Traditional Myths About Christopher's Discovery Of America

In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the Atlantic Ocean, as far as the Iceland and West Africa, his adventures convinced him that the world was round. Thus, the fabled riches of the East spices, silk and gold could be had by sailing in West “, (Leowen, 1995, p.29). As a voyager his journey was motivated by discovering new land but his objectives was to find a Western route to the Indies. This essay will look at the traditional myths about Christopher and his discovery of America (new land). Than discuss how revisionist historians and American Indians activist maintained to object the traditional myths and the discovering of America.

According Leowen (1995) to Native Americans Columbus appeared as a man who came across the ocean to damage and

They noted that’s the arrival of Columbus was the beginning of colonisation in America as it destroyed many Native American people and their cultures. This revisionist concern was sustained by Zinn (1980) who showed that Columbus was no hero to Native Americans. Zinn (1980) tells the story of Columbus by pointing out the important and missing information about Columbus. arrivals of in America. He further ,state that Columbus came to America searching for wealth, such as gold which he maintained to find in the Caribbean’s and other Indian tribes he found. In this case Columbus myths are challenged as Zinn’s (1980) book reveals the immoral side of Columbus which did not appear in the traditional history textbooks. Leowen (1995) noted that most of the myths about Columbus were presented in these history

He points out that most of the books tell history as if Columbus was the first person to go across the Atlantic Ocean and land in America. Hitherto, many European such as the Vikings landed in America before 1492(the arrival of Columbus). He further, states that most of these books focused only on the good things Columbus did in Europe after discovering America such as admiring the beauty of the Indians and how he befriend one of the local chiefs of the Native Americans who was not against him. In addition the introduction of the passage in the Land Of Promise according to Leowen (1995) it presented a myth because it contracts with what is written in Columbus’s journal when he arrived in America. This was a way of admiring and presenting Columbus as a hero, who succeed his voyage to America after experiencing very tough weather in the sea, Leowen