Why does Christopher Columbus continue to get credit for discovering America?

Question

Everyone knows that Amerigo Vespuci discovered America several years before Columbus.

Answer 1

Columbus gets credit because of the intense revolution he caused. Although the Americas had already been discovered, he brought back new goods to Europe creating an entirely new lifestyle. He put his discoveries out there for everyone to use and think about. Think about it: everyone thinks of tomatoes as being Italian, but they really came from the Americas. But i agree, its inappropriate that he gets all the credit. Things are starting to change though, in all schools, kids are taught that it wasn't all Columbus.

Answer 2

There is strong evidence to suggest modern humans first arrived in North America via a land bridge across the Bering Straight but it bears mentioning that this evidence is not anything more than a strong suggestion/viable theory. People need to stop treating it as a fact. Even among the people that we call "aboriginal" in North America, it is pretty clear that there were more than one single movement of people. Ethnic groups moved, people speaking the same language split up. There are some groups that were possessed of their own entirely separate language, culture, and technology. (The ancestors of the modern Inuit are and excellent example. The Kutenai/Ktunaxa of Montana, Idaho, and British Columbia are as well) There is plenty of evidence to suggest there were people arriving here from Africa, China, and even some rare examples of people of possible Caucasian descent. My point is we've got no idea who exactly made it here first, so why bicker about it?

Why Columbus is important to modern history is because he was the man that was responsible for bringing the hemispheres into permanent and enduring contact with each other. Prior to Columbus, popular thought was the Atlantic was the end of the world. Columbus was the man to change that and that is why he is important. Amerigo Vespuci is just as important in many ways because he was the one to really bring it home that this wasn't some innovative trade route but in reality a whole other world unknown to them. That is why they're important. Of course they didn't "discover" anything in a lot of senses.By the same token though, who's to say someone didn't understand relativity before Einstein or Newtonian Laws prior to Newton?

Answer 3

Amerigo Vespucci didn't sail till 1499 Columbus sailed in 1492 don't they teach that funny Lil rhyme in school any more ? (in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue) i think why he still gets credit two reasons really is the fact that it wasn't really proven that the Vikings were here earlier and they really never had a long term settlement here. where as Columbus did with out him there would be no America or Canada or Mexico and other nations that why he still gets credit.

Answer 4

The natives and the Vikings "discovered" America years before Columbus.

Answer 5

I suppose we COULD give the American Indians credit for discovering the New World. I guess they walked across the backs of dead whales in the Bering or some crap.

But we can't really say they "discovered" anything. The original settlers from across the Bering Strait were too dumb to know that they discovered anything new - they were just trying to find food - you know, polar bears and mastadons and arctic orangutangs and such.

Also, later on the Indians who were here can't be described as "discovering" anything, because they were also pretty dumb - also, how do you "discover" the place where you already live? That would be like me walking out my door tomorrow and saying "HEY EVERYBODY, I DISCOVERED NEW JERSEY!!!" People would think I was pretty odd. And so it is with the Indians.

Love Jack

Answer 6

If you mean SOUTH america, then you're probably right. Columbus was a few years ahead in NORTH america, however and sicne it's a single continent, he gets the credit. Other, earlier purported discoverers (like the vikings) also do NOT get credit since by 'discovery', it is often meant relative to a civilized europe. Since europe wasn't that civilized when the vikings got to america and since anyhow they were unable to PUBLICIZE their discovery, no credit.

Answer 7

he gets all credit becoz simple,
you know the great person never does a different things, he does the simple things in a different way, in the same example columbus did. so he gets all credits, when u do things differently rather than others you can print your name or ur foot print strongly here after your death also. we should try to live that kind of life.

Answer 8

Vespucci came to America later than Columbus. And poor Columbus guy, he tried so hard. Give him a break...

Answer 9

Hi Jack, interesting theory about the original people to come to the Americas, not knowing they had discovered something. Why it wasn't until 1492 that they realized they were INDIANS, Someone wasn't to bright..

Answer 10

...because the US's school system is about making the kids feel good, like they learned something, not about actual learning. No one wants to leave any of the kids 'behind', so instead of telling parents that their kid might need a tutor, the school dumbs the lessons down to the lowest common denominator. Most people are not like me...they got through school to say they passed. I studied on my own just to learn. I ended up correcting some of my teachers.

'Wake up! What's the answer?'
*opening one eye and yawning* '52.837'
Don't just guess...actually...why are you always right, even though you use my class as nap time? Are you cheating?'
'Why do you still use a calculator? Are you inept? Need a tutor?...zzzzzzz'

Math was both my worst AND my most hated subject.