Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years

Quick -- This man completed four journeys across the Atlantic Ocean, established the Spanish settlement of Hispaniola, was accused of tyranny in his governorship of the Arawak (Taino) Indians, and was later imprisoned by the king and queen of Spain.That was one of the questions during our last parent/student Jeopardy! game at my kid's school, and not a single adult knew the answer. I can certainly relate. I was in 6th-grade during the quincentenary (1992) of Columbus's voyage, and went to a fine school. All the same, I've had a lot of learning to do when it comes to the Columbus story. Strangely, unlike the exploits of Cortes or Pizarro—which pretty much every civilized person can agree were brutal and nakedly greedy enterprises—those of Columbus have somehow been sanitized, even sanctified, to the point where criticizing his actions engenders controversy. I do not understand why this should be so. Columbus himself certainly didn't duck the issue. How about this: "Gold is most excellent; gold constitutes treasure; and he who has it does all he wants in the world, and can even lift souls up to Paradise. Or: "Seeing some of them with little bits of metal hanging at their noses, I gathered from them by signs that by going southward or steering round the land in that direction, there would be found a king who possessed great cups full of gold...I could conquer the whole of them with fifty men and govern them as I pleased." These are not obscure bits of hearsay, but primary sources, words from the man's own journals.Facts in and of themselves should not be controversial, and I have yet to encounter a compelling argument as to why Columbus should be singled out from all the other conquistadors as a kind of boyishly curious, benevolent adventurer or—at worst—a kind of honorary Founding Father. He in no way embodied the principles of Jefferson and Franklin. In fact, when the Tainos showed the slightest resistance..."[Columbus] hastened to proceed to the country and disperse and subdue, by force of arms, the people of the entire island...For this he chose 200 foot soldiers and 20 cavalry, with many crossbows and small cannon, lances, and swords, and a still more terrible weapon against the Indians, in addition to the horses: this was 20 hunting dogs, who were turned loose and immediately tore the Indians apart." That comes from the friar Bartolome de las Casas, one of Columbus's contemporaries, a man considered by many to be the first great historian of the Americas.I could certainly go on with an exhaustive description (chronicled by witnesses) of the various atrocities committed by Columbus, his brothers, and his small army. But what's more important is celebrating this much-needed book, one that is capable of guiding teachers at all grade levels in presenting Columbus in a more balanced way. The goal is not to traumatize children; that is not the aim of this book whatsoever. Here the conscientious teacher will find detailed lesson plans, poems, primary sources, and suggestions for presenting the Native side of this momentous story. Because the story IS important—in fact crucial—to our understanding of history, syncretism, religious traditions, and the exchange of ideas and technology. Why not avoid lies by omission, obfuscation, or outright falsehood? Historical figures aren't made of marble. They were human beings. They aren't sacred, and they don't care—one way or the other—what we say about them. We can affirm in the same breath that Columbus was both tremendously courageous and tremendously cruel, and not just by the standards of our time, but by his own as well. Knowing more about what Columbus did has no effect whatever on my love of country—why should it? He had nothing to do with our founding document or the principles we hold dear.Teachers who tend toward the old "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" version of events—either because they don't know any better or because a more complete view of the past makes them uncomfortable—would do themselves and their students a great service by studying the lessons in the book. It's a marvelous anthology, and a solid step in the right direction in restoring justice to our curricula. As I see it, the study of history brings a three-fold benefit. It teaches us the nature of cause and effect (why things are the way they are), acts as a kind of intellectual self-defense against those who falsely claim that such-and-such did or didn't happen and, most crucially, allows us to broaden our capacity for empathy and understanding. This isn't about "revising" history or "dwelling on the yucky parts"—two perennial accusations against those who question a mythologized version of events. Of course, we can't bring the Tainos back simply by learning about them. But we can do our best to right an egregious historical wrong, and only as much as it can be righted—by teaching as truthfully as we can. Thank you for reading.

I have recommended this book for many years to teachers and parents who want to get more information and rethink how they explicate Columbus both at home and in the classroom. I think this book is the most helpful educational book available to explain the true history of Coilumbus and how to teach it to different ages of children. The author really thought this through and did a lot of research. As a Native American, I believe that it is very important for schoolchildren not to be taught that Columbus was a hero and not to be taught that he "discovered" anything. I have recommended this book for many years to teachers and parents who want to get more information and rethink how they explicate Columbus both at home and in the classroom. Bigelow is very reasonable and persuasive in his explanations of why it is important to stop teaching children lies about Columbus.

I had seen on a website that this book had been banned from some schools in Arizona. So I immediately had to get it and see what the fuss was. I can see why some people would want it banned--it tells the truth about Columbus' "discovery" of the New World and how the Native Peoples were treated--or I should say mistreated. It tells of the twisted "facts" that we are taught in school that skewer everything to make the "white man" the hero and give little credit to the Native People. It is an eye-opener and will definitely make you "re-think" Columbus. I personally don't feel any book should be banned--isn't the purpose of education to learn different outlooks, to become a well-rounded person who can take the facts and make your own judgements? Anyway, I am so glad I bought this book.

This book is an honest look at the treatment of Native people by the Europeans who arrived and took their land. It gives a point of view that is seldom, if ever, brought to our attention: that of the natives. If anyone is offended by the frankness offered here, it is only because they are in full denial of the truth of what happened and do not want to face the fact that Columbus, like those who followed him, was a tyrant who conquered, took slaves, and purposely tortured people. Move on after Columbus, and you will realize how much damage has been done and how little has been taught in schools. I highly recommend this book.

I have wondered since I first heard it in elementary school , how do you discover land that is occupied and populated?

I think ALL educators need to read this book and let it be a base to start when teaching American history!

It was interesting, but not exactly what I expected, it is actually a handbook for teachers in American schools, telling them how to convey information about the near-genocide of Native Americans that occurred in the wake of Columbus's 'discovery' of the Americas.