Why are people still being taught that Chistopher Columbus discovered America when the Natives did?

Answer 1

~Well, gee, if they were "Natives" they didn't discover anything: they were born here.

Given that the world revolves around western civilization, and it was Columbus that opened the western hemisphere to European exploitation and conquest, to whom would give credit for the discovery?

Answer 2

Only after Columbus' voyage to America did the Europeans widely accept the fact that it existed and could be colonized. Since most of our history lessons are taught from a European perspective, that is why.

Answer 3

Discovery is just a word applying to a particular group.

The Amerindians may have come first, but they didn't inform the rest of the world, right? So the only people who could benefit from their discovery were the original settlers.

Then the Europeans come, for better and for worse, and discover the Americas for the rest of the world.

Answer 4

Well, very simple. When the Natives discovered America, they forgot to make public the discovery. Thus, nobody knew that they had discovered America, whereas, when Columbus discovered it, everybody knew about it

Answer 5

Columbus and his crew were little more than criminals who robbed, raped, and murdered the native peoples they came into contact with, and worse. If more people knew the REAL truth, there would be no "Columbus Day". The native Americans should have killed him when they had the chance.

Answer 6

Because, my friend, as someone once said: "History is written by the winners." And since Europe "won" in the battle to conquer the "New" world, over the natives already here, history is taught from that European perspective.

Answer 7

Because we have a civilization based on European point of view, political structre, law structure. Most of people in power here are of european heritage and thats who writes the history books.
I think everyone is aware that there were Indians already here.