SOAPTONE Letter to Luis de Santangel

Source  

Who wrote the document?  

Christopher Columbus

What is the author’s background/point of view?   

Christopher Columbus an Italian that was hired by the Spanish Empire to find a trade route to China. His purpose was to find riches and spices.

Whose point of view, given the topic, is
missing?  

The Natives

Do you consider the source a reliable one on this topic?  Why/why not?  

No, because he, Columbus, was bias. He was greedy and looking for riches therefore he exaggerated the glory of what he found because he actually didn’t find anything.

Occasion  

When was the document written?  

1493

What does the date of the document tell you about its content?  

This document was written during his return voyage home.

What other historical events were going on during this time? 

Spain kicks out all of the Islams. The Treaty of Tordesillas happened during this time as well.

Audience  

To whom is the author writing?  

The author is directly writing to Luis de Santangel, a priest. He, however, may have realized that it would be published or shared with others causing him to boast more about his discoveries.

What type of document is this (diary entry, personal letter, public speech,
etc.)?    

Personal letter.

Does the private/public nature of the document inform you about its content
(is the author sharing private thoughts, making a public pronouncement,
etc.)?  

This looks like a private letter, but Columbus may have realized that it would be placed in the public’s eye so he did not share private thoughts. Instead he over exaggerated his findings so that he could get funded to go back.

Purpose  
Why was the document written?  What is the purpose of the document?  

The document was written so that Columbus could get funded to go back over to the America’s to find gold and Christianize natives.

What is the document saying?  

He is trying to justify going back to the New World. Christopher is almost desperate for this because he is now out of a job and did not do his previous job correctly.

Tone

What is the attitude of the speaker?

Christopher Columbus is overly optimistic.