Why do we consider Columbus the one who discovered America?

[Deleted]

Well I think this is a valid question.

Ignoring the fact that... well, people were already living there and as such it seems kind of odd to say you discovered something that was already discovered, why are people thought that Columbus was the one who discovered America? Even excluding the native indians, the aztecs and incas... wasn't it the vikings who discovered America first? They even founded hunting towns in Newfoundland and even on the mainland of what today is Canada and called the land Vinland and Markland. And this was all made hundreads of years before Columbus even was born.

What do you think of this?

Edit: Ok, some things I want to lay straight:
-even in university I got teachers trying to shove the idea that Columbus discovered America, which is why, as you may see, I made this thread, I didn't know in other places they actually teach it better with the vikings, the chinese and the polynisians.
-native americans, indians, yes, I called them native indians. Mistakes happen.
-to everyone saying "because Europe made history", vikings are not from Asia or Africa. And they were civilized, in fact the french justice system has to thank them as I understood, as they used to pillage northern France until the king gave them some land there in Normandy, where they settled and then the french saw how every time the vikings had an argument they'd sue eachother, something the kind of France found awesome and adopted.
-in fact most of the cultures were civilized, from the native "countries", the Inca Empire had a really great redistribution system of goods in particular, the spanish had luck in fact because the emperor had just died and the two sons were thinking who can rule the empire, the spanish may not have been so succesful otherwise there.
-I understand that history is made by the winners, so then it's understandable why the natives were considered less important, but vikings would have been the perfect example, in fact the Vatican could have used them by saying "Look, we civilized this savages and now look what they managed, isn't this great?"

[Deleted]

People refuse to rewrite the history books i guess. Columbus is a hero to some nations, they do not want him to lose that status.

[artemishunter1]

Well I think this is a valid question.

Ignoring the fact that... well, people were already living there and as such it seems kind of odd to say you discovered something that was already discovered, why are people thought that Columbus was the one who discovered America? Even excluding the native indians, the aztecs and incas... wasn't it the vikings who discovered America first? They even founded hunting towns in Newfoundland and even on the mainland of what today is Canada and called the land Vinland and Markland. And this was all made hundreads of years before Columbus even was born.

What do you think of this?

He discovered it for the Europeans. Before him, there were only legends. He was trying to get to India and ended up here. This single move drastically shifted balance of power.

[Pocketzest]

There are a million history questions like that....Why do we consider Thomas Edison the inventor of the light-bulb? Why is Nikola Tesla excluded from most history books? Why does.....ect, the list goes on.

[Seegtease]

Well I think this is a valid question.

Ignoring the fact that... well, people were already living there and as such it seems kind of odd to say you discovered something that was already discovered, why are people thought that Columbus was the one who discovered America? Even excluding the native indians, the aztecs and incas... wasn't it the vikings who discovered America first? They even founded hunting towns in Newfoundland and even on the mainland of what today is Canada and called the land Vinland and Markland. And this was all made hundreads of years before Columbus even was born.

What do you think of this?

First, don't call them native Indians. Not that I care about political correctness, but that's a silly term. If you're going to say native, say native American. You could just say Indian but then it sounds like you're talking about somebody from India (yeah, they're called Indians).

As for Columbus, he's praised because he was the first part of the most civilized part of the world to discover it.

[Suikoden]

I feel bad for poor ol' Leif Ericson.

[Wakwazu]

It's a pop-history thing. Something that is widely accepted even though it's inaccurate. He's like the auto-tune of american history. No need to over analyze it.

[Goldfingaz]

First, don't call them native Indians. Not that I care about political correctness, but that's a silly term. If you're going to say native, say native American. You could just say Indian but then it sounds like you're talking about somebody from India (yeah, they're called Indians).

As for Columbus, he's praised because he was the first part of the most civilized part of the world to discover it.

Didn't realize the place was called America before it was presumed India. Natives I think wold be the proper PC choice here.

[chemicader]

He is the first named person who "found" America.

[Deleted]

Everyone was powerleveling back then, Columbus dinged world-first 60 by discovering America and everybody remembers it for that reason.





Yeah.. dunno.

[Seegtease]

Didn't realize the place was called America before it was presumed India. Natives I think wold be the proper PC choice here.

Fine. You could also call them by their individual tribes.

But Indian? It's just confusing (and based on a mistake). I can't talk about Indians I got on a tech support line without people being surprised that an Indian (native to America) does tech support.

[Siri]

I actually read an article about this not too long ago, I can't seem to find it right now though.
Anyway, even if you want to discount the archaeological findings of Leif Eriksson's expedition you also have to consider Amerigo Vespucci and some guy that England sent out. Columbus' first expeditions never got to the american mainland, vespuccis presence was never actually confirmed, just discussed in private letters that may or may not be authentic. The guy from England didn't get recognition in America because of the political climate when this was "settled".

There is also the possibilty of the Phoenicians being there as early as 1000 years before christ.

[Jackmoves]

He is the first named person who "found" America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Ericson

[Oldsun]

At the time Columbus discovered America, people from Spain didn't believe him. The government of that time prefered to believe the tales of another man, Amerigo Vespuchi (Amerigo = America). Later on, they corrected the discovery to Columbus.

[Toroc]

I don't know why we consider that pig "the one who discovered America".

[Suikoden]

I don't know why we consider that pig "the one who discovered America".

It annoys me that Columbus Day even exists.

[Siri]

At the time Columbus discovered America, people from Spain didn't believe him. The government of that time prefered to believe the tales of another man, Amerigo Vespuchi (Amerigo = America). Later on, they corrected the discovery to Columbus.

This is not even true. Columbus was massively funded by the Spanish leadership to find the sea route to Asia because they believed in the stories that had been told about the riches that could be found. when he arrived at America he had no idea what he had found, he didn't know it was a new continent. The person who actually realized that was Vespucci.

If I contract an unknown disease and I have no idea what it is I go to the doctor, someone else figures out that it is a new disease. Who really made a discovery here? me? Don't make me laugh.

Edit: This is of course in addition to the fact that Columbus actually didn't get there first.

[Deleted]

Because most part of the history as we know it is written by the Europeans. And to the Europeans, Columbus discovered America.

[Mcfeegan]

Columbus is the one credited with the discovery probably because no one else did anything with the Americas until his voyage.

[Cablecow]

because the education system is designed to brainwash people into only holding one man responsible for things , such as the abe Lincoln assassination , your never taught about anything other than john wilks booth