Summary Of The Importance Of Christopher Columbus

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The article, “ The True Importance of Christopher Columbus” sheds light on the bias way American history treats Christopher Columbus. As the author points out, in the United States, Christopher Columbus is seen as a hero, and is credited with discovering the Americas. This belief is reinforced by history books used in all levels of education. However a more accurate review of history shows there many untruths to the traditional Christopher Columbus story.
To understand the success of Christopher Columbus, one should look at what was happening in Europe in the years leading up to 1492; there are five main factors to consider. First history tells us that Europe was beginning to want to explore and learn about new ideas. Second, Europe began making new discoveries such as mechanized printing and military technology. Third, Europeans wanted to control and dominate wealth and other people. Fourth, Europeans believed their Christian faith allowed conquest of other people as long as you exposed them to Christianity. Fifth, Europe was having some success in taking over smaller island societies. However, the author points out most textbooks do not mention any of the above factors and the desire of
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The great lesson to learn from this article is the danger of misinformation. For centuries, we have believed a myth about Columbus. Now that the truth has been revealed, it begs us to question what other untruths have been told both in the past, but more importantly what untruths are being told today. I relate this to the current Presidential election. I feel as if we do not know the truth about either candidate. I think the media sways stories and do not present the facts. If given the facts, Americans could decide for themselves the worth of the candidates, but just like with Columbus, the real truth may not currently be available to