The Popular Grade School Test Question: Who Discovered America? In the third or fourth grade, a dozen hands will fly up in the classrooom when the teacher asks, "Now who can tell me: who discovered America?" The normal answer is, Christopher Columbus. In fact, if you were to query adults, nine out of ten will say the same. It's curious that this is the generally accepted truth, because the facts contradict this answer, in no uncertain terms. Webster's New World Dictionary defines the word, discover, as follows: "1. to be the first to find out, see, etc. 2. to learn of the existence of." It is a fact that the many Native American tribes were living in America some 1500 years ago, long before Captain Columbus set off from Spain. It may be argued that he and his crew were the first Europeans to see what is now America. However, the Native Americans were already ensconced firmly on the land their ancestors had been the first to see many centuries before. It's also well known that the Vikings preceded Columbus to what we call America. The Vikings were able and diligent mariners, with hand-built ships that carried them across the seas, to Britain, Greenland and right on to North America in the 8th and 9th centuries. Some would say that the Vikings were not European, but Scandinavian. Nonetheless, the Scandinavian Vikings were the first people to interact with the already native populations of America. Is it only because of Captain Columbus' colonial aspirations that he is dubbed the discoverer of America? The Vikings had no plans to take over the land and claim it as their own. They did set up some rudimentary ports and villages to occupy while on land. However, they were soon back on the seas, heading back to Scandinavia. On the other hand, Columbus was driven by dreams of glory and riches. He desired to deliver gold and exotic plants and animals to the Spanish monarchy as a sample of the New World he claimed ownership of, despite the indigenous people's presence. In light of the definition of the word, discover, we can only assume that the dictionary of 1492 had a decidedly different definition. The only other possibility is that Columbus did not consider the people already living in America to be as important as he and his Spanish monarchy. Perhaps the evident wealth of the land caused a slight distortion in his interpretation of both discovering and laying claim. In any case, it's hard to excuse the history books which purport that it was Columbus who discovered America. In fairness, just as we celebrate Columbus Day, there should at least be a Native American's Day and a Viking's Day too. Let's get those kid's textbooks updated, shall we? Summary The debate continues as many school textbooks still give credit to Christopher Columbus for discovering America. In fact there were several other visitors and residents of this great land before Columbus was even born. It may be that the other visitors did not stay to establish colonies for good. Related Articles Public Education Issues Related Sites