As usual, I am very late getting into any discussion. I missed the initial
discussion that may have tossed around 'who discovered America.' What I have
picked up from the tail end of the discussion is that people on the list
generally think that giving credit to Leif for "discovering" the New World is
a relatively recent concept in US education.
I am pretty old and when I went to grade school in the late 50's and early
60's, every text book I ever read gave Leif credit and Chris was considered a
latecomer. However, the theory that I was taught back in the dark ages was
that Columbus' contribution was his P.R. He chose his financiers carefully.
They were the big wigs of the age. He billed his trip as an investment and
promised to bring back great wealth from the East. CC was inadvertently
responsible for the economic development (or the savage misuse of people and
resources) of the Americas.
Now, I may have missed the point of this discussion. Therefore, my
contribution may have nothing to do with the initial questions. If so, I
apologize.
Constance in Missouri (USA)
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