbus with a national
holiday. Columbus Day is
celebrated each year on
the second Monday in
October. Many
government offices and
schools are closed.
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Just for Fun
How Many Words Can You Find?
COLUMBUS DAY
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