Christopher Columbus: Did He Discover America?
Historians have debated for many years over the controversy of Columbus' exploration of America. Native Americans find it offensive to say that Christopher Columbus discovered America, when there were already millions of people living here already. Still the debate goes on about the importance of one man's idea to reach the East by sailing west. There are many misconceptions about his exploration. Was he really trying to prove that the world was, in fact, round? What was the real reason that Queen Isabella of Spain trusted this Italian sailor with such a huge undertaking? Did he ever know that he had not reached the Orient? Did he really die, peniless in prison? So many questions and so much debate. Can you find the definitive answers and give enough supporting facts to uphold your arguement?I will give 5 points extra credit to each person that can come up with facts that can't be disputed. And 10 points to any student that can prove another student wrong.
posted by bcoffman | 10:21 AM
14 Comments:
Christopher Columbus was not even the first European to reach the North American continent. The first Europeans, the Vikings, arrived in North America in the 11th century. They had settlements in parts of present-day Canada for a short while. Also the country had been inhabited by Indians for many centuries
RYAN DAHM 2nd HOUR
Leif Erikson a vikings was not the first european in america but but arrived almost 500 years before mr. columbus. it is also said that the first Europeans colonised America in 28,000 BC about 30,000 years ago!
RYAN DAHM
Okay, first of all the question isn't about who landed first in north america or the united states for that matter, it is the questioning of what was the REAL purpose and reasoning behind the exploration. Therefore neither one of your comments work because they are both irrelevant. However, the answer to one of the questions would be: No, Chistopher Columbus was not trying to prove that the world was round because it was already proven before his time. His reason however was to find a westward route to Asia which grew out of the practical experience of a long and varied maritime career, as well as out of his considerable reading in geographical and theological literature. He settled for a time in Portugal, where he tried unsuccessfully to enlist support for his project, before moving to Spain. After many difficulties, through a combination of good luck and persuasiveness, he gained the support of the Catholic monarchs, Isabel and Fernando.
Krista Kiser 2hr.
WOW ms. krista thank you! lets take something we learn in class, search it and copy and past it from an internet site! nice work! haha wow
Christpher Columbus was most definately not the first person to discover America. For instance when he first came here he said oh look indians therefore proving that there were people in the Americas before Christopher Coulmbus ever came along.
Rachel Wilzbach-6th hour
So culumbus was not the 1st person to descover america. Thats why the Native Americans were here, long before Christopher Columbus was even born!!!! So Christopher wasnt looking to prove the world was round either, he was trying to finda short cut the indies. Which in fact he didnt find either...funny thing is he is really famous for alot he didnt do. in reality i think he was just a big faliure that got super lucky.
i feel Christopher Columbus did not discover America. there were many native tribes on the land. so in my opinion the natives who were on the land should get the credit for discovering America.
I believe that Leif Erikson first sailed to the Americas. However, I have to give Columbus some credit for re-discovering America, if you will. Columbus didn't think he had found a new land. He thought he was in India. Hence, the Native-Americans being called Indians.
I believe if one looks closely at the idea of discovery, he/she will agree that Columbus did in fact discover the Americas. It was no highly known fact that the Americas even existed as proven by Columbus's misconception. This does not invalidate his discovery. Imagine this: One person walks into a dark room and runs into a large object. There is no light to see what the object is, so he calls it a small statue. A second person walks into the same room and runs into the same object; he thinks it's a small piece of pottery and later tells his friend about it. If it, in fact, turns out to be a statue, that does not invalidate the second person's discovery of the object. I will make another post concerning the means, motives, and "failures" of his DISCOVERIES.
If anyone were to look at a map made during these times, it is easy to tell that explorers knew that the world was indeed round. While Queen Isabella and her advisers thought Columbus was a fool and misjudged his distance to Asia as too short (These guys were the real geniuses) they did not want the discovery of a new route to be discovered by a different nation. As for his discovery of the Americas and his knowledge of it, I find this hard to prove with any certainty. Some people say he died in a house in Valledoid where a statue of the Santa Maria is show outside the house which makes the most sense to me. I don't see how a world explorer would let himself be jailed for exploring.
I am Native American and the comments I find amusing at best. Our people have always been in America and always will be.
Cristopher Columbus did not discover America. He just helped Europeans to realize that the North American continent existed. There were several Native American tribes that inhabited the land long before Cristopher Columbus arrived. They just never traveled back to the other continents to let the others know that they discovered a new land.
I find it hilarious that everyone seems to think or believe (especially Americans) that Cristo Columbo landed, or stood on North American soil. You could say the "Americas" but that emcompaces 2 massive continents when he really landed on some Caribbean Islands.
@Roger - Have you not heard of the Kennewick Man?
Not to denigrate the Native Indian or downplay the role they played in building the foundation of American civilization, but the 9000 year old skeletal remains found on the Columbia River in Washington State in 1996 clearly indicate a European presence in the country prior to Indian settlement.
Though some Indian tribes in the region attempted to claim the remains as ancestral, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against them as none could show cultural or genetic affiliation.
Let's not forget too that much of the U.S. was originally inhabited by Spanish pioneers. Their history and influence is evidenced by the numerous settlements with Spanish names, particularly in the southernmost states.
If not for the Spanish-American war which broke out after Spain was falsely accused of sinking an American warship, the illegal immigrant "shoe" might well be on the other foot.
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