Issues & Controversies in American History‘s This Month in History, October 2015—Columbus’s Voyages to the Americas

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Issues & Controversies in American History‘s This Month in History, October 2015—Columbus’s Voyages to the Americas

COLUMBUS’S VOYAGES TO THE AMERICAS: How Should His Legacy Be Assessed?

Christopher Columbus’s epic voyage to the Americas in 1492 is widely recognized as the starting point of the modern era, and seen by some as the beginning of globalization. Yet his legacy and the impact of later European explorers on the Americas are still controversial.

Was Columbus, as some argue, a brave and talented mariner who should be remembered for bringing the benefits of Western civilization to the native peoples of the Americas and untold wealth and glory to Europe? Columbus’s critics call him an incompetent explorer who stumbled upon the Americas by accident and used violence and enslavement against the natives at nearly every turn, all in an effort to amass wealth and personal glory.

Let your students get the facts and decide for themselves: How should Christopher Columbus’s legacy be assessed? Be sure to check out Issues & Controversies in American History‘s clear and unbiased examination of Christopher Columbus and his voyage to the Americas in 1492. Use the overview video to help start the discussion.

Issues & Controversies in American History is an accessible educational database that delivers dynamic, concise, and balanced coverage providing the background, outcome, and contemporary points of view for every major debate and conflict in American history.