THE BEGINNER’S AMERICAN HISTORY

The paragraph headings, following the paragraph numbers, will be found useful for topical reference, and, if desired, as questions; by simply omitting these headings, the book may be used as a reader.

Teachers who wish a regular set of questions on each section will find them at the end of the section.  Difficult words are defined or pronounced at the end of the numbered paragraph where they first occur; reference to them will be found in the index.

Christopher Columbus
(1436-1506).[1]

1.  Birth and boyhood of Columbus.—­Christopher Columbus,[2] the discoverer of America, was born at Genoa,[3] a seaport of Italy, more than four hundred and fifty years ago.  His father was a wool-comber.[4] Christopher did not care to learn that trade, but wanted to become a sailor.  Seeing the boy’s strong liking for the sea, his father sent him to a school where he could learn geography, map-drawing, and whatever else might help him to become some day commander of a vessel.

[Illustration:  Columbus as A boy. (From the statue in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.)]

[Footnote 1:  These enclosed dates under a name show, except when otherwise stated, the year of birth and death.]

[Footnote 2:  Christopher Columbus (Kris’tof-er Ko-lum’bus).]

[Footnote 3:  Genoa (Jen’o-ah); see map in paragraph 21.]

[Footnote 4:  Wool-comber:  before wool can be spun into thread and woven into cloth the tangled locks must be combed out straight and smooth; once this was all done by hand.]

2.  Columbus becomes a sailor.—­When he was fourteen Columbus went to sea.  In those days the Mediterranean[5] Sea swarmed with war-ships and pirates.  Every sailor, no matter if he was but a boy, had to stand ready to fight his way from port to port.

In this exciting life, full of adventure and of danger, Columbus grew to manhood.  The rough experiences he then had did much toward making him the brave, determined captain and explorer[6] that he afterwards became.

[Footnote 5:  Mediterranean (Med’i-ter-ra’ne-an).]

[Footnote 6:  Explorer:  one who explores or discovers new countries.]

3.  Columbus has a sea-fight; he goes to Lisbon.—­According to some accounts, Columbus once had a desperate battle with a vessel off the coast of Portugal.  The fight lasted, it is said, all day.  At length both vessels were found to be on fire.  Columbus jumped from his blazing ship into the sea, and catching hold of a floating oar, managed, with its help, to swim to the shore, about six miles away.

He then went to the port of Lisbon.[7] There he married the daughter of a famous sea-captain.  For a long time after his marriage Columbus earned his living partly by drawing maps, which he sold to commanders of vessels visiting Lisbon, and partly by making voyages to Africa, Iceland, and other countries.