someone that knows their history......a question about Colombus and America?

Question

How did Colombus discover America.....if there were already people here when he arrived? Wouldn't that just mean that he was able to go back to Spain and say someone already lives in America.

Also, in elementary school we talked how he arrived to one of the 13 colonies (Mass. I think) with the Nina, Pinta, and Santa María........but in all of my Spanish classes they say he arrived to the carribean.

Lastly, why is a guy who's with all his conquistadores like a hero.....when in reality he killed off many native people?

Any information you have or comments are welcome please.

Answer 1

1. the pilgrims arrived in massachusets, on plimoth rock, not columbus.
2. columbus did not go back because he did not want to live in the land, he wanted to take the spices and gold, and go back to spain for the fame and fortune, that was all he cared about.
3.columbus really landed in the carribean.
4.i had the same question to my fifth grade teacher, why is he considered a hero if he killed so many natives? well, when you are in elementary school, the teach you that because they are not going to tell a first grader that the person that they have been taoght had discovered their country landed somewhere else and killed thousands of people.
FUN FACT- COLUMBUS WAS NOT FROM SPAIN, HE WAS ITALIAN, BUT HE CHANGED HIS NAME AND MOVED TO SPAIN AND PRETENDED TO BE SPANISH SO HE COULD GET HIS SHIPS FROM THE QUEEN.

Answer 2

People say that Columbus "discovered" America because he was the first person to fully document landing in America. Plus, the natives weren't really considered people for many, many years, so the fact that Columbus was 'civilized' made him the hero of the hour. And he did go back to Spain and tell them that there were people there, but they didn't care. Spain just wanted the land and resources, and again didn't consider the natives 'human'.

About the 13 colonies thing, it sounds like you might have gotten that confused with the English settlers, or else your school was full of moronic teachers (which wouldn't surprise me). Your Spanish class was right.

And as for Columbus being a hero, it's due to years and years of people passing down misinformation about him that has made him a 'hero'. And to the Spanish at the time he was a hero since he opened up the opportunity for Spain to get more land and resources.

Answer 3

Since the Indians didn't discover Europe, Europeans discovered the Americas and documented it. Because there was no recorded contact between the NEW WORLD although Vikings and Chinese and even Africans are beleived to have visited the Americas from time to time. Your school must be run by Morons if they say Columbus discovered the 13 colonies. Maybe you are confused by the Pilgrims story which happened 150 years later after Columbus. Conquistadores sucked I never heard anyone call them a hero perhaps because they used them as an excuse to spread Christianity but what they really wanted was the Gold

Answer 4

Some answers here are misguided, Columbus' intention was to get to the Indies because of the fall of Byzantium and the Ottoman control of the trade routes to the East.
Europe knew about all of Asia, remember there were regular ambassadors between Ancient Rome and China long before the age of sail, so that answer is bunkum.
Europe even knew about a fabled land Cipangu now known as Japan.
The intention was to control the lucrative spice trade, akin to oil routes today.
Columbus arrived in 1492, Jamestown was founded in 1607, so the teachers have it grossly wrong.
As for the discovery its the documents that came down to us through colonization, most of studied British or French versions of history, hence British and French discoveries were taught with primacy. China on the hand claims to have discovered America through Zheng He but the whole supposition is built on an assumption of a cartographic map. The vikings left no written documentation of landfall, fauna, vegetation or coastal descriptions or even settlement patterns. So they're foray into America can best be described as a marooning.

Answer 5

Columbus never came close to what is regarded as the continental United States. His first voyage landed on or near Puerto Rico, his 2nd eastern Cuba, and his 3rd, around Panama. The 1st European to set foot on the continental US was after Columbus sailed was probably John Cabot, an Englishman. By 1500, Spaniards were landing in Mexico and looting the Aztecs.

All Columbus proved was that there was undiscovered land, by the Europeans, to the West.

Answer 6

1/ The furthest place known to the East of Europe was India, so Columbus looked for a short cut by going West. He found locals there, and called them Indians since he hoped to find India

2&3/ Don't confuse Columbus with Cortez. He went past Cuba to Mexico and had many wars using horses and guns not known to the locals

Answer 7

There is some thought that Americas Vespucci's discovered America.