Yes, Columbus Discovered America

badeagle.com ^ | 10/11/2009 | David Yeagley

[Sioux-san]

Of course Columbus discovered America—from his point of view. The word “discover” doesn’t mean no one else knew about America, or that no one was living here. It just means he landed on shores his society had not landed on before. Because he landed elsewhere than expected, they said he “discovered” the place. It was new to them. No one of his culture had landed here before.

But it is the greatness of Columbus that liberals cannot abide...no great achiever is allowed recognition. And that which the world has previously considered great and honorable must now be denigrated, demeaned, and condemned. Indeed, damned as evil and wrong. That’s what Jeffrey Kolowith is teaching his kindergarten students in Tampa, Florida. They mustn’t like Columbus. He was bad. “He was very, very mean, very bossy,” says Kolowith, poisoning the little children’s minds with disdain, aversion, and hatred for the very elements of character required to achieve anything grand....

Not to mention the “Indian” issue inherent. Columbus never met an “American Indian.” He met South American indigenous peoples on an island, his main encounter with a tribe which had fled another tribe. The weaker Taino had moved away from the more aggressive Caribbean tribes. Columbus came into contact with a pre-existing social condition of strife and displacement.

But let today’s “Taino” explain to Donna Sabis-Burns (U.S. Department of Education’s School Support and Technology Program) the inaccuracies of historical depictions of Taino Indians. Consider, Chief Matthew Creel, of the Edisto Tribal Council of South Carolina, who dresses in distinct Northern Plains Indian clothing, helps the South American Taino Indians (Puerto Ricans in New Jersey and the Taino Jatibonicu’ Tribe of Boriken, Puerto Rico) put on the Puerto Rican version of a Plains Indian pow-wow... I wonder if Ms. Sabis-Burns is concerned about accuracy here.

[Sioux-san]

Home schooling is the only answer for the Patriots of this land.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Leif Ericson discovered America hundreds of years before Columbus.

[STONEWALLS]

“The weaker Taino had moved away from the more aggressive Caribbean tribes.”

aggressive = cannibalistic

[Stepan12]

Leif Ericson's landing was not culturally significant; neither were the indians.

I would say it was Columbus who discovered America -- discovered it for Europe and began to bring western science, technology, greek philosophy, Christianity; etc., to America.

Neither Leif Ericson or the indians did that.

Columbus was a hero and we should celebrate this day!

[al baby]

And Obama destroyed it

[Ancient Drive]

Anyone watching History Channel’s take on Columbus? They’re ripping into him. The usual crap. Sanguinary.. white man diseases.. they’re portraying the Indians in a better light. These Indians brutally massacred his first colony. 39 people beheaded.

[HiTech RedNeck]

It’s amazing how politically polluted the skewls are getting.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Nothing, of course, about how the stout Spaniards that followed got the Central American human sacrifices to stop.

[JHBowden]

Europe discovered the Americas. The Americas did not discover Europe.

Even though the Vikings were there first, Columbus deserves credit for the dis-covery — by uncovering unknown lands, Columbus, as a result of his daring, courage, and initiative (traits liberals want to discourage in government schools) brought East and West together and changed the course of history. THAT is why Columbus gets a holiday, and Vasco da Gama and Ponce de Leon do not.

The stuff about slavery is not essential to the story— we wouldn’t study Michael Jordan by rewatching his missed free throws and bad passes. History is the highlight reel of humanity. In contrast, slavery is a human norm — it is in the Bible, it is in Aristotle — no one made an effort to abolish it until after the Western Enlightenment.

While the slave trade is definitely something to be aware of, to place it above Columbus’ achievement is nothing more than political advocacy, a postmodern Marxism that wants us to feel bad about our own culture while feeling good about others. The Aztecs were one of the most brutal and barbaric civilizations ever, yet no one makes a fuss about it — this is proper because human brutality is nothing new.

[OpeEdMunkey]

Of course Columbus discovered America—from his point of view

And that of the civilized (i.e. European) world.

[Vince Ferrer]

Yes, yes, everyone discovered America before Columbus, but what effect did they have on the world? At the time, Europe, and especially Spain, was locked in an epic battle repelling Muslims from Europe. The continent was mired in an economic depression we called the dark ages because trade along the ancient land route to asia, the silk road, had been taken over by Islam and was blocked.

Columbus, along with the other great voyagers of discovery found seas routes to asia and restablished trade with China and India, brought whole new continents into the sphere of Europe, created an agricultural boom by bring back new plants such as potatos, which could grow where European crops would fail. (Ireland) lifted Europe out of the dark ages and gave Europe a 500 year reprieve from invading Islam.

Here is the Columbus effect in pictures:

The port of Hong Kong:

The port of New York:

The port of Rotterdam:

The modern silk road, still controlled by Muslims:

[fso301]

In 1492 Columbus discovered lands populated by savage stone age tribes continually engaged in genocidal warfare against themselves. After four hundred years of contact and conflict with Europeans, the natives never figured out how to copy European technology and were still a stone age people.

[MiltonFriedmanFan]

Well then Leif didn’t discover it either since hundreds of thousands of people already inhabited the continent.

[MiltonFriedmanFan]

Well then Leif didn’t discover it either since hundreds of thousands of people already inhabited the continent.

[IrishPennant]

Hey, I thought the Knights Templar discovered it????

[fso301]

Well then Leif didn’t discover it either since hundreds of thousands of people already inhabited the continent.

True but then that brings us to evidence of even earlier European, Chinese, Moslem/African contact.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***South American Taino Indians (Puerto Ricans in New Jersey and the Taino Jatibonicu’ Tribe of Boriken, Puerto Rico) put on the Puerto Rican version of a Plains Indian pow-wow... I wonder if Ms. Sabis-Burns is concerned about accuracy here.***

Will cooked Taino baby be on the menu? Yummy! Columbus interrupted such a pow wow when his men freed several pregnant Indian women captives. The Carribe indians were getting ready to feast on new born Taino.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***The usual crap. Sanguinary.. white man diseases.. they’re portraying the Indians in a better light. ***

If the Indians had gone on a voyage of discovery and found Europe they would hve come home with those same diseases.

It is not the European’s fault the Indians did not have immunity to such things.

[PIF]

And the Knights Templar may have staked a claim in 1392 or so in Ohio. Natgeo/Discovery/History Channel.

[Publius6961]

Leif Ericson discovered America hundreds of years before Columbus.

Actually, Emperor Zhu Di's eunuch admirals discovered America... in 1421.

And possible many others, if one were to adopt a fourth-grader's grasp of "discovered," and relevant historical contexts.

Just saying.