preview

Christopher Columbus Should Be Taught

Decent Essays

Every year in early October, a day rolls around that is considered a national holiday. This is Columbus day. It celebrates the day that Christopher Columbus caught sight of the Americas thousands of years ago. In preparation for this “holiday,” schools all over America, especially elementary schools, do numerous different activities to learn about Columbus. While doing this, they are taught that Columbus was a hero that solely discovered America. However, this is not the complete truth. Students should of course be taught about Christopher Columbus, but the way they are taught and the material they are taught should be altered to express the actual facts with a more age appropriate telling of history. The voyage of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans’ impact should unquestionably be taught in schools to children. A lot of people that live in America today descend from those very Europeans. The entire voyage and “discovery of America” is the history of the continent that these children live …show more content…

However, this does not mean that he discovered it. The idea that he discovered the entire land is a lie that is often taught in American elementary schools. In reality, the Indians migrated for thousands of years to finally settle in the Americas and set up their own tribes and systems. This is a fact that needs to be taught in schools rather than the idea that Columbus discovered America. The important thing that the children understand is that Christopher Columbus’s voyage mainly ended up being a good thing for the Europeans, and not the Native Americans. Additionally, in order to effectively teach young children about the history of the Americas, schools need to be sure that they make the lessons more age appropriate for young children. For instance, leaving out the violence and sexuality would most likely be the best idea until the kids reach an older age and can understand

Get Access