This Country of Ours. Ch 4: How America was Named

From Micah (year 2):
Before Columbus died, he wrote a letter to Portugal. The guy whose name was like America and Columbus were friends. Some people said that Amerigo traveled four or six times across from Spain to the Islands. He also rode a horse (Columbus). Amerigo found America.

Second listening (in chunks):
When Columbus came back, then he told everybody that he proved that the monsters weren't real. And all the scary and creep stories were false. Everybody wanted to go across the sea To see if they could reach India. But it wasn't really India.

Amerigo decided to have a sea life because he was tired of trading. He had been in Spain for four years all trading. He knew Columbus. It was very likely that he saw Columbus riding through the streets on his day of triumph.

Amerigo probably took about six voyages. The first were from Spain, then they were from Portugal, then in the end he went back to Spain. They weren't his voyages, they were led by other people. He was one of the sailors on them.

He wrote a book to an old school friend and it was so interesting that it was published and read by many people. His voyages were mostly to South America, and was convinced that South America was a continent.

A professor wrote a book about the three parts of the world: Asia, Africa and Europe, and a new part of the world, which he called America. At first the name "America" was only for the south part. Columbus was associated only with the North part.

Later a map maker named both continents "America". The people in Spain wanted the North part named after Columbus. Some people even wanted to name it after Isabella.

Amerigo didn't name America, the people did. He and Columbus were friends.

Columbus has his name on parts of many places on the continent.

This Country of Ours. Ch 4: How Columbus Returned in Triumph

From Micah (year 2):
Columbus sailed out four times. When he came back to the little Island, the fort was all destroyed and burned up, and he found eleven graves. When he came back to Spain, the king and queen were glad to have him back, and the pope decided that all of the Islands to the west should belong to Spain and all of the Islands to the East should belong to Portugal. The big ship got wrecked. Columbus went back to Spain in the little ship that he had with him. Not everyone fit, so some stayed on the found Island, but wild Commanches came and attacked it. Columbus was well liked after that. And the second and third and forth time that he went out across the sea of darkness, it was easy to get other men.

This Country of Ours, Ch. 3 How Columbus Fared Forth Upon The Sea of Darkness and Came to Pleasant Lands Beyond

From Micah (year 2):

They saw many savages.

The sailors lost heart.

They sailed from Spain to India. Well, they were trying to get to India. But on the way they got to other Islands. White snow-birds came. So they thought land was near. At night, Columbus saw a light disappearing and re-appearing. I think that was a savage carrying it. The sailors wanted to throw Columbus overboard, because they wanted to go back home.

From Mom:

Columbus's ship left Spain, and as land went out of sight on the journey, the men cried, thinking they would never see their homes again. (Remember, they had been forced on this journey). They sailed for weeks and weeks. Columbus kept track of how far they had gone, but showed the men a track with much less distance than the real log, because he didn't want the men to know how far from home they were. The men grew discouraged and planned mutiny - to throw Columbus overboard and return home. But the Captain thought he spotted land, and everyone grew more cheerful. It was just a cloud however. They also saw seaweed and land birds, that made them think they were close to land, but they never got there. They were again discouraged and planning to toss out Columbus and return home, when Columbus himself spotted what looked like a light appearing and disappearing. Two other seamen verified that it was indeed a light, and at 2am the next morning, land was sighted, for real this time. Columbus was so pleased that he bowed his knees and prayed, and kissed the ground when they landed.

They came in search of gold, but all they found were natives, tobacco, potatoes, and a little gold. He was still convinced that he was off the shore of India, and kept going from Island to Island looking for India, or at least gold and spices. He was in fact, between North and South America, in the Islands that, because of his journey, called the "West Indies".