Christopher Columbus

[Erasmus]

Why does he get so much attention, especially in America?
I mean, he thought he was going to India, and if the Americas hadn't been there, he most likely would've died at sea. And he never actually landed in the USA! In all four of his voyages, he explored The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and part of the northern coast of South America. So why is there Columbus Day? In my opinion, it seems pretty ridiculous.

[tundravortex]

true but yet they still killed my people and took our land

[Manjusri]

Although columbus didn't necessarily discover america, he prompted the discovery of it with his voyages.

Christopher columbus traveled in four voyages, and came to a consensus that brazil and the west indies was part of asia's eastern outskirts.

Then amerigo vespucci came and debunked the whole thing with his exploration. (That's where the name america comes from - amerigo)

So without columbus there wouldn't have been any reasoning to travel and decipher whether or not there were more land masses / brazil + west indies were part of asia.

Christopher columbus was the first european to reach 'the new world'. Not exactly america, but close enough. The first person to actually reach america is kind of blurry. Some say that it was leif ericson, other people say that the welsh + irish came first. Either way, it definitely wasn't columbus.

[CharlieFinley]

true but yet they still killed my people and took our land

Whatever you say, "Ratonhnhaké:ton." :rolleyes:

[tundravortex]

made it sound like i took it from ac3 or something

[Sugaree]

Whatever you say, "Ratonhnhaké:ton." :rolleyes:

Except that really happened. When Columbus returned from his first voyage, he brought back a large number of native slaves that were lucky to survive the village raids his men conducted. He also didn't stop his soldiers from torturing the natives at their pleasure, and they often wiped out entire villages full of people. They raped, stole, and murdered their way to glory. Very few of the natives converted to Christianity (which was Columbus' goal AFTER reaching India anyway). Columbus had all this blood on his hands until the day he died, and he should never have been praised so highly for all he did. But he was a man of his time, and there's no disputing that fact.

[CharlieFinley]

Except that really happened. When Columbus returned from his first voyage, he brought back a large number of native slaves that were lucky to survive the village raids his men conducted. He also didn't stop his soldiers from torturing the natives at their pleasure, and they often wiped out entire villages full of people. They raped, stole, and murdered their way to glory. Very few of the natives converted to Christianity (which was Columbus' goal AFTER reaching India anyway). Columbus had all this blood on his hands until the day he died, and he should never have been praised so highly for all he did. But he was a man of his time, and there's no disputing that fact.
It was the "my people" thing I objected to, given that his "native american name" is the protagonist from ACIII.

[Aajj333]

I don't mind the day off of school but I think it's an unnecarry holiday

[FreeFall]

He wasn't the first to the Americas, but he was the one that helped people become aware of the other lands out there. Like, he brought attention to the Americas.
Most of the citizens here know he isn't the discoverer. There was nothing to discover, the indigenous people already were here, they knew the land. The vikings visited the future Americas here and there too. Columbus thought the lands were India.
But we have the holiday for him because he sort of lead the "new World" to finding America, like a thank you. Had he not been corrected or even brought attention to us, it's possible these lands would not be known as the Americas, or at least the Americas it has become.

[CharlieFinley]

made it sound like i took it from ac3 or something

.... because you did?

[tundravortex]

.... because you did?

man when your born in the rez you could get any name and they chose that and by the way i was born before the game came out....this is my last post before i get in trouble

[Guillermo]

.... because you did?

I'd just like to point out that this is the internet. Enough said.

Columbus was basically one of the first European (a.k.a white) explorers to discover and exploit the Americas. In doing so, he caused many native peoples to be sold into slavery, killed, banished from their native lands, and die of diseases all throughout the Americas. In my opinion, he's wrongly glorified on this day. Honestly though, the holiday isn't really a big deal nor celebrated here in the U.S. Though, from what I've read, in other countries they celebrate something similar to Columbus Day, although they have actual themes to them (like cultural awareness).

[Human]

He was a great man, but not a good man.
He shouldn't be thought of such a great guy though, as in he caused slavery etc.

[Zenos]

Although columbus didn't necessarily discover america, he prompted the discovery of it with his voyages.

Christopher columbus traveled in four voyages, and came to a consensus that brazil and the west indies was part of asia's eastern outskirts.

Then amerigo vespucci came and debunked the whole thing with his exploration. (That's where the name america comes from - amerigo)

So without columbus there wouldn't have been any reasoning to travel and decipher whether or not there were more land masses / brazil + west indies were part of asia.

