Who Really Discovered America Essay

A common belief about Christopher Columbus was that he discovered the United States, in 1492. According to Michael Berliner, this is not the politically correct view because before Columbus arrived, many individuals had settled in America (Source D). These indigenous people were considered American Indians, mostly consisting of Indian, Chinese, and Mongolian individuals. When Columbus arrived in America, the natives looked up to Columbus and his people because

These nomads continued moving all the way to South America. By the time Europeans arrived in America, there were already at least forty to fifty million indigenous people inhabiting the land (Faber 4-5). Other explorers, from Norway, Greenland, and Iceland reached America centuries before Columbus (Faber ix). Although these people attempted to live in this new land, they didn’t stay long, and failed to create a lasting historical impact (Faber 20-26).

People argue that Christopher Columbus was the first to find America, but other people argue that the Native Americans were the first ones in America. In 1492 Christopher Columbus voyages from spain to the Americas not knowing what was there. So was Christopher Columbus the first one to find out about America? Would he be a hero or a villain for saying he did, or saying he did but actually didn’t and just wants to get the credit for 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.

Many people believe believed throughout history that the beginning of North America’s inhabitance was when Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the year 1492. They believed that he is the person who discovered America where in fact it was the Native Americans who made the initial discovery. Therefore, Columbus’s mission is considered more of a journey. One of the motivators behind the voyage was to move away from Britain and begin a new life in what was to them, land of potential opportunity.

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.

Christopher Columbus is mainly known for being the one to uncover America. He had been labeled as a brave voyager who discovered new land, and started settlement there.

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

People tend to say that “Colombus discovered America in 1492” but , they never gave credit to the people that was there first. A lot of Native Americans was living on the land first. A lot of vikings visited the lands first. Christopher Colombus just came and took over everything. Christopher

Christopher Columbus was famous for being the man to “discover” the New World. In America, he is widely revered as the man responsible for finding the country that exists today. Although well known for his admirable sailing skills and abilities, Christopher Columbus was anything but a hero and his legacy was nothing but a mere miscalculation. There is much more to the story of the explorer than what we were taught to believe was true. The only thing that was true was that he discovered a land that was not yet known by the “civilized” world. However, that does not cover up for the fact he was a murderer who basically erased the existence of the natives who inhabited the land previous to their arrival. To believe that every history textbook depicts him as this legendary person who discovered the Americas and his bravery was well recognized by the people that we created a

When I was younger, my impression of Columbus was very good, until I learned the truth about him. I was taught that he discovered the New World and was a man worth honoring because of that discovery. Yet, he did not find the New World. The Indians were already there so technically, the Natives found the New World and settled there before Columbus ever showed up. America only celebrate Columbus Day because it is the Day our world was discovered by someone of “importance”.

Schools in the United States teach students that Christopher Columbus discovered America. Christopher Columbus is glorified by history books and is celebrated in holiday called Columbus Day. The federal holiday gives students a day off to honor Christopher Columbus and his heroic achievement of discovery. However, the horrible truth is that he is not a hero and a great explorer he is portrayed to be. Christopher Columbus should not be considered a hero because he invaded America, killed many Native Americans and was a greedy person.

Columbus was an illustrious hero in America history books since most people didn't know the truth. But as time goes and people begin to read, they realized that he was the person who discovered America. He set sail on a dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean with three ships: the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. His crew almost called a revolution, but then land was spotted in 1492

The notorious Vikings were an influential force in ancient history leaving death and destruction in their wake for hundreds of years until their reign of terror ultimately collapsed. Who the Vikings were and how they were capable of traveling hundreds of miles during the Middle Ages by using water as their mode of transportation is a question that archaeologists and explorers have long tried to answer. The Viking Age started in 800 A.D., inhabited by people from Scandinavian and nearby countries, and collapsed a few hundred years later (Ogilvie, Barlow, and Jennings 35). Although a relatively short period, the Vikings’ impact was significant and archaeologists still strive to unravel the mysteries that shroud their lore, legend, and ultimate collapse. Scientific research and artifacts prove that the Vikings colonized Greenland, Iceland, and Newfoundland around the 9th and 10th centuries (Godfrey 35; McGovern 331). Evidence substantiates that the Vikings were the first Europeans to reach North America due to their exceptional shipbuilding technology, seafaring skills, and merciless determination to achieve wealth and resources. However, their heinous principles and ruthless greed initiated the demise of their social complexity and subsequent collapse of their terrorizing reign.