Christopher Columbus? Or Not Christopher Columbus?

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On Columbus Day students across the nation will learn how Columbus discovered the New World and about his fantastic travels to the New World. Children will learn poems, stories, songs and rhymes about his travels and about himself as well on this day. When introduced to Columbus as a young student he is portrayed as a respectful gentleman and as a hero, when in reality he is a selfish man who takes advantage of lesser people and schools should be teaching their students about who Columbus really was. Christopher Columbus is introduced to students when they are either in kindergarten or in the first grade. Parents might even inform their young children about the adventures of Columbus before they are able to go to elementary school. According to elementary teachers, Columbus’s objective in his travels was to find a shorter and quicker way for trade with the Indies. Teachers will also say that he was the first one to discover America, and that he was a good person and that he treated the Native Americans nicely. Some teachers will also say that Columbus was taking this voyage to prove that the world was round¬. If this continues with the information that teachers are telling our students, our students will be misinformed and then they will spread their knowledge of Christopher Columbus to other people and then they will be miss informed as well. ¬¬¬ Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in present day Italy. When he was an adult, he married Filipa Moniz Perestrelo and together they had two boys and their names are Diego, and Fernando. He had three brothers and one sister. At a young age he sailed to the Greek island Chios and in later years he made trips to West Africa and he had a growing interest in taking a trip across the Atl... ... middle of paper ... ...scovered the New World were in fact Vikings who got lost getting back to their homeland and they were the first ones from Europe to discover America and the New World. Make sure to tell students how Columbus was harsh and how he took advantage of the Native Americans intelligence and of their land. Works Cited Klein, Christopher . "THe Viking Explorer Who Beat Columbus to America." History. A&E Television Networks , 08 Oct 2013. Web. 22 Feb 2014. . Mulford, Carla. Early American Writings . 1st edition. New York: Oxford University Pree, Inc. , 2002. 29-40. Print. Wanjek, Christopher . "Top 5 Misconceptions About Columbus." Live Science . Live Science, 09 Oct 2009. Web. 22 Feb 2014. .

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