Christopher columbus was the first european to reach 'the new world'. Not exactly america, but close enough. The first person to actually reach america is kind of blurry. Some say that it was leif ericson, other people say that the welsh + irish came first. Either way, it definitely wasn't columbus.



But you just said Christopher columbus was the first european to reach 'the new world',and Leif Ericson was a Norse and thus from Europe!
So wouldn't that have made Leif Ericson the first european to reach 'the new world'?

true but yet they still killed my people and took our land

And who did you're people kill and push aside to aquire that land?

Face it in the history of humanity every race and ethnic group has killed and pushed aside others to get "their" land!

Merged double post. -Gigablue

[tundravortex]

And who did you're people kill and push aside to aquire that land?

Face it in the history of humanity every race and ethnic group has killed and pushed aside others to get "their" land!

from what i know pretty much nobody because we were the first ones there

if you people are going to rant about my name please do it on my page

Merged double post. -Gigablue

[CharlieFinley]

man when your born in the rez you could get any name and they chose that and by the way i was born before the game came out....this is my last post before i get in trouble
Uh-huh. :cool:
But you just said Christopher columbus was the first european to reach 'the new world',and Leif Ericson was a Norse and thus from Europe!
So wouldn't that have made Leif Ericson the first european to reach 'the new world'?Not in any real sense, no.

from what i know pretty much nobody because we were the first ones there
He's actually right about this. Native American populations did not suffer from the explosive growth that European colonists underwent, and in all probability did not take their land by conquest.

[Manjusri]

But you just said Christopher columbus was the first european to reach 'the new world',and Leif Ericson was a Norse and thus from Europe!
So wouldn't that have made Leif Ericson the first european to reach 'the new world'?

To some extent - yes. Leif ericson was born in iceland, which is now politically a part of europe, but not geologically.

However, back at the time of leif ericsons birth (sometime around 970) iceland was not a part of the european union, therefore not a part of europe.

Not in any real sense, no.

Actually, in any real sense, yes.

Iceland became part of the european union in 2009, which would make anyone from iceland partially considered european. (in a political sense, not a geological one)

In fact, wikipedia even regards leif ericson as a european. And before all of the, "Well wikipedia is an unreliable website", wikipedia was revised to be a more accurate source of information. Articles that have been revised have a little green plus sign in the top right corner of them. Woohoo. :yeah:

Here's the quote from the leif ericson article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Ericson), stating him as a european;

Leiv Eiriksson c. 970 – c. 1020) was a Norse explorer regarded as the first European to land in North America (excluding Greenland), nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus

[CharlieFinley]

Actually, in any real sense, yes.

Iceland became part of the european union in 2009, which would make anyone from iceland partially considered european. (in a political sense, not a geological one)

In fact, wikipedia even regards leif ericson as a european. And before all of the, "Well wikipedia is an unreliable website", wikipedia was revised to be a more accurate source of information. Articles that have been revised have a little green plus sign in the top right corner of them. Woohoo. :yeah:

Here's the quote from the leif ericson article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Ericson), stating him as a european;

There's Europe, and then there's Europe. I don't really think the argument can be made that Iceland was, at the time, a part of European culture. The one to introduce Europe proper to the New World was Columbus.

[TheBigUnit]

Um that doesn't really matter does it? The vikings of Newfoundland dissapeared didn't they?

Columbus has a lot of diffrent stories to his name, what columbus set out to do was find a shortcut to india by crossing the atlantic, next columbus really was the first man of his era to find the americas,
My school doesn't even give off for columbus day

[Gigablue]

And who did you're people kill and push aside to aquire that land?

Face it in the history of humanity every race and ethnic group has killed and pushed aside others to get "their" land!

No one. The native Americans were the first people in North America. It was completely uninhibited before their arrival.

[Zenos]

No one. The native Americans were the first people in North America. It was completely uninhibited before their arrival.



Are you 100% certain of that?


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-evidence-suggests-stone-age-hunters-from-europe-discovered-america-7447152.html

[Twilly F. Sniper]

I have no clue.
Leif Erikson arrived before he did, and the 1st European to be there.
Before Leif Erikson, generations of asians migrated across the Bering strait in the ice age to chase the wolly mammoths.
Really, nobody deserves any reward.

[Zenos]

I have no clue.
Leif Erikson arrived before he did, and the 1st European to be there.
Before Leif Erikson, generations of asians migrated across the Bering strait in the ice age to chase the wolly mammoths.
Really, nobody deserves any reward.


True,plus i myself have family thats part Black foot,part Irish and they'll flat out tell you that way back that tribes would push other tribes aside to expand their on hunting grounds/territory etc etc,