Christopher Columbus

"There I found very many islands, filled with innumerable people, and I have taken possession of them all for their Highnesses, done by proclamation and with the royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me."

In the beginning of a Letter to Luis de Santangel Regarding the First Voyage, Christopher Columbus declares that he has taken control of the people and land he has found. The letter was written in 1493.

I remember hearing all about Christopher Columbus as a kid. He was who we were told "discovered America," and I never had any reason to question it. I figured teachers wouldn't lie... and textbooks sure wouldn't lie. Besides, it seemed like common knowledge that Columbus "sailed the ocean blue in 1492." The funny thing is that I suppose there was always something missing... little pieces that just didn't add up, but just like I was expected not to question the story of God and Jesus, it seemed understood that we should also never question our history books. See, although I'm guilty of never asking about it, I always kinda figured America was just a bunch of empty, unpopulated land. Sure, I had hear about the Indians, but I guess I figured white people and Indians just kinda "started existing" at the same time. And I never really thought about black people... They must've just appeared in America one day... Poof! And then there was slavery and racism. And of course, Indians were crazy & violent, and white men were all cowboys. And Thanksgiving was a happy little gathering of friendly pilgrims and Indians, blah, blah, blah.

Part of me feels a little guilty for not questioning these things earlier, but like I said, I had no reason to. The thing I notice these days is the fact that I'm gaining all this incredible eye-opening knowledge, while the people around me sit still... happily stewing in their own ignorance with eyes glazed over whenever I mention an inkling of what I'm learning. Friends, family, and co-workers pause and flash a confused smile when I tell them that our history books got so many things wrong. Most people just dismiss what I'm saying and assume I'm becoming some kind of scholarly snob. Others sometimes nod as if they agree with me and know what I'm talking about, but I can tell they don't. And of course SOME of them actually do know what I mean, and they DO agree with me...

Reading Loewen... and all of this amazing literature is refreshing because it makes so many things make so much more sense. I might not like all the reasons for things, but at least there are explanations instead of an expectation that everything's fine the way it is and shouldn't be questioned. As I learn things, I wish I could make everyone else learn too... and it becomes harder and harder to have intelligent conversations with some of the people in my life.


I'm so glad that at least Dave (my fiancée) is so smart and liberal.