Prather 1 Abigail Prather Mr. Sheumaker US History 13 October 2017 Leif Eriksson: First to Discover America To this day all of America celebrates Columbus Day in honor of him discovering North America. But what if a mistake was made in acknowledging Columbus as the founder? What if somebody else found it first? Years later we’ve traced back 500 years before Columbus was even born and found that he was not the first person to discover America..a Viking named Leif Eriksson was. (Erikssons story was sadly duped with some made up story so no one knows for sure which story to believe.) Leif Eriksson was believed to have been born in Iceland around 979 B.C., he spent his formative years in desolate Greenland, he was a Northman and a Viking. …show more content…
1000 when he was blown off course, and instead found a rocky land barren land in which is now known as present-day Canada, then found with grapevines and named it Vinland. Eriksson gave the land a name Helluland which is Norwegian for “Stone Slab Land.” Researchers believe that this location could possibly have been Baffin Island. Eriksson then voyaged south to a location they called Markland (Forestland), which was most likely present-day Labrador, before they finally set up a base camp most likely on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland. They made their way back soon after and brought back much needed timber, and grapes. Other Vikings continued to sail west to Vinland for at least the ensuing decade. In spite of North America’s bountiful resources, the Viking settlers stayed in desolate Greenland. This was most likely due to the violent happenings—including the slaying of Eriksson’s brother Thorwald–they encountered with the indigenous population of North America. While Columbus is celebrated and honored with his own day and everyone gets a day off. Some of us out there still recognize Leif Eriksson as being the rightful founder of our land and celebrate him instead because...he is the rightful founder. 500 years apart makes a world of a difference and that world is the one we live in specifically North
Columbus Day should be a day of remembrance for the Native American people, instead of a day of celebration for the historical beginning of America. The Europeans came to America and claimed that they discovered the land. But the truth was that there were Native American people living in America way before the Europeans arrived. The Europeans oppressed the Native Americans.
The attention that columbus brought to america led to its discovery because once the land was found, people later named it america. Source one states, “columbus brought america to the attention of the civilized world…..the result, ultimately was the united states of
America should still celebrate Columbus Day, even though he was in charge for killing thousands of innocent people he still did have the right idea and stuck with it to find new land and gold to make spain richer, himself too. He had to beg and beg for the king and queen to give him ships for along time, 1 year exactly, once he was granted it he put so much time, his whole life, to find what he didn't know was actually real or there. Even though Amerigo Vespucci found the actual land, Columbus was the one who had the right idea and gave Vespucci the idea to go searching for it. Without Columbus no one would have found it or even knew it was there. Some people think that it shouldn't be counted because he did get innocent people killed, many
I don’t think that the United States should recognize Colombus Day as Indigenous Day because of the conteversy that Columbus caused to the Native americans . Christopher Colombus was getting create for something that he didn’t discover. The native americans got little to no credit for being there first. We don’t get to learn about how Colombus treated the Native Americans as well. The only thing that America praises him for is the discovery of new land.
Even though Columbus didn’t make a very good decision, he still helped our country because after he found this Country, Europeans started coming to the United States and they brought art, science, music, religion principles, medicine and philosophy but, he still brought murderers with him to the United States. We shouldn’t celebrate Columbus Day because of all wrong choices he
We should not celebrate Columbus day. We should not celebrate columbus day because columbus did not find amaria first people were already living there. In the article, It states, while others may have reached America before him. If people got there before columbus then he did not discover america. Most people celebrate columbus day because he discovered america if he did not discover america why should he get a holiday. columbus just found land he did not even go in america he just found land that already had people on it. In the text it states, if Columbus knew the United States had a holiday honoring him -- even though he never actually set foot in any of the now superpower's 50 states. Why should we celebrate some one who did not even step
Christopher Columbus sailed for Spain in 1492 and claimed all islands around San Salvador looking for gold. Spain eventually sent Columbus back to create an Empire. America should not celebrate Columbus Day because of Columbus’ cruel punishments towards others, the way he influenced today's world, and the way he did not prove anything new. Christopher Columbus caused cruel punishment by cutting peoples hands off, making dogs attack the Native Americans, and by silencing the Native Americans. Columbus Day should not be celebrated because he influenced today's world negatively through slavery,stereotyping, and genocide. Finally, Columbus did not prove anything new because people already lived in the new world, he was not the first non-american
