Sign Up
School Account Sign Up
Contributor: Danielle Childers. Lesson ID: 10153
Who was Christopher Columbus really? Explore two different perspectives on this explorer and then write a persuasive essay on your view!
Watch the clip below with a song you have probably heard before.
Learn the surprising answers to these questions and more!
Most people, when asked about Christopher Columbus, will have wonderful things to say about him since they believe he discovered America.
Looking back into history, we see that might not be the case, or at least it isn't the full picture of his journeys.
Learn more about Columbus and the importance of perspective!
Read about Christopher Columbus to begin.
People agree Christopher Columbus was an important Italian explorer in the 1400s who took a brave journey west. But, people have very different perspectives on whether Columbus discovered America!
Some think he discovered America, but others believe other explorers discovered it before him, and we should not celebrate him because he killed many natives in the Americas.
History is written using the accounts of the people who lived through the events. Especially before the time of recordings, cameras, and videos, history is not always concrete, and we don't always get the exact facts.
For example, concerning Christopher Columbus, we have written accounts from him and his sailors, but we do have accounts from any of the Native Americans whom he killed.
We only hear the explorer's side, so we don't necessarily get a balanced perspective.
Continue to the Got It? section to explore different perspectives on Columbus.
FAVORITE
Like