Final answer:
While textbooks accurately present dates and ship names of Columbus's voyage, they often overlook the complex consequences of his arrival. Columbus underestimated the world's size and unknowingly discovered the New World, leading to colonization and significant impact on indigenous peoples.
Step-by-step explanation:
Textbooks often properly document the dates and ship names associated with Christopher Columbus's voyages, including his departure in September 1492 with three ships, culminating in his arrival in the Caribbean on October 12, 1492. However, many have criticized the oversimplified and sometimes glorified portrayal of Columbus's impact on the New World. Columbus, financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, held inaccurate views, such as underestimating the Earth’s size and expecting to arrive in Asia, not knowing about the Americas. Upon landing on an island in the Bahamas and later on Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti), Columbus interacted with the native Taínos, mistakenly referring to them as "Indios." His encounters began a complex history of conquest and colonization that modern texts seek to portray with greater nuance, acknowledging both the momentous nature of European contact and the darker aspects of the subsequent colonizing efforts, including the mistreatment and impact on indigenous populations.