Columbus in the New world. America should not continue to celebrate Columbus Day because it brought destruction to Native Americans, provokes and discriminates Native Americans and Columbus never really discovered the Americas. It brought destruction to Native Americans by destroying them completely in the Caribbeans after two decades, punishing them in terrible ways and bringing slavery to them. It hurts Native Americans today through culture, racism and emotionally. And Columbus never really discovered the New Lands since America was not close to empty, he already had knowledge of “New Lands” and he was possibly wasn’t even the first non-american to reach the
Columbus day should not be celebrated because he was part of the Columbia exchange which traded people, animals, and foods. He also had a great thirst for gold like many other explorers. he has also been accused for spreading smallpox and the flu, which killed 70 to 80 percent of the population of the Native American's, but this happen over many decades. holding Columbus responsible is not very logical but some people still believe it because he traveled all over the world and he could have picked up a disease that didn't harm people but could harm a person with a lower immune system from another country. he also called the Spaniards wild, starving, beasts because they tried to take over the Indian's which Christopher Columbus discovered. King
The second Monday in October is celebrated across America as Columbus Day. It is a celebration of the man who discovered America. In school, children are taught that Christopher Columbus was a national hero. In actuality, the man was a murderer. It is true that he found a land that was unknown to the "civilized" world, yet in this discovery, he erased the natives inhabiting the land. With slavery, warfare, and inhumane acts, Christopher Columbus and the men who accompanied him completely destroyed a people, a culture, and a land. These are not actions that should be heralded as heroic.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean and discovered what we now know as the Americas… or so it’s been taught. In all actuality, there were already Native people who had been living in the continents for thousands of years. Since 1937, the US has used this “discovery” as a holiday known as Columbus Day to celebrate a man who established the beginning of colonization of the New World. While Columbus did begin the colonization of the Americas, he was not the one who discovered them. History tends to be told from the privileged perspective which is why it’s taught that Columbus discovered these lands. The celebration of Columbus Day promotes the idea of colonization and the marginalization of Native Americans; people also believe it
The arrival of Columbus in 1492 has been viewed with mixed feelings with others believing the day should be viewed as an occasion for mourning. Some activists advocate for the day to be replaced with a day for ethnic diversity. The belief that he discovered America is not to say that he was the first to set his eyes on America, it meant that he opened up America to new opportunities. This was by bringing America to the attention of the New World by bringing the civilization of Western Europe to its residents. It was the discoveries of Columbus that led to an interaction of ideas and people and different cultures that made America what it is today.
When I was younger , I was taught that Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean blue , in 1492”. I was taught to think of a hero ; The man who discovered America. Columbus day to me was just a day off , where I didn’t have to go to school. I feel that a fair amount of Americans today think of Columbus day the same way. I think very few people actually take the time
Leif Erickson was the son of Eric the Red, Eric the Red was an explorer that became a leader of a colony in Greenland, the colony that Eric the Red owned was later handed over to his son Leif. Leif Erickson was born in Iceland in the year 980, after Leif was born he was moved to Greenland with his father Eric the Red and some of his brothers. Later in his life around 1000 A.D., about 500 years before Christopher's voyage, Leif set out to discover new lands. Trying to follow Bjarnes tracks Leif Erickson led his Vikings over the Atlantic Ocean to the new land. Leif Erickson had drifted by the wind way out of course and spotted a flat wooded coastline far westward, this was the new world. When Leif got to this new land he founded a place named Vinland, he called it that because of all the grape vines the Vikings found there. It was later named America, after an Italian named Amerigo Vespucci. After a few years the colony in Vinland was abandoned after hostile attack by the native people along with the fact that it got too cold. The settlers moved across the land until their population numbered 3,000. But in the 1400s the climate changed dramatically for the worse and the settlement had disappeared within a few decades. Leif Erickson had opened a new land rich with resources for the Vikings to explore, but for some reason, the Vikings only
We celebrate Columbus Day every year since 1937. He traveled from Spain to North America trying to find the Northwest passage on August 3rd, 1492. He failed to find the passage ,but instead he found new land. People think as him as a hero ,but most people haveńt heard of the things he had done. People now of today are still debating whether or not if he should have a holiday. Celebrating Columbus Day shouldn't happen. He did horrible things to the natives, children, and countless other people. He shouldn’t have a holiday as it will be shown multiple times and again.