Christopher Columbus's Impact On American History

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Christopher Columbus had a major impacted in developing American history, and not for what want you think it is for. Like most of us, in grade school we were taught that he sail the ocean blue in 1492 and he thought the world was flat. We also was taught that he was the first to discover America, but that is not the reason Columbus impacted American history. Christopher Columbus was famous for something else. Christopher Columbus was the one of the first people to sail west trying to find a faster route to Asia. Even though Columbus was completely ignorant of the new continent he had encountered, his voyage changed the course of human history - fast. The islands Columbus explored became known for all future generations of people as the West Indies, and the native people became collectively known as Indians. Columbus was followed by wave upon wave of European explorers and conquerors motivated by God, gold, and glory. Which impacts on the environment demographic (population). But some of the earliest contacts between Europeans and Native Americans very quickly and permanently shaped the development of North America. Whether they were looking for riches, hoping to spread Christianity, or wanting fame back home, their most important legacy was in the things they left

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