1 The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas.
2 The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he stumbled upon the Americas. Though he did not really “discover” the so-called New World—millions of people already lived there—his journeys marked the beginning of centuries of exploration and colonization of North and South America.
3 Abstract
According to revisionist historians and American Indian activists, Christopher Columbus deserves condemnation for having brought slavery, disease, and death to America's indigenous peoples. We ask whether the general public's beliefs about Columbus show signs of reflecting these critical accounts, which increased markedly as the 1992 Quincentenary approached. Our national surveys, using several different question wordings, indicate that most Americans continue to admire Columbus because, as tradition puts it, "he discovered America," though only a small number of mainly older respondents speak of him in the heroic terms common in earlier years. At the same time, the percentage of Americans who reject traditional beliefs about Columbus is also small and is divided between those who simply acknowledge the priority of Indians as the "First Americans" and those who go further to view Columbus as a villain. The latter group of respondents, we find, show a critical stance toward modal American beliefs much more broadly. We also analyze American history school textbooks for evidence of influence from revisionist writings, and we consider representations of Columbus in the mass media as well. Revisionist history can be seen as one consequence of the "minority rights revolution" that began after World War II and has achieved considerable success, but the endurance of Columbus's reputation-to a considerable extent even among the minorities who have the least reason to respect him-raises important questions about the inertia of tradition, the politics of collective memory, and the difference between elite and popular beliefs.
4 Anti-Columbus messages are by no means the only ones being sent. Some are using it to share inspirational messages: " 'You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore' - Christopher Columbus. Happy #ColumbusDay!" (Actually a quote from Andre Gide's 1925 novel, The
5 Although he wasn't the best man to ever exist, we cannot call Columbus a villain. His discoveries changed the world forever and the entire course of history. Yet, at the same time, he should never be regarded as a hero. His treatment of humans was undeniably atrocious and should never be forgotten.
